Recipes Wine Steward Easter Holiday Tasting
Brined Roast Pork Loin and Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
ROAST PORK LOIN
BRINE
Ingredients
- 1 boneless pork loin roast (4 1/2 to 15 pounds)
- 1 gallon cold water
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup kosher salt (or 6 tablespoons table salt)
- 1 teaspoon dried Marjoram and Oregano
- 1 handful fresh Basil, Rosemary and Thyme
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns , lightly crushed
- 5 medium cloves garlic , lightly crushed and peeled
- 1 onion chopped
Directions
- Bring water, brown sugar and kosher salt to simmer. Remove from heat and let cool, You can use ice to help cool.
- Add all other ingredients to the brining solution when cool.
- Place pork into a plastic brining bag/tight sealing container etc., and add the brine. Put the bag into a sealed container and put in the refrigerator, or just put the bag in a cooler and pack with ice.
- Brine for 6 to 8 hours
- Remove from brine, rinse and pat dry. Cover with plastic wrap and let come to room temperature before cooking - approximately 1 hour,
COOKING the Pork Roast
- Set initial oven temperature to 400 to 450 degrees to brown roast. Turning as it browns. Reduce heat to 350 for remaining time to cook.
- Take the pork loin out of the refrigerator or brine one hour before roasting, cover with plastic wrap and bring to room temperature.
- Wet Rub/Paste: How much you add will depend on the size of the roast.
- Add olive oil to a small bowl. Mix in dried herbs/spices (thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper). Rub the paste all over the roast.
- Line the bottom of a roasting pan that's less than 2 inches deep with aluminum foil to catch the drippings from the pork. Center the loin on the pan's rack.
- Put the roasting pan in the middle of the oven.
- Roast the center cut pork loin until the meat thermometer registers 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooking times are only approximations, but it should take about 15 to 20 minutes per pound.
- Remove the pork from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted from Humming Bird Bakery Cookbook
Yield: 12 standard cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 20 minutes for standard, 7-10 minutes for mini
Ingredients for the cupcakes
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons red food coloring
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard or mini muffin/cupcake pan with liners.
2. On medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.
3. In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.
5. Again, reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, baking soda and vinegar. Turn to high and beat for another couple of minutes until completely combined and smooth.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes for standard and 7 minutes for mini - or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
7. Cool for 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Family recipe
Ingredients
- 1 8oz package of cream cheese- softened
- 4 Tb. butter-softened
- 2 Tbs sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 16oz box of confectionery sugar
Directions
- Beat cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectionery sugar on medium speed until smooth.
- Pipe or spread on cupcakes