It has been a great first day at the home show here are the recipes
Chinese Crisp Roasted Pork
1 x 1kg piece fresh belly pork, boned but not skinned
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon five-spice powder
Method
Score pork skin at 1cm intervals, using a very sharp knife and cutting right through the skin. Blanch meat in a large sauce pan of boiling water for 2 minutes, then lift out, rinse under cold water and dry well with kitchen paper. Combine garlic and soy sauce and rub all over meat side of pork. Combine salt and five-spice powder and rub all over skin. Refrigerate uncovered, skin-side up, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 230°C and line a baking dish with foil. Position a rack in baking dish and settle pork on rack, skin-side up. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 200°C and bake for 40 minutes or until skin crackles and crisps.
Cool a little before cutting into slices and then into thick fingers. Serve hot with steamed rice and Asian greens or at room temperature as an entrée with a dish of hoi sin sauce for dipping, or use in a stir-fry.
Gravadlax
There are as many recipes for this as there are spellings for it throughout Scandinavia – this one happens to be from a Danish friend. It is a fantastic alternative to smoked salmon with a fresh and subtle flavour.
Serves 10
1 whole side fresh salmon
2 heaped tablespoons sea salt
2 rounded tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons crushed black pepper
2 tablespoons spirit alcohol ( I use vodka, but be creative)
2 rounded tablespoons fresh dill
- Mix together salt, sugar, pepper, alcohol and dill.
- Spread the mixture over the salmon.
- wrap with gladwrap and then tin foil.
- Weigh down with a couple of tins and refrigerate, turning daily, for up to 5 days. You’ll notice a liquid seep out of the fish, don’t worry that is just the water coming out and can be discarded each day.
- Serve as a canapé, starter or for the truly enlightened with scrambled eggs on Mothering Sunday.
Truffled Poached Chicken
The unbelievable aromas when this dish is cooking are to die for! If you’re selling your house, forget fresh roasted coffee and baking bread – the smell when this is cooking will have them queuing out of the door! Truffles can be very expensive but will transform an everyday dish into something truly extraordinary. You only live once after all!
1.35kg free range chicken
2 medium carrots, peeled
2 sticks celery, sliced
1 onion, skin on but topped and tailed
4 medium leeks, washed and cut into 2.5cm slices
115g unsalted butter
bouquet garni of parsley stalks, 8 black peppercorns and a sprig of thyme, tied in muslin
2.25 litres chicken stock or water
1 black truffle (about 50g)
salt and pepper
- Gently scrub the truffle, peel it (reserving the trimmings) and slice very thinly.
- Slip the truffle slices under the skin of the chicken evenly on both sides, ensuring some slices are also under the leg skin.
- Place the chicken into a large pan with all the vegetables (except the leeks), bouquet garni and chicken stock and bring to the boil.
- Turn down heat, season with salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 60 minutes.
- Remove chicken, drain and keep in a warm place.
- Sieve the stock and return to a clean saucepan on a high heat.
- As it comes to the boil, skim the ‘scum’ that forms on the surface and continue to boil for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, blanch the leeks in a pan of rapidly boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.
- Chop the truffle peelings finely and mash together in a bowl with the softened butter, salt and pepper.
- Melt the truffled butter in a fry pan over a medium heat, add the leeks and cook gently until hot.
- Serve the broth first in soup plates, followed by the warm chicken and leeks.
Braised Beef Cheeks
2 beef cheeks
300ml hearty red wine
1/2-1 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tbsp butter or even better, duck fat
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, sliced very thinly
1. In a very hot heavy pan (cast iron would be the best option), sear the cheeks on both sides for approximately 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set in a slow cooker.
2. Pour the wine over top, sprinkle the cheeks liberally with Chinese five spice, toss in the butter (or duck fat), season to taste with salt and sprinkle the garlic over top.
3. Set the slow cooker to “low” and allow to cook uninterrupted for 8 hours.
4. When finished, remove from slow cooker gently (as they will be delicate and fall apart easily at this stage, and serve with accompanying vegetables or mashed potatoes.
Dauphinoise Potatoes
Serves 5 – 6
1 kg waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 large clove garlic, crushed
250ml milk
250ml cream
25g parmesan
Seasoning
Method
Bring the liquids to the boil with the garlic and add the potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender and liquid has thickened with the potato starch, stirring very gently a couple of times. Turn the potatoes out onto a buttered ovenproof dish. Grate the parmesan on top and bake in a preheated oven at 150˚C for approximately 1 hour or until golden brown on top. Can be used straight away or refrigerated and re-heated.
Saffron and Earl Grey Poached Pears
Pears hold their shape really well, as long as you don’t allow the liquor to boil once the pears have been added.
Serves 4
4 pears
1 split vanilla pod
1/2 bottle White wine
120g sugar
Pinch of Saffron
Earl Grey Tea Bag
zest and juice of 1/2 orange
a bunch of fresh thyme
125g butter
- Add all except the butter and the pears to a small casserole pan, bring to
the boil turn down to a gentle simmer and add the pears. Simmer for about 1 hour or until tender.
- Remove the pears and reduce the liquid by half.
- Away from the heat, add the butter and agitate for a while.
- Put the pears back in and leave until ready to serve.
- Warm is the best temperature to serve this dish.
