Recipe: Pulled Ham-Hock Bon Bon with Apple and Crackling
Discussion
Following on from the chat in the "Photo of your dinner" thread where people were asking for recipe posts, and favourable comments about my Christmas dinner, here's the starter.
This can be made in advance and heated when needed. The bon-bons can be frozen, the crackling will keep in an airtight container and the apple will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. The pork skin needs a day of prep in advance.
Makes 12 bon-bons (which I needed for defrosting/cooking practice).
Very large/deep saucepan (like a stock pan)
Large saucepan + temperature probe, or a fryer
Medium saucepan
Three baking trays (two will need to be the same size so that one can press into the other)
Very fine sieve / sieve and cheesecloth
Mixing bowl
Small bowls
Jug
non-stick foil
1 ham hock (about 900g-1kg ish)
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 sliced garlic clove
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
2 star anise
2 tsp grain mustard
2 eggs
50g flour
100g panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
2-3 litres veg oil for deep frying
5 red apples peeled and chopped
200ml ruby port
150ml red wine
2 cloves
3 peppercorns
10g grain mustard
1 knob of butter
salt
1 slice of big skin about 10cm x 15cm
Sea salt
1. I couldn't just buy pig skin, so I bought a pork loin joint. Took the skin off, dried it, sliced it, sprinkled with sea salt and put it unwrapped in the fridge for 24 hours. Needless to say - you need a really sharp knife for this as pig skin is tough to cut.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180c (fan). Take the skin out of the fridge and dry off any moisture. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Place on a baking tray covered in non stick foil, place another sheet of non stick foil on top (non-stick side against the pig skin obvs!) and place the other baking tray on top. Press down and put in the oven for 45 minutes.
Keep warm until serving, or if making in advance allow to cool, place in an airtight container and then warm-through in the oven when needed.
1. Put the ham hock in the large saucepan/stock pan, with the carrot, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary and star anise.
2. Cover with water and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer and cook for a good hour and half or however long it takes for the meat to start coming away from the bone.
4. Once cooked, lift out and allow it to cool. When it is still warm, take the meat off the bone and shred.
5. Pass the cooking liquid through the cheesecloth into a jug. Add the shredded ham hock and grain mustard to a mixing bowl. Pour in a splash of the strained cooking liquid and mix until it comes together. Add a splash more liquid when mixing if required.
6. Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls. I got 12 from mine. Put the tray in the fridge for half an hour to allow the balls to firm up.
7. Set up the panné station - flour in one bowl (lightly seasoned with pepper - no salt as the ham is salty enough), beaten egg a second bowl, and breadcrumbs in a third. Take your bon-bons out of the fridge, using one hand ("the dry hand") roll a bon-bon in the flour then drop it in the egg. Using your other hand ("the wet hand") roll the bon-bon in the egg then lift it out and toss it in to the breadcrumbs. Once coated, drop it back in to the egg and back in to the breadcrumbs so you get a double coating.
These can now be frozen until they are needed. If you freeze them, they need to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before you fry them. Don't try and fry them directly from frozen you will still have ice in the centre (hence my practice attempts!)
8. Fry the bon-bons at 180c until golden (takes about 2 mins each). They can be kept warm in a low oven until needed.
1. Place the apples, port, wine, cloves and peppercorns into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the apples are soft.
3. Transfer to a blender. Add a knob of butter and the mustard and process until very smooth. My mixture was not very smooth, and I should have added a splash of water here to help it along.
Once your compote is a nice consistency store it in a squeeze bottle until ready to plate up.
Enjoy!
(and please post your recipes too!)
Pulled Ham-Hock Bon Bon with Spiced Apple Compote and Crackling
This can be made in advance and heated when needed. The bon-bons can be frozen, the crackling will keep in an airtight container and the apple will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. The pork skin needs a day of prep in advance.
Makes 12 bon-bons (which I needed for defrosting/cooking practice).
Equipment
Very large/deep saucepan (like a stock pan)
Large saucepan + temperature probe, or a fryer
Medium saucepan
Three baking trays (two will need to be the same size so that one can press into the other)
Very fine sieve / sieve and cheesecloth
Mixing bowl
Small bowls
Jug
non-stick foil
Ingredients
Bon bon
1 ham hock (about 900g-1kg ish)
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 sliced garlic clove
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
2 star anise
2 tsp grain mustard
2 eggs
50g flour
100g panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
2-3 litres veg oil for deep frying
Compote
5 red apples peeled and chopped
200ml ruby port
150ml red wine
2 cloves
3 peppercorns
10g grain mustard
1 knob of butter
salt
Crackling
1 slice of big skin about 10cm x 15cm
Sea salt
Method
Crackling
1. I couldn't just buy pig skin, so I bought a pork loin joint. Took the skin off, dried it, sliced it, sprinkled with sea salt and put it unwrapped in the fridge for 24 hours. Needless to say - you need a really sharp knife for this as pig skin is tough to cut.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180c (fan). Take the skin out of the fridge and dry off any moisture. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Place on a baking tray covered in non stick foil, place another sheet of non stick foil on top (non-stick side against the pig skin obvs!) and place the other baking tray on top. Press down and put in the oven for 45 minutes.
Keep warm until serving, or if making in advance allow to cool, place in an airtight container and then warm-through in the oven when needed.
Bon-bons
1. Put the ham hock in the large saucepan/stock pan, with the carrot, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary and star anise.
2. Cover with water and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer and cook for a good hour and half or however long it takes for the meat to start coming away from the bone.
4. Once cooked, lift out and allow it to cool. When it is still warm, take the meat off the bone and shred.
5. Pass the cooking liquid through the cheesecloth into a jug. Add the shredded ham hock and grain mustard to a mixing bowl. Pour in a splash of the strained cooking liquid and mix until it comes together. Add a splash more liquid when mixing if required.
6. Form the mixture into walnut-sized balls. I got 12 from mine. Put the tray in the fridge for half an hour to allow the balls to firm up.
7. Set up the panné station - flour in one bowl (lightly seasoned with pepper - no salt as the ham is salty enough), beaten egg a second bowl, and breadcrumbs in a third. Take your bon-bons out of the fridge, using one hand ("the dry hand") roll a bon-bon in the flour then drop it in the egg. Using your other hand ("the wet hand") roll the bon-bon in the egg then lift it out and toss it in to the breadcrumbs. Once coated, drop it back in to the egg and back in to the breadcrumbs so you get a double coating.
These can now be frozen until they are needed. If you freeze them, they need to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before you fry them. Don't try and fry them directly from frozen you will still have ice in the centre (hence my practice attempts!)
8. Fry the bon-bons at 180c until golden (takes about 2 mins each). They can be kept warm in a low oven until needed.
Compote
1. Place the apples, port, wine, cloves and peppercorns into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the apples are soft.
3. Transfer to a blender. Add a knob of butter and the mustard and process until very smooth. My mixture was not very smooth, and I should have added a splash of water here to help it along.
Once your compote is a nice consistency store it in a squeeze bottle until ready to plate up.
Enjoy!
(and please post your recipes too!)
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