Cooking with Vanilla: Roast Pork with ­Apricots, Prunes, and Vanilla

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6 to 8 generous servings

This wonderfully fragrant dish is worthy of any occasion. It’s delicious served with steamed new potatoes, noodles, or rice.

• 8-pound bone-in fresh pork roast (Boston butt or shoulder)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2–3 tablespoons grainy or dijon-style ­mustard
• 1 cup each finely chopped carrot, celery, and yellow onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3–4 sprigs each of sage, thyme, sweet ­marjoram, and rosemary, each 3 inches long
• 3 cups red wine
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 pieces vanilla bean, each 3 inches long, split
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• Zest of 1 orange (colored portion only), finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 cup each pitted dried apricots and prunes
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1 1/2–2 cups broth or water
• Sprigs of the fresh herbs used above plus chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Trim the meat well, salt and pepper, and spread the mustard on all surfaces. Sauté the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic in butter until wilted but not browned. Place the vegetables in the bottom of a heavy shallow roasting pan and arrange them in the same shape as the roast. Remove any woody stems from the sprigs of herbs and place them on top of the vegetables. Add the meat and pour the red wine over all. The wine should cover the bottom of the pan to a depth of no more than 1/2 inch. Roast the meat 3 to 4 hours (25 to 30 minutes per pound), or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 170°F; baste with pan juices every 20 minutes. Add more wine as needed to keep the pan moist until the last 1/2 hour, then add water or broth if needed.

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