I don't eat sugar as an additive at all and am quite health-conscious with my diet. This recipe has no added sugar but is sweet from natural fruit sugars. Many of my friends are not quite so health-conscious, so I try to create healthful yet delicious entrees to share with them. I chose pork as a base for this recipe because it is highly available and inexpensive; so that even for a budget of under $60 anyone could host a dinner party and confidently serve a fabulous entree (students included!). Finally, I enjoyed the challenge of transforming a typically dry and, in my dining experiences, boring cut of meat into an exciting and unexpectedly flavorful dish with Canadian ingredients from my birthplace of Winnipeg and my new home in Ontario.
Portion size8 servings
Credits :sara dell
Ingredients
Method
PREPARATION METHOD (Marinating the Roast) -Place roast on large cutting board. Flip roast upside down and make a cut in the center of the meat about 1/2 the roast?s thickness in depth. -Cover with waxed paper and use rolling pin to flatten. -Mix marinade well in a small bowl. -Place roast in a large ziplock bag and pour marinade into bag. Expel as much air from bag as possible and seal shut. -Knead bag with your hands to evenly distribute marinade and seeds. -Refrigerate 1-6 hours (as much as time allows). (Stuffing the Roast) -Preheat oven to 350 f. -In a medium sized bowl, combine room temperature cream cheese, 1/2 tsp sea salt, pistachios and half of the cut figs in a bowl and mix with a fork or spoon until smooth and creamy. -Remove roast from bag and hold over sink to allow marinade to drip off then place roast on cutting board. -Spread the fig cheese stuffing on the open roast, leaving 1 1/2 inches on each side of roast uncovered. Distribute last half of figs evenly over the spread, still leaving the edges uncovered. -Roll up roast and tie, pushing any escaping filling back into roll. Before securing length-wise with a final string, stuff a whole fig into each end of the roast to plug. -Place in a medium-size, oiled (olive) glass baking pan (glass helps it cook faster and more evenly in my oven). Bake in center of middle rack for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, removing from oven after 1 hour to glaze. (Glazing the Roast) -Remove the roast from oven after approximately 1 hour. -Spread apple butter evenly and generously on top and sides of roast with a glazing brush. -Return to oven for remaining 45 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches about 160 degrees. Be careful not to overcook it as it dries out very easily. -Turn oven to Broil for 5 additional minutes to finish the glaze. (Sauce Preparation and Serving) -Remove and tent with tin foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into 3/4? slices. -Garnish with a side of apple sauce. Make Ahead Tips: -Let cream cheese warm at room temperature 1-2 hours before you begin preparing. -Chop figs, seal in a ziplock bag (expelling air) and refrigerate for up to one day ahead. -Shell, peel and halve pistachios up to one day ahead. -Marinate the roast (following all steps in Marinating section of recipe) up to 6 hours ahead of time. The longer the meat marinates, the more moist it will be.
