Blueberry-Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Marmalade isn't my favorite fruit spread because I often find it to be way too bitter and overpowering.  That's why I was delighted to find this recipe which combines blueberries and lemons in marmalade.  Although I suppose this recipe is a bit silly in that blueberries and lemons don't really have overlapping seasons, it did turn out to be very delicious with just a bit of bitterness and lots of great lemon flavor.  The color is also a gorgeous purple from the berries.

One word of warning with this recipe - it is a ton of work, probably the most effort of any preserves I've made.  You have to start it a couple of days ahead, and boiling the marmalade down so that it gels takes forever.  But, if you have the time to make it, it's a really lovely marmalade that's perfect even for those who don't think they like marmalade!  On the plus side, the recipe does make quite a lot, and (depending on fruit prices in your area) it is very affordable - mine worked out to just over a dollar a jar.

Blueberry-Meyer Lemon Marmalade (adapted from Honest Cooking, original recipe here)
Makes about 8 half-pint jars

8 medium to large Meyer lemons
3 liters water
1300 grams white sugar
300 grams blueberries (just shy of a pint, fresh or frozen)

1. Scrub the lemons and slice them very thinly, removing the seeds and any large pieces of pith (for example, you'll want to remove the big piece of pith running town the center).  You can leave the skins intact.  Be sure to reserve any juices from the lemons.
2. Combine the lemons, lemon juice, and water in a very large pot (seriously, you need a huge pot if you're going to make this in one batch!).  Cover and let sit in a cool place overnight.
3. The next day, simmer the water and lemon mixture for 20 minutes.  Cover and let sit in a cool place overnight.
4. The next day, add the sugar and blueberries to the lemons and mix to combine.  Bring to a boil and continue to boil, stirring often (and increasingly as the mixture reduces), until the marmalade passes the gel test.  This will take a really long time - mine took about two hours - so make sure you have someone to chat with or a book to read!  The marmalade will reduce by about two-thirds.
5. Ladle into sterilized jars and process in a boiling-water bath for 15 minutes.  Be sure to check that the seals have popped - if they don't, store the marmalade in the fridge or freezer.

Braised Fennel with Orange and Coriander

This is a delicious and elegant side dish that Tim and I served with steak au poivre.  Although it takes quite a while from start to finish (at least for a veggie side dish), most of that time is hands off while the fennel is braising in the oven.  Unlike most fennel dishes, this one cooks so long that even the cores become tender, so the trimming is minimal.  Before going in the oven, the fennel is browned and topped with lots of flavorful additions - white wine, orange juice, spices, and garlic - which makes for a fantastic final dish.  You could definitely play around with the flavors here, using a different citrus or alternate spices to go along with whatever main you're serving.  Since this dish can go right from oven to table with no extra fussing, it's a good side option if you've got a main that will take a lot of last-minute prep.

Braised Fennel with Orange and Coriander (adapted from Fine Cooking)
Serves 2

Olive oil
1 pound fennel bulbs (about 2 medium), talks trimmed and bulbs cut into quarters, cores left intact
1 smallish garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 T dry white wine or dry white vermouth
2 T vegetable broth, plus more for the baking dish
1 medium navel orange
Generous pinch whole fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
Generous pinch whole coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the fennel, cut side down, and cook undisturbed until it is browned in spots.  Flip to the other cut side and cook undisturbed until browned (tongs are great for this).
3. Arrange the fennel browned sides up in a smallish baking dish, so that the fennel fits fairly tightly.
4. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dissolve any browned bits.  Add the broth and simmer for about 2 minutes.  Pour over the fennel.
5. Peel three strips of orange zest from the orange and tuck the pieces of zest around the fennel.  Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice of half the orange over the fennel.  Sprinkle the fennel seeds and coriander seeds over, and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Check the amount of liquid in the baking dish and add vegetable broth as needed to come about a quarter of the way up the sides of the fennel.
6. Cover the dish tightly with foil and braise in the oven until the fennel has collapsed and a toothpick penetrates the cores with no resistance, about 75 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Merry Christmas!

