Pulled Pork

 Happy Friday!

I have your weekend plans covered with a delicious and juicy roasted pulled pork shoulder!

Dry rubbed with paprika, mustard and brown sugar; these spices create a crispy crust.

After cooling, and pulling apart, the pork is submerged in its juices, rehydrating the meat.

This recipe allows you to create a variety of dishes, like pulled pork sandwiches topped with pickled red onions and your slaw of choice, tacos or just as a topping on a nice bowl of rice!

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Ingredients 

• 1 (5-7 lb.)  pork shoulder

• 3 tbsp. paprika

• 3 tbsp. Sea salt

• 1 tbsp. garlic powder

• 1 tbsp. brown sugar

• 1 tbsp. dry mustard

Recipe

1. Mix the paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork. Cover and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 300° F. Place the pork in a roasting pan and roast it for about 6 hours, or until the pork is falling apart.

3. Once the pork is done, transfer the meat to a larger platter and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.

4. While the pork is resting, deglaze the pan with ¾ cup of water over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the browned bits, and allow the juices to reduce by half. Once reduced, pour the remaining juices into a saucepan, and cook for 5-7 minutes.

5. Grab two forks, and pull shreds of the meat off the pork shoulder. Put the shredded meat in a large bowl, and pour half the sauce over it. Stir well until all the pork is coated with the sauce.

6. At this point you may add any barbecue sauce, serve as is in tacos, or burgers.

1st Christmas Cookie Countdown

Sugar Christmas Funfetti Cookies

Chocolate Crinkle Cookie

Chocolate Tahini Linzer Cookie

Ginger Molasses Cookie

Cranberry Orange Chocolate Tart

First Monday of December, and I am in full holiday baking mode!

I’m starting the month off with this festive cranberry curd tart, made with chocolate graham crackers and a cranberry curd with orange juice and zest and topped with sugared cranberries!

This showstopper tart is sour and sweet and a great quick dessert to make for any holiday party.

Cranberries tend to be just a Thanksgiving time kind of berries, but since they are so good for you, I am on a mission to try to use them all year round. Thinking about adding them to a nice pork roast or even to a grain bowl If you have any ideas, let me know, and we will try them together!

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Ingredients 

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups of graham crackers crumbs

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling

• 8 oz. fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries, plus 4 oz. for topping

• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for topping

• 2 large eggs

• 1 large egg yolks

• 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest

• 1 tsp. finely grated lime zest, divided

• ¼ cup fresh orange juice

• Pinch of kosher salt

• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

Recipe

Chocolate Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor, pulse chocolate grahams until finely ground. Pour sugar and melted butter, pulse until mixture resembles wet sand.

3. Place mixture into tart pan and press evenly into the bottoms and sides of the pan. Blind bake the crust by placing a piece of parchment paper, or aluminum foil on top of the crust. Pour in pie weights, or dried beans.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes

5. Carefully remove the parchment/aluminum foil with the weights, or beans, and allow to cool.

Filling

1. Bring 6 oz. cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Reduce heat; simmer until cranberries burst and most of the liquid evaporates, 12–15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Purée in a blender until very smooth.

3. Cook cranberry purée, egg, egg yolk, orange zest, orange juice, salt, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. lime zest in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.

4. Stir with a rubber spatula and scrape down sides of bowl often, until curd thickens and coats spatula, around 10 minutes (might take a few minutes longer). Let cool until just warm.

5. Using an electric mixer ,or whisk, beat curd.

6. Add butter a piece at a time and incorporate after each addition until curd looks lighter in color and texture. Pass through a sieve, then scrape into crust and chill until firm, at least two hours 2 hours.

Cranberry Topping

1. Bring ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add 4 oz. cranberries and cook until barely starting to soften, about 1 minute.

2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until no longer sticky, 20–30 minutes.

3. Toss remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp. lime zest in a small bowl. Toss cranberries in lime sugar.

4. Top tart with cranberries as you like.