CARAMEL APPLE
Serves 6
This is a dish by chef Chris Jones. When it’s placed in front of the diner it appears to be a caramel apple with nuts. Then you cut into it and discover this succulent, melting pork belly—savory, sweet, and utterly indulgent. It’s a meaty take on a classic American dessert.
We used to serve this dish with our spiral-handled aromatic utensils (see here). At home, you could also just sprinkle some fresh herb leaves around the rims of the plates so that the diners inhale their aroma as they eat. Thyme or rosemary would bring out some lovely notes in the pork.
PORK BELLY:
10 grams canola oil
300 grams pork belly
50 grams onion, chopped
50 grams carrot, chopped
50 grams celery, chopped
500 grams vegetable stock
10 grams thyme leaves
CARAMEL SAUCE:
150 grams sugar
20 grams water
50 grams unsalted butter
100 grams heavy cream
1 gram salt
GALA APPLES:
3 small Gala apples
CANDIED HAZELNUTS:
100 grams raw hazelnuts
20 grams corn syrup
25 grams sugar
0.5 gram salt
PORK BELLY:
Put the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the pork belly and sear both sides until they are a deep golden brown. Transfer to a plate and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pot and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender and just starting to brown. Return the pork belly to the pan and cover with the vegetable stock. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Add the thyme, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Braise for 3 hours, until meltingly tender. Remove from the heat and let cool in the liquid.
Remove the pork belly from the saucepan. Shred the meat with a fork and transfer to a small saucepot with some of the braising liquid. Keep warm over low heat until ready.
CARAMEL SAUCE:
Put the sugar and water in a medium saucepot set over medium heat. Stir just enough to hydrate all the sugar and then cook, undisturbed, until it starts to caramelize. Once the sugar is a deep golden brown, turn off the heat and add the butter. The sugar will foam and may crystallize. Set back over low heat and stir with a silicone spatula to emulsify. Add the cream and salt and stir until it comes together as a smooth, creamy sauce. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a clean saucepot and keep warm.
GALA APPLES:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Cut the apples in half vertically. Use a melon baller or spoon to carve out the flesh and seeds to create a hollow dome of apple. Leave about ¼ inch of apple inside the skin. Set a wire rack on a sheet pan and lay the apples on the rack. Bake for 10 minutes to soften the apples. Remove from the oven and keep warm until ready to plate.
CANDIED HAZELNUTS:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the hazelnuts and corn syrup in a mixing bowl and mix with a rubber spatula to coat the nuts. Add the sugar and salt and toss the nuts to cover completely. Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat and spread the nuts out on the mat. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pan after 5 minutes. Once the nuts are caramelized and golden brown, remove from the oven and cool completely. Break up the nuts into individual pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to plate.
TO FINISH:
Put 2 dots of Caramel Sauce on a plate. Stand the tip of a spoon in the center of each dot and draw a line across the plate, running the line from each dot in opposite directions to create 2 swooshes. Repeat on the other 5 plates. Dip the outside of an apple half in the Caramel Sauce to coat the skin. Fill the center with 50 grams of braised Pork Belly. Carefully place the apple, pork side down, on the plate and sprinkle 10 grams of Candied Hazelnuts over the top. Repeat with the 5 remaining apples and serve immediately.
