Pomegranate recipes
By Karen Fernau
The Arizona Republic

Savory meats are the perfect foil for pomegranate's tart-sweet flavor.

POMEGRANATE AND VANILLA PORK ROAST WITH WATERCRESS

For the pork roast:

1 pork shoulder or favorite cut of pork, about 3 pounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound watercress tops, washed well

4 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Pink peppercorns for garnish

Chopped chives for garnish

For the marinade:

8 cups olive oil

2 vanilla beans, split and scraped

1 cup honey

2 1/2 cups mirepoix (equal amounts of diced celery, carrot, onion)

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 sprig thyme

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon ground coriander

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk 8 cups oil, vanilla and honey together. Add all marinade ingredients and marinate pork for 4 to 8 hours.

Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat a large roasting pan on medium-high on a stovetop burner. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, and when hot sear pork on all sides. Remove pan and place in preheated oven. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until cooked medium, about 160 degrees. Let meat rest on cutting board for 15 minutes and slice.

Arrange sliced pork on platter with watercress and drizzle salad with sherry vinegar.

Garnish meat with pomegranate seeds, sea salt, pink peppercorns and chives.

Makes 6 servings.

ROASTED DUCK LIVER

5 ounces foie gras

Sea salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons pomegranate simple syrup (available in specialty stores or make your own by boiling 16-ounces of pomegranate juice with 1/2 cup sugar until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Pink peppercorns and chopped chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season foie gras with salt and pepper and sear on all sides in a very hot pan till golden brown, and barely heated through. Add foie gras to baking pan and roast for about 20 minutes. Remove fat from pan to save for another dish that calls for a rich oil. Remove foie gras to serving plate, reduce heat to medium and scrape or deglaze the pan. Add sherry vinegar and pomegranate simple syrup and cook until thickened.

Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds, pink peppercorns and chopped chives and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Chef Matt McLinn of Methode Bistro, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Arabian Night

December 5, 2007

Serves: 1 Preparation time: 5 minutes Total time: 5 minutes The tannins in pomegranate juice make it an ideal candi- date for a hot cocktail, and the finishing drop of orange flower water gives it an exotic smell. You can find orange flower water in a market that sells Middle Eastern groceries. Look for a Middle Eastern or Turkish brand of pomegranate juice, which is less sweet than Pom.

4 ounces pomegranate juice
1 1/2 ounces cognac
2 drops orange flower water
Mint leaf, optional

In a small saucepan heat the pomegranate juice. Pour the cognac into a heated cup or mug and top with the juice. Drip the orange flower water on the top. Garnish with a mint leaf, if desired.

From and tested by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution 163 calories (1% from fat), trace of fat (0 grams sat. fat), 16 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 14 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 grams calcium, 0 grams fiber.