Taking guilt off the menu

DECEMBER is a month for feasting -- which is not necessarily to say gorging, though it sometimes seems like it. Eating well is not the same thing as stuffing yourself and eating sensibly is not the same as being dull.

Take this holiday menu, for example.

This porcini soup looks and tastes richer than it is. One secret is that it’s not a smooth puree -- leaving the texture a bit chunky makes it feel more substantial.

Here are a few more. You won’t have to saute the mushrooms in butter or oil, because they’re dried. All you have to do is rehydrate them. Cook a little rice in the broth, and when you puree it, the rice will thicken the soup and you won’t need a butter-and-flour roux.

When you do use fattening ingredients, use only the best and use them in a way that makes them count. Two tablespoons (not a cup) of whipping cream will give the soup a lovely feeling of richness. Serve the soup in a large, shallow bowl to make the portion feel larger than it is.

A bone-in pork loin makes a handsome display, and it’s a good choice for the main course because today’s pork has been bred to be lean. (In fact, it’s so lean you have to be careful not to overcook it, or it will dry out.)

Ask the butcher to cut through the chine bone between each chop to make carving easier. Make little pockets between the bones and stuff them with dried apricots, sage and garlic for an intriguingly sweet, herbaceous note. I like to spoon lightly buttered bread crumbs on the roast for extra flavor and texture.

When it comes time to make the gravy, again, forget about the roux. Just a tablespoon of a light, stock-based sauce made with a little Port wine will give another dimension of flavor and a suggestion of richness.

Take a little time to roast some fresh chestnuts for a garnish. Not only will they look great, they’ll taste better then canned chestnuts. Give each diner two chestnuts to peel and savor.

Braised red cabbage is wonderful with pork, but it doesn’t need the traditional duck fat or loads of slab bacon. Two slices of bacon, rounded out with fennel seed, are enough. The cabbage can be prepared a day ahead and will taste even better reheated.

In place of a heavy dessert, I like a few sweet bites that are rich with interesting flavors. This time, I start with a Seckel pear, poached in a cinnamon stock with orange zest and a little Port, mainly for color. It stands overnight in the poaching liquid to absorb more flavor. The Seckel is the smallest of pear varieties, so the sauce penetrates it better. For those who think poached pears are a deprivation dessert, the deep, complex flavors of this one will be a revelation.

Set each pear half on a little pedestal of spongecake. You can buy the cake, or make your own up to a week in advance. (Just cover it well and seal it in a plastic bag before freezing. Take the cake out of the freezer an hour before serving. Cut out the rounds of cake and let them stand, covered, until you’re ready to serve.) Then just top it with the pear half, a touch of vanilla yogurt and some honey.

This is a dessert that should please everybody; what makes it really memorable is chestnut blossom honey. This rugged, robust honey brings out a whole new side of the pear, and a touch of vanilla yogurt tempers its bitter edge.

The flavors are luxurious, just like the rest of the meal.

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Porcini mushroom soup

Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Servings: 6-8

2 1/2 cups dried porcini mushrooms (about 2 ounces)

3 cups boiling water

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup long-grain rice

2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth cup

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

6 teaspoons low-fat sour cream

Cracked pepper

Snipped chives, for garnish

1. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the water over them. Let rehydrate, 30 minutes. (Put a plate on top to keep them submerged.) Lift the mushrooms from the bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour the liquid into a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Reserve the liquid and set aside. Mince 2 mushrooms and set aside for garnish. Reserve the rest.

2. Heat the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the rice. Stir in the reserved mushroom liquid, then the chicken broth. Add the rehydrated mushrooms. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook 30 minutes.

3. Remove one-half cup of the mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Roughly chop and set aside. Puree the soup in batches, then return to the saucepan and stir in the cream. Add the salt. Stir in the roughly chopped mushrooms. Ladle into bowls. Garnish each bowl with a teaspoon of the sour cream. Sprinkle with cracked pepper, the mushrooms for garnish and the chives.

