Pork with juniper sauce

Method

• Crackling:
• Pre heat oven to 200C
• Streach the fat out on a wire tray and secure with soacked cocktail sticks
• Sprinkle lightly with Maldon sea salt
• Place in oven for 50 mins or until crisp.
• Remove from oven and cut immidiatly into pieces
• Potato:
• Peel and cut potatoes in to cubes
• Place sweet potato and potato in 2 separate pots as they cook at different speeds
• Cook until a knife can go in to the potato easily
• Drain and dry over heat briefly
• Place the potato in a vegetable mouli for lump free mash
• Place mashed potato in a bowl
• Heat double cream slowly with the star anise
• When the cream has taken on a subtle flavour from the star anise stir in to the potato with a good knob of butter as required to achieve a lovely creamy mash
• Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Duxcell :
• Pierce the tomatoes with a point of a knife and place in a bowl
• Boil some water in a kettle and when boiled pour over the tomatoes
• Chop a shallot and a clove of garlic finely
• Chop the chorizo and jamon finely
• Crumble the black pudding
• Chop the mushroom finely
• Fry the shallot and garlic in a little olive oil and a knob of butter when softened add the mushroom and soften
• Add the chorizo and jamon to the pan and fry gently
• Remove the tomatoes from the water peel off the skin and discard
• Chop the tomato into quarters and discard the seeds retaing the flesh
• Chop the flesh finely and add to the pan with the other ingredients
• Season with pepper
• Pork Filet:
• Trim the filet well taking care to remove all the sinews and fat. cut off the two tapered ends as they will cook quicker and would be perfect fro a stir fry at another time!
• Toss the filet in flour seasoned with salt and pepper
• Heat a pan with some rapeseed oil and when the pan is nice and hot sear the filet off on all sides
• Place the pan in the oven for approx 15 to 20 mins, it should feel soft to the touch then remove from oven and let sit for 10 mins
• When ready for plating slice the filet at an angle
• Juniper cream sauce:
• Chop a shallot finely and fry in some olive oil until softened but not coloured
• Add white wine and juniper berries and bring to the boil, return to a simmer and continue until the liquid has reduced by half
• Add the cream and keep on a gentle heat/simmer until the liquid becomes syrupy
• Season with salt and pepper
• Strain through a sieve and place in a small jug
• Asparagus:
• Heat a ridged griddle pan until very hot
• Trim the woody ends of the asparagus
• Drizzle the pan with olive oil and Place the asparagus on the grill
• Cook until starting to show nice grill marks but the asparagus retaining a lovely bite to them.
• Plating up:
• Place a long scoop of potato on the plate and top with a line of the duxcell and place the slices of meat on top
• Place the asparagus on one side and the crackling on the other.
• Serve the sauce separately or pour over the meat
• Alternatively…and lets face it undoubtedly far better….as suggested by Nick Mournier….Plate as follows:
• Put the duxcell on the plate with the filet on top, then pipe or place the potato separately with the asparagus and the crackling placed as above…sauce as above….