Recipes

Pork cheek, watercress & preserved plums

Serves 4 people
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Ingredients

Pork Cheek

  • •
    Pork cheek ( skin on ) - 600G
  • •
    Water - 2 Liters
  • •
    Salt - 200G
  • •
    Garlic - 4 Cloves
  • •
    Thyme - 5 Sticks
  • •
    Juniper berries - 15 PCS

White Bean & Fennel Puree

  • •
    Olive oil - 30G
  • •
    Brown onion - 55G
  • •
    Garlic ( sliced ) - 6G
  • •
    Fennel ( sliced ) - 55G
  • •
    Fresh Bay Leaf - 1
  • •
    White pepper - 4G
  • •
    Juniper - 2PCS
  • •
    Aarak - 25G
  • •
    Cannellini beans ( drained ) - 250G
  • •
    Lemon thyme - 2G
  • •
    Water - 100G
  • •
    Cooking salt - 2.5G
  • •
    Unsalted butter - 120G

Watercress salsa verde

  • •
    Watercress ( washed & prepped ) - 25G
  • •
    Broad leaf rocket ( Washed & prepped _ - 15G
  • •
    Parsley ( picked, washed & dried ) - 20G
  • •
    Tarragon ( picked, washed & dried ) - 5G
  • •
    Diced shallot - 10G
  • •
    Fleur De Sel - 2G
  • •
    Whole garlic - 2G
  • •
    Anchovy - 10G
  • •
    Delicate olive oil - 75G
  • •
    Shallot vinegar - 10G

Pickled Garnet Plums & Radicchio

  • •
    Garnet plums - 4PCS
  • •
    Radicchio - 8 leaves
  • •
    Red wine vinegar - 100G
  • •
    Caster sugar - 200G
  • •
    Water - 300G
  • •
    Cinnamon - ½ stick
  • •
    Star anise - ½ piece
  • •
    Juniper berries - 4PCS

Method

  1. 1.
    Start by preparing a brine - combine warm water with salt and let it cool completely.
  2. 2.
    Add in the pork cheek and let it rest in the brine for about 4 hours. After 4 hours, strain your pork and discard the brine mix.
  3. 3.
    Fill a 10L cooking pot with water, add in the garlic ( smash it) thyme and juniper berries and bring it up to a rolling boil.
  4. 4.
    Turn down the flame and your water should be gently simmering. Add in the pork cheek.
  5. 5.
    Let the Pork poach for about an hour and thirty on low heat.
  6. 6.
    After poaching - let your pork cheek cool completely and sit in the fridge overnight to dry the skin off completely.
  7. 7.
    To cook - preheat the oven to 200C, temper your pork cheek for up to 30 mins before cooking.
  8. 8.
    Place the pork cheek on a wire rack and a baking tray to catch all the fat at the bottom. Cook in the oven until the skin turns golden brown and the fat is well rendered for roughly about 25-30 mins.
  9. 9.
    To finish, crank up the oven temp to 220 and move your pork cheek to the top most rack for about 5-7 mins.
  10. 10.
    Take out the oven and let your pork cheek rest for about 10 mins prior to slicing & serving it.
  11. 11.
    FOR THE WATERCRESS SALSA VERDE
  12. 12.
    Pick and wash all herbs
  13. 13.
    In a mixer, combine all herbs and spices until everything is broken down. Slowly add in olive oil and the chardonnay vinegar. Fold through the diced shallot and set aside until ready to use.
  14. 14.
    FOR THE PICKLED GARNET PLUMS & RADICCHIO
  15. 15.
    Cut the plums in half and remove the pitt
  16. 16.
    Combine vinegar, caster sugar, water and spices and bring it to a boil.
  17. 17.
    Let it cool completely before adding in the prepped plums
  18. 18.
    set aside in fridge until ready to use