Crown Roast of Pork with Fruit Stuffing

Serves 8 to 12
Total preparation time: About 3 hours

INGREDIENTS

1 Crown Roast of Pork
1 tablespoon flour
4 strips bacon
salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

Bring the crown roast to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, combine the flour with the salt and pepper and rub it over the outer fat of the crown. Fry the bacon until crisp, reserving the bacon fat. Crumble the bacon and recombine it with the bacon fat. Brush the outside bone with a mixture of crumbled bacon and fat. Fill the center of the crown with Fruit Stuffing (See below) and place a bit of aluminum foil on each of the bone tips so that they will not burn. Roast for half an hour in an open pan. Reduce heat to 325°F. and continue roasting for about 2 1/2 hours. You should allow about 25 minutes per pound for roasting. When roast is done, remove the foil from the bone ends and add frills if you desire.

Fruit Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter
2 large onions (chopped)
20 slices bread (broken into pieces)
1 cup apricots (dried)
1 cup prunes (dried)
6 apples (peeled and cored)
salt
1 tsp. nutmeg (scant)
1 tsp. cinnamon (scant)
1⁄2 tsp. cloves (ground)

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in a large pan. When it is bubbling, add the onions and allow to cook gently until they are transparent. Add the bread pieces to this mixture and remove from heat—after you have stirred well. Meanwhile, parboil the apricots and prunes for about 4 minutes. Drain them and cut into small pieces. Add these to the large pan along with the apples you have chopped into medium size cubes. Stir this mixture thoroughly and add the seasonings. Should you feel the mixture has not melded well, add a little water, wine, or bouillon. When the mixture seems just right, test it for seasoning and add a bit of this or that to bring it to your own taste.