Pork braised in milk with marinated fennel

Pork shoulder is one of my favourite cuts: it is full of collagen, which will soften and melt during the long slow cooking and make the meat very tender. This is an Italian-inspired dish, using techniques I learned at the River Cafe in London.

Serves 4
For the pork
boneless pork shoulder joint 1kg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sage about 6 sprigs
lemon 1
salted-packed anchovies 2 (or 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets)
grapeseed oil
unsalted butter 14g
garlic ½ clove, crushed
whole milk 1.25l

For the marinated fennel
baby fennel bulbs 6, or 3 medium
chilli pepper 1 small
dill ¼ of a bunch
salt
fennel seeds 1½ tsp
lemon grated zest and juice of 1
olive oil
sea salt

For the pork, preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Tie the sage sprigs together with kitchen string. With a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemon in strips, making sure to avoid the bitter white pith. If using salt-packed anchovies, rinse under cold water and separate the 2 fillets from each one.

Heat a large cast-iron casserole over a medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of grapeseed oil and then add the pork, fat side down. Brown the meat on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side, then transfer it to a plate.

Pour off the fat from the pot, put it back over a medium heat, add the butter, and deglaze the pot with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the meaty browned bits. When the butter starts to foam, add the sage, garlic, anchovies and lemon zest and cook over a low heat, stirring until the anchovies dissolve.

Add the pork shoulder and pour in enough milk to come about halfway up the sides of the meat. Bring to a simmer, then cover tightly with the lid, put the pot in the oven, and cook for 2½ to 3 hours, turning the meat every 30 minutes and adding milk as needed, until the pork is tender and separates easily and the milk has reduced and curdled. If the pork is cooked but the milk has not reduced and curdled, remove the meat from the pot, place the pot over medium heat, and cook until the milk has reduced. Then return the pork to the pot and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, to make the marinated fennel, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Trim the fennel bulbs, halve them lengthwise, and cut each half into 3 wedges.

Cut the chilli pepper lengthwise in half, remove the seeds and finely mince the pepper. Chop the dill.

Generously salt the boiling water, throw in the fennel seeds, and add the fennel wedges. Cook for 6 to 9 minutes; the fennel should be tender but still have a slight crunch. Drain the fennel pieces and put in a baking dish in a single layer. Let it cool for a few minutes, then add the chilli pepper, chopped dill and lemon zest. Add lemon juice to taste, drizzle with olive oil, and toss gently with your hands. Season with coarse salt to taste.

With a large spoon, separate the pork into chunks and divide among four plates. Top each with a spoonful of milk curds and arrange the marinated fennel wedges alongside. The pork is best served just slightly warm.

Salad of bitter greens with speck and clementine

This fresh winter salad is inspired by my time at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant. I love the balance between the bitterness of the leaves, the sweetness of the clementines, the freshness of the mint, the saltiness of the parmesan and the smokiness of the speck. You can use tangerines instead of clementines and bresaola instead of speck, as long as you keep the four flavours in balance.

Serves 4
clementines 4
mint leaves 12
bitter greens, such as radicchio, dandelion, rocket, purslane and/or watercress a big handful
lemon juice of ½, or to taste
olive oil
fleur de sel
black pepper
speck 8 thin slices
parmesan shavings
balsamic vinegar

Peel the clementines and cut them into ¼-inch thick wheels. Put them in a bowl and add the mint and greens. Season with the lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of fleur de sel and pepper, and toss gently with your hands. Taste and adjust the seasoning (be careful not to add too much salt, as the speck and parmesan are salty).

Arrange the salad and speck slices on four plates and add some parmesan shavings, a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to each one. Serve.

Leeks and razor clams with white miso vinaigrette

Serves 4
baby leeks 24
razor clams 12 large
olive oil
rock salt
lime 1

For the white miso vinaigrette
white miso 3 tsp
rice vinegar 2 tsp
yuzu juice 1 tsp
Dijon mustard 1 tsp

Prepare the leeks by washing them thoroughly. First, blanch them by placing in salted boiling water until tender. Next, plunge the leeks into ice water to prevent them from cooking any further.

Once they are cool, peel off the outer layer of each leek and discard, then pat dry the remaining leeks on kitchen towel. Leave them to reach room temperature.