Each of 8 servings: 49 calories; 415 mg. sodium; 8 mg. cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.51 grams fiber.

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Braised red cabbage

Total time: 2 1/2 hours, plus 8 hours chilling

Servings: 8

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

1 cup diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (2-pound) head red cabbage, cored and shredded (about 16 cups)

1 cup water

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 slices bacon, cut into quarters

1. Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook 1 minute. Stir in the cabbage, water, vinegar, sugar, fennel seeds and salt. Add the bacon. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, until very tender, about 2 hours. Check the cabbage periodically and stir. If the cabbage looks dry, add a bit more water. Adjust the seasoning.

2. Cool thoroughly, then refrigerate the cabbage overnight. Reheat over low heat before serving.

Each serving: 110 calories; 500 mg. sodium; 2 mg. cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 6.07 grams fiber.

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Poached pears

Total time: 50 minutes, plus 8 hours chilling

Servings: 8

Note: Use a 2-inch round cutter to cut circles from a home-baked or purchased spongecake.

1 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split in half

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon thin strips of orange peel

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 Seckel pears, peeled

1/4 cup ruby port

8 teaspoons vanilla yogurt

4 teaspoons chestnut honey

1. Combine the sugar, 3 cups water, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, orange peel and lemon juice in a 2-quart saucepan. Simmer until the syrup is clear, 2 minutes.

2. Add the pears; bring to a simmer. Place a circle of parchment paper over the pears. Cover the pan and simmer until the pears are tender, 30 minutes. Add the port. Place the pears and liquid in a bowl so that the pears are submerged. Place another parchment round on the pears. Cover; chill overnight.

3. Remove the pears from the syrup. Reduce the syrup in a small saucepan over medium-high heat to 1 cup. Cool, then chill.

4. To serve, cut the pears in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut each pear half into thirds and fan out on top of each spongecake round. Place a teaspoon of yogurt on top, then a half teaspoon of the honey. Drizzle the chilled syrup around each cake round.

Each serving, pears only: 160 calories; 3 mg. sodium; 1 mg. cholesterol; 0 fat; 0 saturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 1.75 grams fiber.

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Pork loin roast with chestnuts

Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Servings: 8

Note: The chestnut recipe is from “Roger Verge’s Vegetables in the French Style” (Artisan, 1994).

Roast

1 (8-rib) bone-in pork loin, bones frenched (about 4 pounds)

16 dried apricots

16 fresh sage leaves

3 cloves garlic, 2 cut into slivers, 1 minced, divided

Coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon water, divided

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons ruby port

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Wrap each of the bone ends with foil.

2. Make 2 deep slits between each of the bones on the loin. Top each apricot with a sage leaf and a sliver of garlic and fold in half. Tuck each folded apricot half into a slit in the roast. Season the meat with salt and pepper.

3. Heat the butter in a skillet until melted. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the roast in a roasting pan and top with the crumbs, patting them in place.

4. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the meat registers 150 degrees, 60 to 75 minutes. Remove to a carving board and let stand while preparing the sauce.

5. Combine the one-fourth cup of water and the chicken broth and stir into the drippings in the roasting pan, stirring to loosen any brown bits. Pour into a small saucepan and stir in the port. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Strain, then pour the liquid back into the saucepan. Blend the cornstarch and remaining 1 teaspoon of water until smooth; stir into the saucepan and simmer until the sauce is thickened and clear, 3 to 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. Remove the foil from the bones. Carve the roast, cutting between the bones. Serve 1 chop with bone per serving, spooning a little sauce over each. Serve 2 roasted chestnuts on each plate.

Chestnuts

16 whole chestnuts

1. Heat the oven to 550 degrees.

2. Score an “X” on the flat side of the shell of each chestnut. Place them on a baking sheet and roast until they pop open, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the oven and immediately cover with a towel that has been soaked in ice water and wrung out. When the nuts are cool enough to handle the shells should peel off easily.

Each serving: 448 calories; 131 mg. sodium; 133 mg. cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 39 grams protein; 0.14 gram fiber.