Red Velvet Peppermint Blossoms

I first made these cookies a few weeks ago at a church cookie baking party, and I had to make them again now that I'm back visiting my family.  They're both beautiful and delicious - the perfect holiday cookie!  The base of the cookie is a lightly chocolate flavored sugar cookie dyed red with food coloring.  The cookies are then topped with a white chocolate-peppermint Hug.  These candies are worth seeking out (in case you haven't heard of them, they're basically Hershey's Kisses with two flavors swirled together).    Although these are very good after they're cooled, they're especially tasty when they're still a little warm since the candies are still slightly melted.  Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Red Velvet Peppermint Blossoms (adapted from Cuisine at Home)
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

36 white chocolate peppermint Hugs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 T liquid red food coloring
1 tsp distilled white vinegar

1. Unwrap the Hugs and place them in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment.
3. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and white sugar for a few minutes, until well combined.  Add the egg and whisk until creamy.  Add the food coloring and vinegar and whisk to combine. 
5. Stir in the dry ingredients until completely mixed.
6. Roll the dough into balls, about 2 tsp per ball.  Place on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake until the cookies are puffy with a cracked surface, about 10 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and immediately press a Hug into the center of each cookie.

Steak au Poivre

Tim and I wanted to do a fancy dinner to celebrate Christmas together before both taking off to visit our families.  This steak au poivre totally fit the bill - easy to prepare but so rich, delicious, and flavorful.  The steaks are covered in what seems like an insane amount of peppercorns, but fear not - the flavor isn't insanely peppery.  After the steaks are perfectly cooked (thanks, Tim!), the icing on the cake is an easy pan sauce made with shallots, brandy, and cream while the steak rests.  The original recipe actually called for Cognac, but after seeing the price in the store, we decided it was crazy to spend $30 on Cognac that we'd probably never finish - since the alcohol burns off anyway, a less expensive brandy is a perfectly reasonable substitution and we thought the finished sauce was absolutely amazing (both on the steak and soaked up with bread)!  We served the steak with braised fennel and buttermilk bread, which complemented it really well - recipes on those last two will be coming soon.

Steak au Poivre (adapted from Fine Cooking)
Serves 2

2 boneless beef strip steaks (about 1 pound total)
Kosher salt
1-1/2 T black peppercorns, very coarsely crushed
1 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup brandy (or Cognac if you're feeling fancy)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 T chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season both sides lightly with salt. Coat both sides with the peppercorns, pressing so they adhere. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the steaks and cook to your desired doneness (2 to 3 minutes per side for medium rare). Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and tent them with foil. Pour off and discard any fat left in the pan, but not the brown bits.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet. When the butter is melted, add the shallots and cook until softened, about 1 minute.

3. Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully add the brandy. Return the skillet to medium heat and cook, whisking, until the brandy reduces to a glaze, 1 to 2 minutes. Note: Be very careful here!  We have a gas stove and our brandy ignited in a very tall and exciting flame!  If you also have a gas stove, you'll definitely want to stand back while the alcohol is cooking off just in case this happens.

3. Whisk in the cream and simmer until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt.

4. Transfer the steaks to dinner plates and top with the sauce.

Pear-Chocolate Yogurt Cake

I love yogurt cake, as my mom can attest to - when I was a teenager, she once came back from an evening event to find I'd eaten half of a yogurt cake she'd just baked!  Luckily, now I can make my own yogurt cakes to devour, and this one is certainly a tasty one.  The moist cake is studded with chunks of pear and milk or dark chocolate (I've made it both ways, and both are fantastic).  I think the pears go especially well with the slight tang of a yogurt cake, and the chocolate makes the cake feel a bit more decadent.  This is sweet enough for dessert, but since it has fruit it feels like an acceptable breakfast option as well!

Pear-Chocolate Yogurt Cake (adapted from food 52, original recipe here)
Makes one loaf cake (and possibly some extra batter, which you can bake up in ramekins)

1-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt (low fat is okay)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large firm-ripe pear, peeled and diced
3.5 ounces good-quality milk chocolate (I used 44% cacao milk chocolate), chopped or 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a loaf pan.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla with a rubber spatula.  Beat in the yogurt.  Beat in the flour mixture gradually, being careful not to overmix.
4. Add the oil and fold into the batter with the rubber spatula until combined.  Gently fold in the pears and chocolate.
5. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan.  Make sure to leave room for the batter to rise without overflowing the pan.  If you have too much batter, you can bake some of it in ramekins or another small baking pan.
6. Bake 55-60 minutes, checking any ramekins earlier as they will cook more quickly.  The cake is done when a tester comes out clean.

