Stewed pork cheek

Slow‑cooked pork cheek with celeriac, Parmesan foam and apple.


Stewed pork cheek
Rolling pin and whisk

Tom van Meulebrouck

Culinary Specialist at Debic

Ingredients

For 10 servings

Pork cheeks

1 l water

80 g salt

1 kg pork cheeks

1 kg lard

1 head of garlic

20 g thyme

Pork head pie tee

300 g pork stock

50 g rice flour

50 g corn starch

30 g acorn flour

1 g xanthan gum

2 g salt

Parmesan foam

300 ml Debic Culinaire Original

300 g Parmesan cheese

Celeriac purée

300 g celeriac

100 ml chicken stock

100 ml Debic Culinaire Original

Nixtamalised Mostarda apples

25 g calcium hydroxide/lime

2 l water (1)

10 small apples

500 ml water (2)

500 g sugar

2 g salt

250 ml sanbaizu

25 g mustard powder

25 g wasabi powder

Pork fat crème

150 g pork back fat

150 ml pork stock

150 ml Debic Culinaire Original

25 g aioli

Decoration

10 g truffles

10 g chives

Debic products used

Preparation

Pork cheeks

Mix together the water and salt.

Clean the cheeks and brine for 12 hours in the brine.

Rinse after brining and pat dry.

Confit the cheeks for 8 hours in the lard with the garlic and thyme.

Take the cheeks out of the lard, cool down and roll in between 3 layers of clingfilm.

Keep in the refrigerator until later use.

Pork head pie tee

Mix together all the ingredients and leave to rest in the refrigerator.

Heat oil until 170°C.

Dip in the pie tee for 30 seconds and dip into the acorn batter.

Fry until done.

Drain on paper towel and reserve in a dry place to keep them crisp.

Parmesan foam

In a thermos-blender mix the Culinaire Original and cheese at 80°C for 10 minutes.

Season to taste.

Cool down and reserve in a whipping canister.

Charge the canister with 1 CO₂ cartridge before service.

Keep at the hot pass.

Celeriac purée

Clean and dice the celeriac and sweat in a bit of butter.

Add the stock and Culinaire Original and blend into a fine purée.

Strain through a sieve.

Season to taste if needed.

Nixtamalised Mostarda apples

Wearing gloves, mix the calcium hydroxide into the water (1).

Peel the apples and soak them in the water mixture for 3 hours, stirring frequently.

Rinse the apples under cold running water.

Bring the water (2) with sugar and salt to a boil and add the apples.

Cook for 10 minutes and add the sanbaizu.

Cook for 1 hour until a syrupy consistency is reached.

Season the syrup with the mustard and wasabi powder.

Keep the apples in the refrigerator in the syrup and let them cool down.

Pork fat crème

In a thermo-blender mix all ingredients for 20 minutes at 100°C.

Strain through a fine sieve.

Cool down on ice water and reserve until ready to use.

Assembly

Portion the pork cheeks and heat under a salamander or heat in some pork sauce.

Heat the celeriac purée and put a dollop on the bottom of the plate.

Arrange on top the pork cheek tranche and finish with a dollop of the Parmesan foam.

Put the pork head pie tee on top.

Finishing touch

Garnish with shaved truffles and serve together with the reheated apple and pork-fat crème.

Garnish the apples with chives and serve.

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