On Mon 28 Mar 2005 05:42:40p, wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> I made the meatloaf recipe listed below.
> It tasted great, but it fell apart when I took it out of the loaf pan.
> Unfortunately, I didn't have parchment paper and a wire rack which what
> was called for in the recipe. I am not sure if this is the problem
> (since I made other meatloafs in a loaf pan), or perhaps the selection
> of ingredients.
> Also, I hear of people using muffin tins to cook their meatloaf.
> It is supposed to cook the meatloaf quicker + it gives individual
> portions and crispy tops. Do I need to modify a meatloaf recipe to cook
> them in muffin tins instead of a loaf?
> Thanks
>
>
> Serves 6
> Be careful not to overknead the meatloaf ingredients; doing so will
> result
> in a heavy and dense loaf.
>
> 3 slices white bread
> 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
> 1 rib celery, strings peeled, cut into 1/2-inch squares
> 1/2 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
> 2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled [3 instead]
> 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed
> 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons ketchup
> 4 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
> 8 ounces ground pork (12oz)
> 8 ounces ground veal
> 8 ounces ground round (12oz)
> 2 large eggs, beaten
> 2 teaspoons salt
> 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
> 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce, or to taste
> 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, plus more needles for sprinkling
> 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
> 1/2 cup of parmesean cheeze
> 1 tablespoon olive oil
> 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4 inch-thick squares
>
> 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Remove crusts from bread, and place slices
> in
> the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form, about 10
> seconds. Transfer bread crumbs to a large mixing bowl. Do not
> substitute
> dried bread crumbs in this step, as they will make your meat loaf
> rubbery.
>
> 2. Place carrot, celery, yellow onion, garlic, and parsley in the
> bowl of
> the food processor. Process until vegetables have been minced, about 30
> seconds, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
> (Chopping vegetables this way saves time and ensures that vegetables
> will be
> small enough to cook through and not be crunchy). Transfer vegetables
> to
> bowl with the bread crumbs.
>
> 3. Add 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, pork, veal, beef,
> eggs,
> salt, pepper, Tabasco, and rosemary. Using your hands, knead the
> ingredients
> until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. The texture should be wet,
> but
> tight enough to hold a free-form shape.
>
> 4. Set a wire baking rack into an 11-by-17-inch baking pan. Cut a
> 5-by-11-inch piece of parchment paper, and place over center of rack to
> prevent meat loaf from falling through. Using your hands, form an
> elongated
> loaf covering the parchment.
>
> 5. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons ketchup, remaining 2 1/2
> teaspoons
> mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Using a pastry
> brush,
> generously brush the glaze over loaf. Place oil in a medium saucepan
> set
> over high heat. When oil is smoking, add red onion. Cook, stirring
> occasionally, until onion is soft and golden in places. Add 3
> tablespoons
> water, and cook, stirring, until most of the water has evaporated.
> Transfer
> onion to a bowl to cool slightly, then sprinkle onion over the meat
> loaf.
>
> 6. Bake 30 minutes, then sprinkle rosemary needles on top. Continue
> baking loaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center
> of
> the loaf registers 160°, about 25 minutes more. Let meat loaf cool on
> rack,
> 15 minutes.

This sounds like a tasty meatloaf! The only thing I might change about the
recipe itself is reducing the amount of catsup to 1/4 cup, not because of
the flavor, but because of the additional liquid content.

I also would not bake it in a loaf pan. I would form it into a moujnded
loaf and bake it directly on a sheet of parchment in a baking pan, allowing
at least a couple of inches of open space on all sides.


--
Wayne Boatwright
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974