Spicy Pumpkin Wontons

I was attracted to this recipe because I find that many 'savory' recipes involving pumpkin are way too sweet for me - I don't want my ravioli or lasagna to be sprinkled with amaretti cookies, for example!  These pumpkin wontons go in a different flavor direction with creamy cheese, tarragon, and spicy red pepper flakes.  The end result is just slightly sweet from the pumpkin.

The original recipe calls these ravioli, but I wouldn't really top these with tomato sauce like I would most ravioli.  Something about using the wonton skins just doesn't feel like ravioli to me - but, these are still a really delicious lunch or dinner!  The wontons are boiled and then fried up in a little butter until crispy, which makes for great textural contrast between the creamy filling and crispy exterior.  I ate the wontons with just the butter for sauce and a salad on the side, but you could also add some sauteed veggies in the sauce - leeks or fennel would be delicious.  One word of warning - don't try to freeze these as the wonton skins are too thin - they simply fell apart when I tried to boil a few that I'd frozen and I lost about half the wontons.

Spicy Pumpkin Wontons (adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen, original recipe here)
Makes 20-25 wontons

For the filling:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2 T Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

To finish:
Wonton wrappers
Butter

1. Whisk together the filling ingredients and chill for at least 15 minutes.
2. Lay out wonton wrappers and place a small amount of filling in each (the amount will depend on the size of your wrappers - I used about 1-1/2 tsp per wonton).  Brush the edges with water and fold over into a triangle.  Try to seal the edges as tightly as possible and to squeeze out as much air as possible.  Lay out finished wontons in a single layers. At this point you can freeze some of the wontons if you like.
3. Boil a pot of water and salt it.  Boil the wontons in batches, about 2 minutes per batch, being careful not to, overcrowd your pot.  Once the wontons are boiled, lay them out in a single layer, being careful not to overlap them.
4. Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet until bubbling.  Arrange the wontons in a single layer (working in batches), browning until the wontons are as crispy as you like. 

Baguettes

Baguettes are delicious, but many recipes take upwards of 8 hours or even multiple days to complete.  While most of that time isn't active time, it does make it difficult if you decide you want baguettes with dinner!  This recipe certainly isn't instant, but you can decide on baguettes in the early afternoon and still have dinner at a reasonable hour.  Despite a shorter fermentation than many baguette recipes, this bread still delivers really wonderful flavor and a great chewy texture.  The ice cubes added to the oven while the bread is baking make for an extra crisp crust.  If you have leftovers, you can wrap them in foil and reheat the next day - the crust won't be quite as crisp, but the bread will still be amazing.

Although this bread involves more work than a regular yeasted sandwich bread, none of the steps are particularly difficult.  It's also really cool to see the transformation of the dough from a shaggy mess after it's just been mixed to a smooth bread dough after all the folding.  I'm sure you would get better results if you have a baguette pan, which would allow you to make longer and thinner baguettes than what I was able to achieve by hand-shaping the loaves on a cookie sheet, but my method worked out just fine and didn't involve going out and buying yet another pan.  We served this bread with soft cheese and pickled figs, plus some with chocolate hazelnut spread for dessert.  Two of us devoured an entire loaf along with our dinner, so this is super addictive, especially warm out of the oven!

Baguettes (adapted from Pass the Sushi, original recipe here)
Makes two smallish baguettes

383 grams bread flour
282 grams lukewarm water
1-1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
Ice cubes (about one tray)

1. Combine bread flour with the water in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitter with dough hook. Mix on low speed until blended. Stop the mixer and let sit 15 minutes.
2. Add the salt and yeast to the flour mixture.  Mix on low speed for five minutes.  The dough will be very wet at this point.  Scrape the dough into an oiled container, cover, and let rest 20 minutes.
3. Uncover, fold the dough over itself a few times, and let rest another 20 minutes.  Repeat this process one more time for a total of two times folding the dough and three 20-minute rest periods.  Fold the dough over one more time, and then cover and let rest for 2 hours.  At this point the dough should look very smooth and be sticky but much less 'wet' feeling than it was when first mixed.
4. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each one into a log.  Set on your work surface and cover with plastic.  Let rest 15 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 470 degrees and place a metal sheet pan on the bottom rack.  Place the other oven rack in the middle of the oven.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment.
6. Shape each piece of dough into a long baguette shape, turning the dough under with your hands to create as smooth a surface as possible.  Place each baguette on the parchment-lined baking sheet (side by side).  Spray with oil and cover with plastic.  Let rise for 30 minutes.
7. Open the oven and quickly dump the ice cubes onto the hot baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet with the baguettes on the middle rack and quickly close the oven.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the loaves are nicely browned but still have some give when gently squeezed.  Let cool slightly before cutting into the bread.

