Piggy disappointment: a redemptive story of my faith in pork

So about a month ago, as we were enjoying the hog show at the county fair, my parents informed me that they were having two of their pigs butchered.  What?  Are you kidding me?!?  Oh, the excitement!  So I set forth to plan my order.  Ears, cheeks, leaf lard, fatback...you can't get these things at the grocery, folks!  I had the recipes picked out, anxious to try some new-to-me cooking techniques, ways of preparing an animal that have become a lost art.  But I was going to resurrect that art in my kitchen!  So imagine my disappointment when I found out that I was getting NONE of the aforementioned pieces.  The leaf lard needs to be harvested at the slaughter house, not the butcher.  (Whoops.)  And no head pieces because of the danger of lead contamination inside the head from the, um, well, yes, you know..... So needless to say, my disappointment in pork was great that day.  No little piggy to stay in my home.

Fast forward ahead two weeks - I'm notified that I've been chosen as a finalist in a local cooking competition I had entered.  And what was the recipe that was chosen?  Pork loin!  Not the recipe for the beautiful, delicious hummingbird cake that I had submitted.  Not the recipe for my family's yummy old fashioned cream pie.  It was the pork loin they wanted, and it was with that pork loin that I won that local cooking competition!  And that, kids, is the story about how piggy and I became friends in the kitchen again.  Many have asked for the recipe, so here it is.  (I didn't get a photo, which is probably for the better knowing my photo skills.)

Cherry Almond Glazed Pork Loin
adapted from Taste of Home

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 65-80 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

·         1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3-1/2 pounds)

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1 jar (12 ounces) cherry preserves

·         ¼ cup sliced scallions

·         ¼ cup cider vinegar

·         2 tablespoons light corn syrup

·         ¼ teaspoon each ground nutmeg and cloves

·         ¼ cup sliced almonds

Directions

·         Preheat oven to 350.

·         Sprinkle roast with salt; place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.

·         Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes.

·         In a small saucepan, bring the preserves, scallions, vinegar, corn syrup and spices to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Set aside 3/4 cup for serving, and stir almonds into remaining mixture.

·         Brush roast with some of the glaze. Bake 35-50 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, brushing frequently with remaining glaze. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

·         Serve with reserved cherry mixture.