Amy mentioned over the weekend that she had been perusing Fine Cooking’s Comfort Foods special issue. It got me thinking about things like pork roast, roasted apples and macaroni and cheese. I knew that tonight’s meal would be all about comfort food – perfect, because I think Larry and Jay like those types of meals also. I love braised pork roast and I haven’t made it for a long time, so picking the main dish was easy. Both the pork and the sweet potatoes are in the Comfort Foods issue as well.
– This pork roast is good, and even better is that it can be made the day before. I think braised dishes are better the next day anyway, although I didn’t make this ahead. Pork and apple are made go to together.
– I thought Larry would love these sweet potatoes more than he did. They’ve got parsnips and carrots in addition to the sweet potatoes, and I loved the hint of ginger. He and Jay both liked the potatoes.
– This red cabbage is one of Larry’s favorite dishes.
– Larry had a pear tarte Tatin at Lavanda a few weeks ago, and it was excellent. It was an individual serving size – more pastry than pear, which was yummy. Larry didn’t especially like the almond pastry, but Jay and I both liked it. I used Comice pears, my favorite. I thought they might be too juicy for the dish but they ended up working out fine. I loved making this dish. The caramel turned out beautifully, and something about making a dessert in my well-seasoned cast iron pan was very satisfying. The crust was slightly difficult to work with, but who cares? It ended up on the bottom anyway.

• Pork Shoulder Braised with Apple Cider, Thyme & Tomatoes (Fine Cooking #49, March 2002, p. 60)
• Molasses Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Fine Cooking #47, November 2001, p. 60)
• Braised Red Cabbage with Red Zinfandel (Fine Cooking #31, March 1999, p. 37)
• Pear Tarte Tatin with Almond Pastry (Fine Cooking #23, November 1997, p. 70)

Wine: Domaine Alfred 2002 Chamisal Vineyards Pinot Noir (Edna Valley, California). Yum… ripe and plummy. This was a gift from the former CEO of Larry’s company.