Here it is, another French Fridays with Dorie (just fyi – site is down until Sunday) post. I’ve been looking forward to making this for awhile now and I after I’ve made it and had it for dinner, I have to admit, this has probably been my least favorite FFwD recipe. Now, the bar is pretty high of course, so it wasn’t a total failure or anything, just not my favorite. My husband liked it a lot though.
Since it’s also for lunch tomorrow, I’m thinking the flavors will come together even more overnight. Who knows, I may love it tomorrow!
Notes:
1. I added 4 garlic cloves, about 1/2 tsp ground cumin, and sweet potatoes.
2. I poured all the fat out of my pan and then deglazed with white wine. I poured that liquid into my pan with the 1.5 cups of water.
3. I crushed up my cardamom seeds a bit.
4. I tossed my carrots and onion, after sauteing briefly, into the pork to braise in the oven. I did cook my sweet potatoes separately and add those at the end.
5. I also added a splash of fish sauce at the end, along with the honey.
6. Chopped green onion for garnish!
Okay, on with the photos.
Grinding up cardamom seeds.
Look at me, all with the mise en place and stuff.
Browned pork, waiting for the coconut milk, lemongrass, spices, etc…
All the good stuff on the bottom of the browning pan. Soon to be deglazed with a little white wine. And some for the chef, too.
Spices, lemongrass, lemon peel and whatnot.< ?i>
Swirling coconut milk.
After the braise, meaty and fragrant.
Ready for snacking.
And just a reminder, all of the French Friday with Dorie recipes are in the book, Around my French Table. We’re not supposed to post the recipes on our blogs, so I’m not, but they’re all right there. In the book!
The green onion plays off the color of the dish really nicely!
And thanks for the note about the FFwD site being down until Sunday (didn’t know that).
Happy Friday!
Sorry you didn’t care for it so much, but I like your additions. And we also have the same idea about cooking with wine – some for the dish and some for the chef 😉
Thanks Cher! Those are actually the Lemongrass color in Fiestaware…so I thought it went well 😉
Denise: It’s not that I didn’t like it exactly, I’ve just liked other FFwD recipes we’ve made so far much more. I loved the flavors, just didn’t care too much for the cut of pork (or the lack of flavor that it seemed to have for me). I wish I had thought of pork tenderloin (and using spices as a dry rub) or even using chicken thighs! 🙂
That looks great! I have some Fiestaware bowls in that color. Unfortunately, I photographed mine in green bowl, which didn’t work well with the color of the dish at all.
I made mine with chicken instead of pork, and it was really good. You should try that next time; I bet you’ll love it.
I stuck to the recipe as written, even though I struggled not to keep grabbing spice and sauce jars. It is a very French curry – brothy and mild.
I like your variations. Wine would be a nice addition, both for the cooking and for the meal. I enjoyed it as written, but can see playing with it in the future. Your Fiestaware bowl is just the perfect colour (and name) for this dish!
Love the beautiful bowl and stew! Thanks for the 411 on the site. So many troubles there.
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like this one much. It seemed like everyone else liked it a lot, so I’m glad to have company in the “not my favorite” camp. I like your addition of fish sauce. I think that was one reason I was disappointed. The coconut milk and lemongrass called out “Thai”, but the depth of Thai flavors wasn’t quite right. Fish sauce probably would have helped, and I saw someone else added curry paste. In any case, your end result is beautiful. I just love the bowl.
Love your “lemongrass” fiesta bowl. The dish looks great. I think the flavor was better the second day…the spices do need a bit of time to meld.
I feel the same way about this dish and about the pork too. I think chicken thighs would be a lot better. Still, it’s a good experience. 🙂