Daniel Wilson (Huxtaburger, Huxtable) created this milk roasted pork belly recipe with warm spices, cauliflower and watercress for the launch dinner of Anchor’s milk range in Australia. Throughout the night, guests were treated to an “Anchor Milk Flight”, where by Wilson and Christian McCabe (Town Mouse, Embla) created a 5 course meal aimed to show how milk can be used in several ways when cooking. Each dish was paired with either plain milk or a creative milk infusion. The entire meal was delicious, however our highlight was the milk roasted pork belly. Luckily for The City Lane readers, we were able to get our hands on a copy of the recipe so you can try it at home.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes / Cooking Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes / Serves 6
Ingredients
Pork Belly
- 2 kg pork belly, boneless & skin scored 4mm thick
- 2 ltr milk
- 3 cardamom, crushed slightly
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ¼ whole nutmeg, finely grated
- 4 slices ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- sea salt
- olive oil
- 2 bunches watercress, picked, washed & dried
- lemon oil
Cauliflower Puree
- 1 cauliflower, chopped
- milk to cover
- 100 g butter
- 150 ml pure cream
- ground white pepper & sea salt to taste
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Rub oil & salt onto the skin & crevasses well. Heat a large sauté pan over a medium heat and add a little olive oil. Place the pork belly skin down and cook slowly until golden & crisp, pressing down on contactless areas if needed. Be careful as it has a tendency to spit.
- Meanwhile place the milk & spices into a saucepan and warm gently over a low heat. Season the bottom of the pork belly with salt and then place into a high sided roasting tray. Carefully pour the milk & spices into the tray until it comes 2/3 of the way up the pork. Place into the oven & cook for 15 minutes then turn the heat down to 160°C and cook for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven & allow to rest in the pan for 20 minutes.
- For the cauliflower puree: Place the cauliflower onto a saucepan & cover with the milk. Cover with a cartouche made from baking paper and cook for 30 minutes over a low heat (as not to scorch the milk on the bottom of the pan) or until tender. Drain well in a colander & discard the milk. Place the cauliflower into a blender and add the butter, cream, salt & ground white pepper to taste. Reserve in a small saucepan with a lid to keep warm.
- To serve: Reheat the pork belly for 5 minutes in the oven on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place some cauliflower puree on each plate. Slice the pork belly along the cuts and place 2 slices on each plate. Scatter the watercress whimsically then drizzle the lot with a little lemon oil and finish with a little salt.
Notes
For a unique beverage to pair with the pork belly, try Christian McCabe’s lightly spiced, smoky herb milk infusion. You can find that recipe here.