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Pictured are, from "11 O'Clock" and running clockwise:
- Pan-Seared Sous Vide Pork Belly on a bed of
- Oven-Toasted Jicama Strands
- Lemon Pepper Green Beans
- Orange Jicama Cucumber Black Bean Salad
Wuff will post the recipes for each of these separately, but all of these turned out VERY nicely! And all are dramatically different, but designed to complement each other in a harmonious blend.
The pork belly, drizzled with a reduction of the pork Jus, is ridiculously rich! The skin side is deep fried until it is crunchy-crisp, then the edges are pan-seared for a bit of toasted bacony flavor to complement the tender, fatty interior. Rubbed with Mesquite seasoning, and painted with thick sweet soy sauce, and just a touch of sriracha for heat, before placing it in the Sous Vide, it has a wonderful combination of sweet, smoky, warm "BBQ-ish" notes.
Toasting the Jicama heightens its natural sweetness and adds a layer of toasted nutty tastiness. Lighter and fresher than potato crisps, it complements the rich pork without adding the heavy starchiness a potato would.
Fresh green beans, sautéed with lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, black pepper, white wine, and a bit of honey to keep all the lemon from becoming too tart. Crisp, fresh, light lemony flavor with a touch of sweetness cuts through the heavy rich fat of the pork. The sweetness of the honey marries nicely with the note of sweetness of the sweetened soy sauce that the pork was cooked in.
The salad is a combination of fresh jicama matchsticks, English seedless cucumber, black beans, fresh basil, garlic, chili powder, and red onion. Dressed with Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, and a bit of agave syrup. The jicama keeps its fresh, sweet crunch, with cool crisp cucumber, sweet orange wedges, a aromatic basil. Light, sweet, cool, crunchy, and crisp, with a hint of smokiness and warmth from the chili powder. It ties all the other elements together, while bringing a refreshing lightness to the rich fatty pork entrée.
There are a few things wuffy will change for next time, such as adding the orange wedges after dressing the salad, so they retain their bright, clean orange appearance. And wuff will go a little lighter on the sear for the pork, (but not on the skin - it was wonderful with that sharp crunch when bitten into).
Wuff will also make more of the toasted jicama. Vrghr wanted to taste it again, but that's all there was.
All told, a very exotic and tasty special meal. It takes a fair bit of planning, since the Pork needs 36+ hours in the Sous Vide (but can be held in the 'fridge after that for a day or so). The rest comes together in under an hour, so this isn't really TOO time-consuming. And wuff learned enough with these sides to want to make them again for other dishes!
Next up, the recipe for the Pan-Seared Sous Vide Pork Belly!
Attachment: pork_belly_experiment_plated2.png (Downloaded 6 times)
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