No. 1796

Loin of Pork a la Reglain

Longe de Porc a la Reglain

Trim a loin of pork cut off from the first rib as far down as the ham, leaving but a quarter of an inch of fat on its surface; rub this over with salt and leave it so for twenty-four hours; wash, drain and wipe, then set it in a saucepan with melted fat, minced onions and garnished parsley. Place the saucepan on the fire to brown the meat slowly, and when a fine color moisten to a quarter of its height with stock (No 194a), bring to a boil and finish cooking in the oven. Half an hour before serving plunge one pound of rice in boiling water; set it on the fire and at the first boil take it off to pour in some cold water to stop the boiling, then return it to the fire and remove again at the first boil, now cover the saucepan and leave the liquid to simmer without letting it actually boil for ten minutes longer. Pour the rice on a sieve, drain it well and put it back into the saucepan with half the meat stock; boil it up then set it in a moderate oven; the rice ought to absorb the stock, and when well cooked press it into a border mold (Fig. 139) previously dipped in cold water, then unmold it. Cut the loin up into about two ounce pieces without any bones and scarcely any fat; pare them into quarter inch squares; reduce the remaining stock with as much veloute (No. 415), add the meat, season with a dash of prepared red pepper (No. 168), heat well then dish the meat up inside a border and pour the sauce over; dredge with chopped parsley and serve.

← No. 1795 Kernel of Pork a la Cavour and with Noodles—Pork No. 1797 Quarter of Pork Valenciennes →

For the Modern Kitchen

A braised pork loin served in a ring of stock-cooked rice, in the Delmonico's style of building a dish in two parts and assembling it at the pass. The cross-references are to other numbered recipes in the same book, and each needs a substitute before you start.

The cutA loin "from the first rib as far down as the ham" is essentially the whole bone-in loin, far more than most households want. A 4-5 lb bone-in center-cut loin roast behaves the same way; leave a quarter-inch fat cap as directed, since the meat is trimmed of nearly all fat at the end anyway.
The 24-hour salt rubThis is seasoning, not curing. Rub the loin with about a tablespoon of salt per two pounds, set it uncovered on a rack, and refrigerate the full day rather than leaving it at room temperature. Rinse, drain and wipe dry as written, or the surface will not brown.
Substitutions for the numbered recipesStock No. 194a is one of Ranhofer's numbered stocks; an unsalted chicken or light veal stock stands in. Velouté No. 415 is a light stock-based white sauce thickened with blond roux. "Prepared red pepper" No. 168 is Ranhofer's cayenne preparation; a pinch of cayenne does the job.
"Melted fat"The recipe does not specify; lard or rendered pork fat is the likely intent. Any neutral fat works for the browning.
Oven temperatureFinish the braise at 325-350F, covered, with liquid a quarter of the way up the meat. The book gives no figures, so "moderate oven" is a judgement call; around 350F works here, and the same setting suits the rice.
Doneness beats timeThe original names no time because a cook watched it. Pull the loin at 145F at the center and rest it 15 minutes. Braising liquid does not protect lean loin from drying; it will still overcook.
The riceThe double blanch-and-shock appears to be aimed at rinsing surface starch so the grains stay separate; a thorough rinse under cold water until it runs clear gets you most of the way there. Then cook it in half the strained braising liquid, covered, in the oven until absorbed, roughly 18 minutes for a pound of long-grain rice.
The border moldAny ring mold or savarin mold, wetted with cold water so the rice releases. Pack the hot rice firmly, let it sit two or three minutes, and invert onto the serving platter.
Finishing the sauceReduce the remaining braising liquid with an equal amount of velouté, then warm the pork through in it. Do not let the meat simmer in the sauce; it is already cooked, and the trimmed two-ounce pieces will turn stringy.
YieldAs written, a full loin and a pound of raw rice will serve ten to twelve. Scaled to a 4-5 lb loin with half a pound of rice, it feeds six.

A Little History

This is No. 1796 in Charles Ranhofer's The Epicurean (1894), the enormous compendium he assembled from his decades as chef at Delmonico's in New York. The construction is pure late-nineteenth-century restaurant service: a large roast is braised whole, then broken down into neat two-ounce pieces, bound in a reduced velouté and set inside a molded rice border so that a portion can be plated quickly and identically all evening. Names like "à la Reglain" run through the book by the hundred; many appear to honor patrons, colleagues or occasions whose identities Ranhofer never explains, and this one has no documented origin.