Chef Brandi's Table

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✨️ Crown Pork Roast ✨️

I made this for my family ten years ago for Christmas dinner. After being struck with the loss of my dad, my brother, and one of my uncles, this was a particularly difficult year. We didn't have much that year. We weren't the least bit prepared for Christmas dinner. My cupboards were bare. My job that year had given the employees a $25 gift card to Publix, so when I got off work on Christmas Eve, I made a quick stop there to use it and get whatever I could for our holiday meal. I'd remembered my mom had said before that she'd always wanted to try a crown roast. She likely meant one made from beef or lamb, which were 3 times the cost of the pork crown roasts. So that's what I got. It was the first year I'd ever not had a turkey or ham (or both) for Christmas. I picked up my kids from my mom and went home to immediately start cooking our holiday dinner so we could all be present. My husband had to work Christmas Day and our oldest son was going to visit his dad. The only spices I had for this roast were salt, pepper, & Herb De Provance. The crown roast came with half a grapefruit in the center the I left in during cooking. I had some hibiscus flowers in syrup that my husband had gotten me a few months before, so I opened them and used the syrup to glaze the roast. After it came out of the oven, I squeezed the grapefruit half over the roast for added flavor. It was small and very much different than usual, but we did our best.

All this to say, that small and simple can be amazing. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday filled with the best memories with your loved ones.

Shared with love,
Chef Brandi
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