The Kitchen Whisperer

1. hours before roasting the pork, mix up the brine
2. In a large bowl, add the salt to the hot water and stir until completely dissolved.
3. Add the cold water and the ice cubes.
4. Place the pork in a large, heavy-duty resealable plastic bag.
5. Add the brine and seal the bag closed.
6. Place it in a 2nd plastic bag OR int a large container with an air tight lid.
7. Place the bag on a rimmed sheet pan and refrigerate for 24 hours.
8. When ready to cook, move the pork loin to a plate allowing it to drain.
9. Discard the brining liquid/plastic bags.
10. Wipe the pork loin completely dry with paper towels.
11. Let the pork come to room temperature before roasting. You want to do this as if you roast it while it’s cold the meat can be super tough.

Make the Pesto

1. In a blender or food processor, combine the basil, 1/2 cup of oil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper.
2. Process until finely chopped.
3. With the motor running, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil and process until the paste is well blended. Do not overprocess the pesto. You should be able to see small pieces of basil throughout.
4. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and stir in the cheese.
5. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
6. Make sure you have a large roasting pan with a rack. The rack is key here. *See note if you don’t have a rack on how to make your own.
7. Cut 8 pieces of cooking string each about 18″ long.
8. Place the pork loin on a cutting board and make a slit along the side from the top to the bottom, cutting just deep enough so the loin opens up and lies flat like a book (butterflied).
9. Cover the cut surface with 1/2 cup of the pesto.
10. Fold it over and tie firmly, but not too tightly, at 1″ intervals with the lengths of string. Trim the excess pieces of string.
11. Place the tied loin on the rack in the roasting pan.
12. Roast for 45 minutes.
13. Remove the pan from the oven and slather about 1/4 cup of the remaining pesto on top of the roast.
14. Continue roasting for 30 minutes longer, or a thermometer registers 135°F.
15. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
16. As the pork rests, the internal temperature will rise to 145°F, which is medium-rare.
17. Lift the roast from the rack to a cutting board.
18. Snip off the strings.
19. Cut the pork into 1/2″ thick slices.
20. Drizzle any juices from the cutting board over the meat.
21. Serve warm or at room temperature.
22. Use the remaining pesto as a garnish

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve.
2. Let stand for 5-7 minutes or until foam appears and it bubbles.
3. Add the flour to the dough and mix for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in the olive oil and mix for 2 minutes.
5. Add in the salt and turn the mixer to medium. Mix for 7-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. If it’s sticky, add flour as necessary.
6. Remove the dough from mixer and put in a greased bowl/bucket.
7. If using a bucket, close the lid (make sure it’s a large bucket). If not, cover with plastic wrap and let double in size (about 45 minutes).
8. While the dough is rising, place a large skillet over high heat.
9. Add the spinach in the pan (you want to mound this – it will shrink down considerably), cover and stir every 30 seconds until the spinach is wilted. You may have to work in batches.
10. Place the spinach in a colander and allow to drain fully. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
11. When the dough is doubled, turn it out onto a very lightly floured board.
12. Roll it out so it’s 2” smaller than the length of your pan (about 12”) by 14”-16” wide.
13. Preheat oven to 400F.
14. In the center of the dough, working length-wise put down 2 cups of grated mozzarella and1/2 cup of Asiago cheese in a 4” strip going up to 1” from each end.
15. Add 1 Tbl fresh thyme on top of the cheese.
16. Top with well drained spinach, garlic, onion powder, salt, black pepper and thyme.
17. Add remaining cheeses on top.
18. Starting at the end closest to you, pull the dough up and over your filling. Your edge should just touch (it’s okay if it barely touches) the other side of the dough (end of the filling).
19. Repeat with the opposite side, pulling that edge of the dough up and over the filling towards you.
20. Tuck that underneath the roll. You can gently pinch the seam to seal.
21. Pinch the ends to seal and tuck under the roll
22. Cover the roll with plastic wrap and let sit for 20-30 minutes in a warm area. The dough will puff up slightly.
23. Right before place this in the oven, remove the plastic wrap and with a very sharp knife make 2-3 slashes on the top ensuring you are going through the first 2 layers of dough. You want to see filling. This will allow the steam to escape and the insides to thoroughly cook through.
24. With sprinkle the salt, thyme and garlic powder over top.
25. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and firm to the touch.
26. Allow to cool for a few minutes before inhaling.

1. In a small sauce pan over low heat add the milk and cream.
2. Bring to so a simmer. You do not want to boil this.
3. While the milk is simmering, in a medium pan over medium heat, add in the pecans and brown sugar.
4. Gently stir them around to toast the nuts and melt the brown sugar. ~5-6 minutes. You will ‘smell’ the nuts when they have that warm nutty smell.
5. When the brown sugar has crystalized to the pecans, turn the heat off and allow the nuts to cool.
6. When steam starts to come off of the milk, add 2 Tbl caramel sauce and stir to combine.
7. When the milk caramel mixture is combined, add in the oats and stir.
8. While stirring gently, cook for 3-4 minutes or until desired thickness is reached. If it’s too thick add a Tbl of milk.
9. Pour the cooked caramel oatmeal into a bowl, garnish with sugared pecans, chocolate chips and remaining 2 Tbl of caramel sauce.