5 Breckland white pork belly with toffee apple sauce Paul Robinson

Pork belly with toffee apple sauce

prep: 20 minutes sous vide: 14 hours cook: 30-40 minutes
4 people

Ingredients

for the spiced pork stock

1 small lobe of ginger, peeled and grated

½ red chilli, chopped and seeds removed

1 pork stock cube

450ml water

50ml dark soy sauce

1 cinnamon stick

for the toffee apple sauce

500ml spiced pork stock

½ tsp Chinese five-spice

½ tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp fennel seeds

75g Bramley apple sauce

1 Bramley apple, grated

50g molasses sugar

50g light soy sauce

50g light muscavado sugar

50g dark muscavado sugar

20g cornflour

25g cold water

for the pork belly

1kg rindless pork belly

for ultimate mash

1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and chopped into evenly-sized pieces

90g clotted cream

100g unsalted butter

sea salt & white pepper

for the caramelised apple

60g butter

60g caster sugar

1 pinch of cinnamon

2 Jazz apples, topped and tailed and

sliced into 1.5 cm thick slices

for the charred broccoli

250g tenderstem broccoli

2 tbsps olive oil

sea salt & black pepper

Method

To make the stock, heat a pan on a medium heat with a little oil and lightly fry the ginger and chilli. Add the crumbled pork stock cube, water, soy sauce and cinnamon and bring to the boil.

To make the toffee apple sauce, once the stock has boiled turn down the heat to medium. Add the spices, apple sauce, grated apple, soy sauce and sugars and dissolve the sugar gently by stirring over a low heat. When dissolved bring to the boil and thicken with the cornflour mixed in the water. Cook out for another 2 minutes, and chill down the sauce.

To cook the pork belly, preset your sous vide machine to 85°C. Place the pork belly and sauce in a vacuum bag and seal. Place the sealed bag into the sous vide machine and set the timer for 14 hours. When cooked the pork can be rapid-chilled (submerge the bag in icy water to reduce the temperature quickly) or, if using straight away, pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Remove the belly from the bag, place on a baking tray and roast for 25-30 minutes until caramelised and golden brown. Pour the sauce from the bag into a saucepan and reduce to a thick, double-cream-like consistency.

To cook the pork belly (without a sous vide machine), pre-heat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1. Place the pork belly and toffee apple sauce into a deep casserole dish. Cover with tin foil and cook in the oven for 3 hours. Remove from the oven, discard the foil and carefully pour off the juices into a pan. Turn the oven up to 180°c/350°F/gas mark 4 and cook for 30-35 minutes until the belly is golden brown. Reduce the sauce by half on a medium heat to a thick sauce the consistency of double cream.

To make ultimate mash, place the potatoes in a pan of cold water with a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until very tender. Whilst the potatoes are cooking heat up the cream and butter with a pinch of salt and pepper; when the butter has melted, stir in and remove from the heat. When the potato is cooked pass through a ricer into a bowl. Mix the butter and cream mixture through, season with salt and pepper.

To caramelise the apple, melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the sugar and cinnamon and mix together on a medium heat. Add the apples and fry until the sugar caramelises and looks golden brown. Turn the apples, and cook for another minute, then remove from the caramel and set aside.

To char the broccoli, place the broccoli in a bowl, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with a large pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Ensure it has been fully coated in the olive oil. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and bring to smoking point. Add the broccoli and cook for 90 seconds on each side until it is crunchy with charred edges.

To serve, spoon the mash onto a large dish and top with the broccoli. Slice the pork belly into 1cm thick slices and lay on top. Finish with the caramelised apple and drizzle with the toffee apple sauce.