Best In Season with Nicholas Balfe - November
Pork Loin with Burnt Pear Ketchup and Rainbow Chard
We are in orchard country here in Somerset. Apples might get most of the attention at this time of year, but pears, quince and medlars are all worth celebrating too.
For this dish we're using locally grown Bartlett pears, although Williams, Comice or another good seasonal variety will work just as well. You want them ripe enough to have flavour, but firm enough to withstand cooking.
The pears appear in two forms. First, we gently poach wedges in a sweet-sharp pickling liquor made with cider vinegar, sugar and a few aromatics. Once cooled, they take on a lovely acidity while retaining their texture.
The second preparation is much deeper. The pears are roasted in the oven before being literally burnt with a blow torch, until blackened. They’re then cooked down with butter, dark muscovado sugar and cider vinegar before being blended with a touch of smoked rapeseed oil. The result sits somewhere between a purée and a ketchup: sweet, sharp and smoky, and particularly good against the richness of pork.
Our pork comes from Bagnell Farm, where they rear rare-breed saddleback pigs. We brine the loin overnight with brown sugar and aromatics, then leave it uncovered in the fridge to dry before cooking. It's a little extra work, but gives you beautifully seasoned, succulent meat and helps the outside caramelise whilst the inside remains super juicy. .
I like to roast pork in a heavy skillet, basting generously with foaming butter. For this kind of cooking, I think it beats a barbecue for sheer depth of flavour. You also get all that flavoured butter and caramelised goodness left in the pan. Some gets whisked into the jus, almost like a jus gras, while the pan itself is used to caramelise the pickled pears.
The sauce follows the same sweet-sharp logic. A good pork jus is cut with some of the pear pickling liquor and wholegrain mustard, then finished with the roasting butter. It becomes sticky, tangy and deeply savoury.
Finally, bitter leaves bring freshness and a little welcome astringency, cutting through the richness of the pork, butter and fruit. Whatever looks good at the market will work: radicchio, chicory, endive or a mixture of the three.
At Holm we cut the pork generously, around 250g per person, and cook it to 52–54°C before giving it a good rest, leaving it beautifully blushing pink. At home, I'd suggest buying a thick, bone-in chop of around 350–500g and serving it in the middle of the table for two. Bear in mind that cooking pork to medium is a matter of personal preference and requires careful sourcing and handling. UK food safety guidance recommends cooking pork thoroughly.
PORK LOIN WITH BURNT PEAR KETCHUP AND RAINBOW CHARD
Serves 10
For the Pork
Ingredients
2.5kg, saddleback pork loin, rind removed, cut into 10 boneless loin chops
Neutral oil
100g unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, crushed
8 sprigs thyme
Brine
3 litres water
180g fine sea salt
90g demerara sugar
3 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
3 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp coriander seeds
6 garlic cloves, crushed
Method
Bring 1 litre of water to the boil with the salt, sugar and aromatics. Stir until dissolved, add the remaining cold water and chill completely.
Submerge the pork and refrigerate for 8–10 hours. Remove, pat thoroughly dry and ideally leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Heat a heavy ovenproof skillet, add a little oil and colour the pork thoroughly on all sides.
Add the butter, garlic and thyme. Once foaming, baste the pork generously, then transfer to the oven. Roast until the centre reaches your desired temperature. I like to cook it to 52 degrees then let it rest up to 56/58 degrees. Reserve the browned butter and cooking juices.
For the Pickled Pears
Ingredients
5 firm Bartlett, Williams or Comice pears
400ml water
400g caster sugar
200ml cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 strips lemon peel
8 black peppercorns
2 star anise
Method
Bring everything except the pears to a simmer.
Quarter and core the pears. Add to the liquor and poach gently until just tender but still holding their shape, around 5–10 minutes depending on ripeness.
Remove from the heat and cool in the liquor. Reserve some of the liquor for the sauce.
Before serving, drain the pears and sear cut-side down in the pork pan until caramelised.
For the Burnt Pear Purée
Ingredients
6–7 ripe pears, quartered and cored
100g unsalted butter
50g dark muscovado sugar
100ml cider vinegar
Dash of smoked oil
Small pinch xanthan gum (optional)
Fine sea salt
Method
Burn the pears hard in a heavy pan, getting plenty of colour all over.
Add the butter, sugar and cider vinegar, cover and transfer to the oven until completely soft.
Blend until very smooth with a dash of smoked oil and a small pinch of xanthan, if using. Season with salt and more cider vinegar if needed. You're looking for something closer to a ketchup than a sweet pear purée: smoky, rich and distinctly sharp.
For the Mustard Jus
Ingredients
500ml good pork or chicken jus
75–100ml reserved pear pickling liquor
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Reserved pork roasting butter
Method
Reduce the jus until glossy and concentrated. Add the pickling liquor to taste, followed by the wholegrain mustard.
Just before serving, whisk in some of the reserved roasting butter to emulsify the sauce. Check the seasoning and acidity.
For the Rainbow Chard
Ingredients
3 large bunches of rainbow chard, thick stems removed.
Extra virgin olive oil
Cider vinegar
Fine sea salt
Method
Remove the thick stems and separate the leaves, slicing any larger ones into manageable pieces. Wash and dry thoroughly.
Whilst the pork is resting, using the same pan over a medium heat to wilt the chard, dressing in a little of the cooking butter as you go. Season with salt and a little cider vinegar and set aside somewhere warm until needed.
To Serve
Spoon the burnt pear purée onto each plate. Slice the rested pork thickly and arrange alongside with a caramelised wedge of pickled pear.
Add a generous handful of dressed bitter leaves, spoon over the mustard jus and serve with crisp pork rind alongside.