Sweet & Savory Holiday Entertaining

Rolled Pork Loin With California Raisins and Herbs dresses up any holiday buffet, served with your favorite raisin-filled baked apples

Chocolate Rum-Raisin
Bread Pudding

8 cups bread cubes, 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup good-quality bittersweet
baking chocolate, chopped
into "chip-size" pieces

1 cup California golden raisins,
soaked in 1/4 cup dark rum

4 large eggs

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half-and-half

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 11 x 9 x 1 1/2-inch baking pan. Spread bread cubes in pan; sprinkle chocolate pieces and raisins evenly on top. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, whisk remaining ingredients together. Pour over bread mixture. Let stand about 5 minutes.

Place pan containing pudding inside larger pan filled with hot water half-way up sides of pudding pan. Bake, uncovered, about 40 minutes or until sharp knife inserted in center of pudding comes out clean.

To serve: Cut into 20 squares. Serve warm.

Serves 20

Rolled Pork Loin With California Raisins and Herbs

4 pounds boneless pork loin,
trimmed

Salt and pepper, to taste

Filling

1 1/2 cups onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes with
Italian herbs, chopped, drained

1 tablespoon jalapeño chilies,
diced

1 or 2 tablespoons fresh
rosemary, chopped

1 cup California raisin paste
(blend 2 cups raisins in food
processor or blender until
finely chopped/smooth)

1 cup California raisins

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons white wine

Rub

1/3 cup Dijon mustard

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

To prepare pork for stuffing: Using
long slicing knife, with pork loin facing away (lengthwise at 12 o’clock), make 3/4-inch-deep cut along right edge for entire length of roast. Then, starting inside that cut, holding knife at an angle, cut another 3/4-inch-deep cut along previous cut. Keep turning roast, repeating these 3/4-inch-deep cuts until you have one large square "sheet" of pork.

Filling: In heavy-bottomed sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil until caramelized and tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low 15 to 20 minutes until flavors blend.

Rub: Mix Dijon mustard, minced garlic cloves and 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.

Assemble/serve: Preheat oven to 325°F. Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Spread filling evenly over flattened loin to 3/4 inch around all edges. Roll loin jelly-roll style and tie with string. Spread rub on outside of rolled loin. Bake, basting occasionally, 45 to 60 minutes, to internal temperature of at least 140°F for medium, 150°F for juicy medium-well. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Slice and serve.

Serves 6

Pilaf Extraordinaire

1/4 cup butter or margarine,
divided

1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon saffron, crumbled

Dash pepper

2 cans (10 1/2 ounces each)
condensed beef consommé

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup California almonds,
slivered

3/4 cup California raisins

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy skillet. Add rice; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add seasonings, consommé and water. Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender.

Meanwhile, sauté almonds in remain-ing 2 tablespoons butter until soft and tender; set aside. Stir raisins and al-monds into hot cooked rice; let stand 5 minutes before serving. Mound rice on serving platter and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Mountain Paella With California Golden Raisins

1/4 cup olive oil

1 pound chorizo sausage, cut into
1/4-inch rings and browned

1 pound of chicken, cooked and diced

1 cup red onion, cut into small
dice

4 cups fresh tomatoes, cut into
medium dice

2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
(about 4 medium cloves)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh
rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cup California golden raisins

6 cups chicken stock

1 cup julienne roasted red peppers (1 or 2 roasted peppers)

3 cups arborio rice

1/2 pound small shrimp (35 to 40
count), peeled and deveined

Lemon wedges for garnish

Manzanilla olives for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large roasting pan, combine all ingredients except arborio and shrimp; bring to simmer on top of stove. Sprinkle raw rice over mixture and stir to combine evenly.

Place roasting pan in oven; bake 25 to 30 minutes. Add shrimp. Continue baking 6 to 8 minutes or until shrimp and rice are cooked and mixture seems dry. Let paella stand 5 minutes before serving.

To serve: Serve paella in bowls. Garnish with lemon wedges and Man-zanilla olives.

Serves 14

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