The flavours in this dish was inspired by some fresh quince I found in a local supermarket. I love the tart aromatic flavour of fresh quince and thought it would make a nice replacement for the more conventional pairing with apple, but with an added fragrance. After making this dish, I might just prefer quince over apples a tad more as pork's best friend. I have also brined the pork in milk to tenderises the meat and flavour it with herbs (the usual suspects of fennel, garlic and sage). The meat was so juicy and bursting with flavour that I was all too happy to have it on its own.
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1.5 hrs (with preparation the night prior)
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Milk Brined Pork Fillet
- 500g pork fillet
- 1.5 cup milk
- 1 garlic minced
- 1 tsp sage finely chopped
- 1/2 tbsp cumin
- salt
- pepper
Quince Puree
- 3/4 quince core removed and cubed
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
Pickled Quince
- 1/4 quince cubed
- 1/3 cup verjus
Fennel
- 1/4 fennel thinly sliced with mandolin
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
- salt
Thyme Crumbs
- 1/2 cup Panko crumbs
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp butter
Spiced Pork Sauce
- 2 tbsp lard
- 1 shallot diced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup verjus
- jus from the sous vide pork
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cloves
- salt
- pepper
- butter
Garnish
- fennel fronds
Method
The Night Prior
1. Mix the milk, garlic, sage, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the pork fillet and leave it to marinate overnight in the fridge.
On the Day
1. Take the pork fillet out of the brine. Rinse off the herbs and milk and place it into a zip lock bag with some olive oil. Cook in a 60 degree sous vide bath for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
2. Make the pickled quince by boiling it in a small saucepan with the verjus for 3 minutes until softened but still have some resistance. Let it cool and set aside.
3. Make the quince puree by combining lemon, water, caster sugar, bring it to boil and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until fully softened. Transfer to a food processor with just enough liquid to blitz into a smooth puree.
4. Combine the fennel with lemon juice, oil and salt in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
5. Make the thyme crumbs by adding the Panko crumb with thyme and butter to a small fry pan. Toast over medium heat until golden. Set aside.
6. Once the pork is cooked, take it out and dry it with kitchen towel, reserving the pork juice inside the sous vide bag.
7. Caramelise the finely diced shallots in a small saucepan with the lard until dark brown but not burnt, deglaze with the verjus and reduce for 2 minutes, before adding the pork juice, spices and fresh thyme. Let it reduce to approximately 1/4 cup of liquid. Add 2 tbsp of the quince puree, mix well and cook for a further 1 minute. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve before returning it to a clean saucepan. Slowly incorporate the butter to thick the sauce. Keep warm and aside.
8. Heat up some oil in a cast iron pan over high heat. Sear the pork fillets over high heat for few minutes until golden. Reduce the heat to low and drop in 2 tbsp of butter, and continue basting the fillets with butter until golden. Take it out and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting it to serving size.
9. Assemble by spooning some thyme crumbs on the plate, topped with pork fillets, garnish with fennel, pickled quince, quince puree, fennel fronds and spiced sauce.
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