Cauliflower Cheese with Pork Belly

This Cauliflower Cheese with Pork Belly is no ordinary Cauliflower Cheese! The recipe is from top chefs Ryan and Liam Simpson-Trotman and it is packed with really amazing ingredients including Mangalitza pork belly and Gubbeen Cheese!

Ingredients

Pork:
  • 800gr Mangalitza pork belly (Can also work with any pork belly, bacon or even ham hock)
  • 300gr fine salt
  • 100gr caster sugar
  • 80gr soft brown sugar
  • 30gr onion powder
  • 20gr garlic powder
  • 20gr sweet smoked paprika
Crispy Bacon and Cauliflower Crumb:
  • 6 slices of pancetta
  • 1 small yellow cauliflower
  • 1 small purple cauliflower
  • 1 small bunch of chives
Cauliflower:
  • 1 medium cauliflower
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 3 sprigs of thyme
  • Pinch of Maldon sea salt
  • 150gr of Mangalitza pork fat, or a good quality unrefined lard
  • Bacon trim
Apple Compote:
  • 1 Granny Smith
  • 1 Braeburn apple
  • 1 Cox Pippin apple
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Pinch of malic acid
Iced Lettuce:
  • Baby gem lettuce
  • Iced water
  • Basic vinaigrette
Winter Truffle:
  • 10gr of truffle sliced to order
Cheese Sauce:
  • 200ml double cream
  • 300ml whole milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 25gr plain flour
  • 60gr butter unsalted
  • 150gr of pitchfork cheddar grated
  • 100gr gubbeen cheese diced
  • Salt
  • White pepper
  • 1 tblsp Dijon mustard
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Method

The pork needs to be prepared in advance, use all the dry ingredients to make the cure, mix and rub into the belly, place into a large container with a weighted container on top and leave for 24hrs. After 24hrs wash off and cook under vacuum for around 36hrs at 65C. Equally can be slow roasted at initially 210c for 10 mins then 90c for 4-5hrs. Ham hock, bacon, gammon or even ham can be used if you don’t want to cook belly, the secret is to get a salty pork with a good fat content.

To finish the belly, once cool, roast on a grill or in a pan, or even our preferred method is on the BBQ.

For the cauliflower, place in a vac pack with the seasoning and aromas with the fat and bacon trim, cook at 90c for 45min. Alternatively cooking a roasting dish with a lid with all the fat and aromas at 180c for an hour. Once cooked leave to rest the break into portion size pieces.

For the sauce bring the cream and milk to a simmer with the bay leaf. Soften the butter in a pan then add the flour. Cook out the roux for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the milk and cream to the roux, allow the sauce to thicken and then whisk in the grated and diced cheese. Adjust the seasoning with the mustard, salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Leave to one side.

Break down the baby gem and place in ice water, this can be done days in advance, always best to do this under vacuum in a bag. Leave to one side, ready for plating.

For the cauliflower and bacon crumb, roast the pancetta in the oven at 180c for approx. 12 mins, then cool. Shave the cauliflower with a sharp knife, making what is known as cauliflower cous cous. Add some chopped chives the chop the bacon trough and set aside.

To make the apple compote, dice all the apple, leaving the Granny Smith to one side. Place into a pan, soften, add the sugar, salt and malic acid, then add the Granny Smith, cook for about 4 minutes and cool.

To assemble the dish, roast the cauliflower and pork belly on the bbq ideally or if not in a pan. Then place on a tray, cover the cauliflower with the sauce. Place into the oven at 200c roast for 2 minutes then finish with a blow torch. Dust the cauliflower with the crumb mix, then place on the plate with the belly and some of the apple compote. Dress the lettuce, place on the plate, then garnish with sliced truffle.

Ingredients

Pork:
  • 800gr Mangalitza pork belly (Can also work with any pork belly, bacon or even ham hock)
  • 300gr fine salt
  • 100gr caster sugar
  • 80gr soft brown sugar
  • 30gr onion powder
  • 20gr garlic powder
  • 20gr sweet smoked paprika
Crispy Bacon and Cauliflower Crumb:
  • 6 slices of pancetta
  • 1 small yellow cauliflower
  • 1 small purple cauliflower
  • 1 small bunch of chives
Cauliflower:
  • 1 medium cauliflower
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 3 sprigs of thyme
  • Pinch of Maldon sea salt
  • 150gr of Mangalitza pork fat, or a good quality unrefined lard
  • Bacon trim
Apple Compote:
  • 1 Granny Smith
  • 1 Braeburn apple
  • 1 Cox Pippin apple
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Pinch of malic acid
Iced Lettuce:
  • Baby gem lettuce
  • Iced water
  • Basic vinaigrette
Winter Truffle:
  • 10gr of truffle sliced to order
Cheese Sauce:
  • 200ml double cream
  • 300ml whole milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 25gr plain flour
  • 60gr butter unsalted
  • 150gr of pitchfork cheddar grated
  • 100gr gubbeen cheese diced
  • Salt
  • White pepper
  • 1 tblsp Dijon mustard
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Method

The pork needs to be prepared in advance, use all the dry ingredients to make the cure, mix and rub into the belly, place into a large container with a weighted container on top and leave for 24hrs. After 24hrs wash off and cook under vacuum for around 36hrs at 65C. Equally can be slow roasted at initially 210c for 10 mins then 90c for 4-5hrs. Ham hock, bacon, gammon or even ham can be used if you don’t want to cook belly, the secret is to get a salty pork with a good fat content.

To finish the belly, once cool, roast on a grill or in a pan, or even our preferred method is on the BBQ.

For the cauliflower, place in a vac pack with the seasoning and aromas with the fat and bacon trim, cook at 90c for 45min. Alternatively cooking a roasting dish with a lid with all the fat and aromas at 180c for an hour. Once cooked leave to rest the break into portion size pieces.

For the sauce bring the cream and milk to a simmer with the bay leaf. Soften the butter in a pan then add the flour. Cook out the roux for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the milk and cream to the roux, allow the sauce to thicken and then whisk in the grated and diced cheese. Adjust the seasoning with the mustard, salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Leave to one side.

Break down the baby gem and place in ice water, this can be done days in advance, always best to do this under vacuum in a bag. Leave to one side, ready for plating.

For the cauliflower and bacon crumb, roast the pancetta in the oven at 180c for approx. 12 mins, then cool. Shave the cauliflower with a sharp knife, making what is known as cauliflower cous cous. Add some chopped chives the chop the bacon trough and set aside.

To make the apple compote, dice all the apple, leaving the Granny Smith to one side. Place into a pan, soften, add the sugar, salt and malic acid, then add the Granny Smith, cook for about 4 minutes and cool.

To assemble the dish, roast the cauliflower and pork belly on the bbq ideally or if not in a pan. Then place on a tray, cover the cauliflower with the sauce. Place into the oven at 200c roast for 2 minutes then finish with a blow torch. Dust the cauliflower with the crumb mix, then place on the plate with the belly and some of the apple compote. Dress the lettuce, place on the plate, then garnish with sliced truffle.