Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Pork Tasting

Maple Glazed Pork belly
I like to use Berkshire pork belly because they are the thickest with a good balance of meat to fat. Wipe off all excess blood, trim and cut into quarters. Make a brine 50 % sugar to salt with herbs, spices and aromatics you like to flavor your belly with. When I make a brine for my belly I like to use half apple juice to water and some apple cider vinegar to taste. Bring your bring to a simmer and let cool to room temp. Place your pork belly into a plastic container and pour the room temp brine over it and let brine over night. Take the belly out of the brine and wipe off all herbs and spices. Put the belly into cryovac bags, add apples, shallots, crushed garlic, thyme, maple syrup and butter vacuum seal bags. Cook sous vide in 62 degree C/144 degree F bath for 40 hours. Chill in ice-water bath until firm. Remove belly from the bags scrape off the gelled cooking juices and place into a pot. Reduce the liquid by half and add equal amount of maple syrup to the reduction and bring to a boil. Let cool to room temp. Trim and portion belly to your requirements and vacuum seal each portion individually with some of the maple syrup mixture. To serve reheat the belly in 62 degree C water bath for about 10 minutes. Remove from bag, pour the maple glaze into a pot and reduce to a syrup, sear fat side only of the por belly. When plating glaze with maple syrup and season lightly with maldon salt.

Smoked Pork Rib with Apple Bourbon BBQ
Seared Pork Loin
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Sour Apple Chutney
Robuchon Potato
White Pork Jus

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Crab, Meyer Lemon, Kiwi

Cured Lemon
I like to use Meyer lemons because the have a sweeter flavor and a thin layer of pith then a normal lemon. Meyer lemons are a cross between a lemon and a orange of some sort, people don't know what type exactly.
Wash and remove any stickers from the lemon. Slice the lemon as thin as you can on a slicer and remove all seeds. Make a cure 75% sugar to salt and add desired spices and herbs. Spread a quarter inch layer of the cure on a sheet pan and place the sliced lemons in a single layer and cover with a layer of cure, repeat the process until you run out of cure and or lemon slices. Let the lemon slices cure for 3 hours at room temp. Carefully rinse off the cure by dunking the slices in water until the cure is washed off. Place on a paper towl to remove water. Use the lemons right away or cryovac until needed.





Crab Cake
Lemon Curd
Pressed Kiwi
Kewpie
Crab Powder
Sweet Pickle Fluid Gel
Micro Cilantro