We had another big joint of meat in the freezer. A 2.5kg leg of "iron -age" pork that we would never be able to eat by ourselves.Fortunately we have a pair of pork-eating friends to invite for lunch. I decided to try Nigella's method for a 24-hour Aromatic Shoulder of Pork - giving it 14 hours to accommodate the fact that the leg was much smaller than the shoulder called for in the recipe.
Divine. Absolutely gorgeous. The meat wasn't at all dried out and the crackling was just amazing. Next time the only thing I would do differently is dispense with the aromatic rub. After that long a cook it contributed nothing to the flavour. I served it cut in thick slices with roast butternut and microwaved baby corn and sugar snaps.
For dessert, I decided to go low-effort but impressive.The day before, I bought a tub of good-quality white chocolate icecream, softened it slightly and pressed it into ramekins lined with clingfilm. I pushed a teaspoonful of seville orange marmalade (the last of the store-bought) into the heart of each one, taking advantage of the fact that slow-cooked sugars freeze weirdly and stay a bit plastic. Then I tucked them back into the freezer to wait... To sauce them I reduced a cup of blood orange juice by half, then added a dab of butter and a little cornflour, slaked with a touch more juice, and cooked it for a few minutes until it had thickened nicely. The hot sauce cooled very quickly in contact with the icecream, but the flavours were delicious. If I hadn't been cooking for teetotallers, I would have added some brandy or Cointreau to the sauce.
14 comments:
Slow cooking gives it so much depth of flavor doesn't it?
MrOrph - certainly does! I have been told that I will be making that one again.
Wow! That is all amazing FC!! The colour in that sauce for the icecream! Gorgeous!! and the pork sounds just perfect!
That pork looks amazing
HH - I know! That's the advantage of using bottled blood orange juice: you know the colour will be amazing.
Kat - thanks!
Looks like a nice lunch. White chocolate ice cream sounds really delicious!
That is a good tip about leaving off the spice paste. I have wondered how it tasted after such a long time in the oven.
How did the pork compare with the wild pig of Burrun Junction?
Esi - I hadn't had white chocolate icecream before either. It was very nice.
Mother - almost as good a flavour. And as hairy. But I didn't run the candle over it!
Absolutely lovely! I love a good piece of pork. I'll have to try this one especially since it's slow cooked. Great dessert too. You're so cool!
Yum! Did the pork smell amazing?
I am in love with the vibrant colours of the dessert too. I always find white chocolate icecream a little too sweet but love the idea of some citrus tang with it.
Teresa - you are so kind! Definitely try the pork!
Jacki - the whole house smelt good.
That dessert looks so pretty! Wish I could get hold of blood orange juice, I tried it once in Europe and it was heavenly. Also that massive roast sounds marvelous too, I've done this recipe before too (with halved quantities, still pretty huge though) and absolutely loved it.
Laura, I don't think a full-sized piece of pork would have fit in my oven!
What a lunch! The pork is incredible and the dessert is just stunning--what a great idea!
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