Orange-Chocolate Chip Macaroons

I've made these coconut macaroons for two church events lately, and both times they were a big hit.  The best part is that the cookies are so easy to make - mixing up the batter takes just a few minutes and you don't need to pull out a stand mixer or even more than one bowl!  The cookies are a bit crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside with fantastic coconut flavor, a lovely orange scent, and bits of chocolate.  They'll soften a bit if you keep them overnight, but I think this makes them even tastier (I haven't managed to hold onto any longer than overnight!).  Another bonus of this recipe is that it's naturally gluten free, so it's great to prepare for events where you're don't know everyone's dietary restrictions.  Although I've made this chocolate orange version both times I made the recipe, I think this recipe could be infinitely adaptable - you could use pretty much any citrus zest and change up the mix-ins if you like.  I think a lime zest-white chocolate or a lemon zest-slivered almond version would be amazing! 

Orange-Chocolate Chip Macaroons (adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book)
Makes about 3 dozen

14 ounces sweetened coconut
Zest of one orange
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
2. Combine the coconut and orange zest in a large bowl and rub together with your fingers until the mixture is fluffy and uniform.  Add the sugar and chocolate chips and stir to combine.  Add the egg whites and mix with your hands until the mixture is uniform.
3. Scoop out the coconut mixture with a tablespoon, compacting the mixture into the scoop and then sliding each cookie onto the baking sheet, round side up.  Repeat with the remaining coconut mixture.  Bake 25-30 until the cookies are lightly browned.
4. Let cool completely before peeling the cookies off of the foil or parchment.
5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (the cookies will soften over time, which I think is a nice thing!), or freeze for up to three weeks wrapped in plastic and then foil.

Above, a photo of Tim, me, and Katy sipping wine at the wine and cheese fundraiser where I served a batch of these delicious macaroons.  Everyone brought a bottle, we covered up the labels, and then we all tried to guess which wine was which - Tim managed to guess all of the wines!  We also snacked on delicious cheeses from Cheeseboard - Delice d'Argental, Ewephoria, Swiss, Besace du Berger, Drunken Goat, Ossau-Iraty, and Cambozola.  We also devoured this gorgeous fruit tart from my friend Erin:

I'm sending this post off to the These Chicks Cooked Link Party!  I'm also sending these cookies off to the Cookie Party at the Secret Recipe Club.

Cardamom-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Cardamom is one of my favorite spices, especially as fall rolls around, and this cake is full of it - in both the cake batter and in the streusel.  The flavor is pretty intense here, so if you're not such a big fan, you could probably reduce the amount (I thought it was perfect, though!).  The streusel includes a sprinkling of chocolate chips and walnuts - depending on your taste, I think you could probably double the amount of one or the other if you want more of either flavor.  Even with the smaller amounts, this was a delicious, festive coffee cake that definitely made breakfast feel extra special.

Cardamom-Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake (adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours and The New Moosewood Cookbook)
Makes 1 loaf cake

For the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the streusel:
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 T (packed) brown sugar
1 tsp cardamom

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Make the cake.  Whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and cardamom.  Whisk in the yogurt, eggs, and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined.  Fold in the vegetable oil.  Some lumps are okay., but the oil should be completely incorporated.
4. Make the streusel.  Stir all the ingredients together until well combined.
5. Pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle over half of the streusel.  Pour the remaining cake batter over, and top with the remaining streusel.
6. Bake 50-55 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Fresh Ginger Custard Pumpkin Pie

This was one of the pies I made for Thanksgiving, and it was delicious despite a fairly ugly crust!  It has a traditional pumpkin pie flavor, perfect topped with a little (or a lot of) whipped cream.  Although this pie uses fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, and fresh cream instead of sweetened condensed milk, I would have to be honest and say that I couldn't really tell the difference from a normal pumpkin pie (although I didn't taste them side by side).  So, this is one case where I'd have to say maybe it's easier to just use the traditional shortcuts rather than going all out.  In any case, this was a really delicious pie and definitely hit the pumpkin pie spot! :)

Fresh Ginger Custard Pumpkin Pie (adapted from Serious Eats, original recipe here)
Makes one 9-1/2 or 10 inch pie

