Tricia Cohen and Lisa Graves, co-authors of “A Thyme and Place: Medieval Feasts and Recipes for the Modern Table.” joined us in The Rhode Show kitchen to show us how to make their Deconstructed Pork Pies.

Tricia, a gourmet home cook and sous chef, and Lisa, a talented illustrator whose drawings fill their book, reconnected on Facebook and decided to work on the book. It’s been a best-seller since its release.Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 1/4th teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 1/8th teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1.5 pounds of pork loin cut, and trimmed into 12 medallions
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 2 teaspoons of finely minced ginger root
  • 3/4 cup of chicken stock
  • 1 cup of Meade (or sweet white wine)

Directions:

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Roll out the puff pastry onto a floured surface until it achieves a 1/2-inch thickness.  Using a biscuit cutter, make small rounds in the pastry and place them on a lined cookie sheet.
  3. Melt one tablespoon of butter and stir in a sprig of thyme. Use a pastry brush to apply the butter onto the top part of the rounds. Place rounds in the oven and bake until golden.
  4. Meanwhile, in a sallow bowl combine 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg. Gently press each side of the pork loin into the mixture and set aside.
  5. In a sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium heat. Sauté the onions and apples together until soft. Stir in the gingeroot and cook for a minute. Add the chicken stock, mead, remaining salt and cinnamon. Cook on medium until the sauce has reduced by half.
  6. While the sauce is reducing, heat the remaining butter in another pan over medium-to-medium high heat.  Working in batches, add the pork medallions and cook until medium rare. This only takes a minute or two on each side.  The pork will cook quickly, so be careful not to overcook: using your finger, press into the pork as it cooks. If you find the pork firm but not hard, there is a good chance it is done.
  7. Remove the meat from the pan and add to the reduced sauce until thoroughly coated. Add the remaining thyme to the mixture and gently stir.
  8. Assemble the mixture on a plate with the pork medallions first, followed by a spoonful of the onion and apple, drizzle on some reduced sauce, and top it off with a puff pastry round. Salt and pepper to taste