Name: Cardamom-Crusted Pork with Mushroom Sauce
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups chopped onion; 5 tablespoons olive oil; 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom; 1 large garlic clove; 1 4-pound boneless pork rib roast; 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, halved; 2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth; 1/2 cup whipping cream; 1 tablespoon all purpose flour; 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

Cardamom-Crusted Pork with Mushroom SauceJacqueline Hopkins

"I have a 'stragglers Thanksgiving' — that's what I call it — at my house every year," writes Frances Teasley of North Hollywood, California. "I know a lot of people who, like me, don't have any family nearby. Thirteen years ago I started inviting a few people for dinner. And that small holiday gathering has become a big tradition among my friends. For weekday meals, I look for shortcuts and do-aheads. But for holiday meals, I like to do everything the same day because I love the smell of cooking that fills the house."

An impressive holiday entrée.

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