1 pre-baked 9-1/2 or 10 inch pie shell (such as this one)
One 6x1-inch piece fresh ginger, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
2 cinnamon sticks, crushed
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups pumpkin puree

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the pie shell on a larger baking sheet to catch any overflows.  If you're using a 9-1/2 inch pie plate, you'll probably have a little extra filling, so you can set out a ramekin to bake it in - cook's treat!
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the fresh ginger, crushed cinnamon sticks, heavy cream, and milk and heat until scalding. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for about 10 minutes. Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring back to scalding.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl and have ready.
4. Gradually whisk the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.  Strain into a clean container (preferably something with a spout).
5. Briefly whisk the pumpkin puree in another bowl until loosened.  Whisk the custard mixture into the pumpkin puree.  Pour into the prepared pie shell.
6. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until the center no longer jiggles.  If you've baked some of the filling separately in a ramekin, be sure to pull it out early so it doesn't overbake.  Cool the pie on a wire rack.
7. Store tightly wrapped - overnight at room temperature, or in the fridge if storing for a few days.

Cranberry-Lemon Quick Bread with Pecans

For this month's installment of the Secret Recipe Club, my secret blog partner was Vanderbilt Wife.  I was instantly tempted by her recipe for Blueberry-Lemon Ricotta Muffins - they looked perfect for a tasty snack.  Of course, it's not blueberry season anymore, so I substituted in tart dried cranberries and some chopped pecans instead, making this a perfect fall recipe.  (Also, I was feeling lazy so I cooked the recipe up in a loaf pan instead of a muffin tin, which worked well although the cook time was quite a bit longer.)

Unlike many of the coffee cakes and 'breakfast' breads I've baked, this one is actually healthy enough that you can feel good about eating it for breakfast.  The only added fat comes from the part-skim ricotta cheese and a couple of egg yolks - no oil or butter!  You could make it even healthier by using white whole wheat instead of all purpose flour.  Despite being low in fat, the bread is nice and moist from the ricotta and tastes really delicious.  I love the bright bursts of flavor from the cranberries and the crunch from the pecans.  Perhaps because the cranberries are so intense, I thought the lemon flavor could have been stronger, so I would probably add some zest in addition to the lemon juice next time.  Definitely a real winner - thanks Jessie a/k/a Vanderbilt Wife!

Cranberry-Lemon Quick Bread with Pecans (adapted from Vanderbilt Wife, original recipe here)
Makes one loaf

1 cup part-skim milk ricotta cheese (don't use fat free)
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
2 T lemon juice
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus 1 T for tossing with the fruit and nuts)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a loaf pan.
2. Whisk together the ricotta, sugar, eggs, milk, and lemon juice.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
3. Toss together the cranberries, pecans, and about 1 T flour (enough to lightly coat).  Fold the fruit and nuts into the batter and scrape into loaf pan.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Pulled Pork with Mango Sauce

Aarti hits in another home run with this fantastic pulled pork recipe.  I've had great luck with her recipes in the past, and this one was no different.  Super tender pulled pork is stirred into a sweet and spicy mango sauce - the original recipe called it a BBQ sauce, but we didn't really think it tasted like BBQ.  That didn't make it any less delicious - topped with a tangy coleslaw (recipe here), this pork makes a fantastic lunch or dinner.  I really enjoyed all the different spices going on in this recipe - it made for a unique dish that didn't taste like the usual pulled pork sandwich.

Pulled Pork with Mango Sauce (adapted from Aarti Party)

For the meat
4 pounds bone-in pork butt
2 T brown sugar
2 T kosher salt
1 T paprika
1 cup chicken stock

For the sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 onion, finely minced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 cups mango puree
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and paprika in a small bowl.  Rub all over the pork, and then place in a large bowl and cover with plastic.  Marinate overnight, in the refrigerator.
2. In the morning, place the pork into a slow cooker, along with any accumulated juices.  Pour the chicken stock over, and then cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the pork is falling-apart tender.  You may want to flip the pork once or twice during the cooking process.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Heat the oil in a large saucepan over low heat, until shimmering.  Add the cumin and fennel seeds.  Once the sputtering subsides, add the onions, garlic, and ginger.  Saute until they soften but don't let them brown.
4. Add the mango puree, lime juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil, and then cover and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer the sauce for about 3 hours to let the flavors develop.
5. When the meat is ready, remove from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Add to the mango sauce and let simmer for about 30 minutes to let flavors combine.  Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.