Prepare the razor clams by opening the shells with the tip of a knife and removing the flesh from inside. Take off the dark part of the clam, and wash the rest of the white meat well under running water.

In a moderately hot pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the clams briefly, about 10 seconds on each side. Place to one side in a mixing bowl.

To make the white miso vinaigrette, mix all of the ingredients together.

To serve, take the mixing bowl filled with razor clams and add the leeks. Dress generously with the white miso vinaigrette. Divide between four plates and finish with some lime zest.

Frenchie lobster roll

This is inspired by my time in the States. At Frenchie, we use Brittany lobster and beurre blanc as a nod to my origins.

Serves 4
For the lobster
live Scottish lobster 2 x 500g (or 250g of lobster meat)
rock salt

For the beurre blanc
shallots 2, peeled and finely diced
white wine vinegar 250ml
butter 250g, cold and diced
double cream 100ml (optional)
salt
black pepper 1 tsp, cracked
celery stick 1, peeled and diced

For the bread
butter 1 tbsp, soft
brioche rolls 4 (or 4 hot dog rolls)

For the garnish
celery leaves
lemon 4 wedges

To cook the lobster, fill a large stock pot three-quarters full of water, and add a small handful of rock salt. Bring to the boil.

Plunge the lobsters into the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes.

Remove the lobsters from the water and stop them from continuing to cook by putting them into ice cold water.

Remove the lobster meat (tails, claws and knuckles) by using a lobster cracker. Slice the tails into medallions and the claws into three pieces. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

To make the beurre blanc, put the shallots and white wine vinegar into a small saucepan and heat. Reduce until only 1 tablespoon of liquid is left.

Add the double cream (this is optional, but will help to prevent the beurre blanc from splitting).

At the first signs of boiling, remove from the heat. Slowly whisk in the diced butter until it has melted, and then season to taste.

Add the cooked lobster meat to the beurre blanc and gently reheat. Add the diced celery and keep warm.

Butter the roll on both sides and toast in a pan. Slice the roll to make room for the filling, and fill the bread with the lobster meat, diced celery and a little of the beurre blanc. (This is the beurre blanc in the pan used to reheat the lobster).

Garnish with celery leaves and serve with a wedge of lemon on the side.

Maple syrup and smoked bacon scones

A great little snack with a perfect balance of smoke, salt and sweet. We serve it as soon as guests arrive in the restaurant. It is important when making this that all ingredients be fridge-cold.

Makes 30 scones
cold butter 275g
plain flour 600g
sugar 36g
baking powder 13g
baking soda 2g
salt 1 tsp
smoked bacon 385g, diced and cooked crispy then fridge-cold
maple syrup 190ml, plus extra for drizzling
buttermilk 255ml
egg 1, for wash

Cut the butter into cubes and keep cold. Put all the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and rub the cold butter until you have lumps no bigger than peas. Toss in the cold bacon to coat with flour and break up clumps.

Stir in the liquids until a soft dough forms. Scoop out each scone with an ice cream spoon (60g) and place on a tray lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash.

Bake at 170C/gas mark 3½ for 15 minutes, drizzle with maple syrup and bake for 4 more minutes.

Croissant and pain au chocolate bread and butter pudding

A kind of a French version of a British classic using croissant and pain au chocolat instead of bread. It goes without saying that you do not need to add any extra butter.

65% dark chocolate 150g
butter 75g
double cream 425ml
sugar 110g
cinnamon a pinch
croissants 2, shop-bought
pains au chocolat 2, shop-bought
eggs 3
tonka bean ½

Melt the chocolate, butter and double cream with the sugar and cinnamon over a bain-marie.

Slice the croissants and pains au chocolat and place them in a small baking mould about 8cm × 15cm and 8cm high, alternating slices. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.

When the chocolate mixture has fully melted, mix with the eggs.

Slowly pour the liquid over the pastries, keeping a small amount, about 200ml, aside. Use a small fork to separate the slices and make sure that all of the pastry is completely soaked with the chocolate mixture.

Once all of the slices are completely covered, pour the remaining chocolate mix over the croissants. Your mould should be full to the very top with chocolate.

Leave to stand for one hour, then cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours, or up to 48 hours.

Remove the clingfilm and bake for 25 minutes at 170C/gas mark 3½. Serve warm with yogurt or ice cream and finish with some grated tonka bean.