Summer Lyonnaise Salad
Recipe courtesy of Seth Arnold, AM Sous Chef, Bear Creek Mountain Resort (Macungie, Pa.).
Ingredients
- pork belly - 1 ea., skin off
- Recipe for the pork belly:
- salt - 600 gms.
- orange - 1 ea., zest & juice
- togarashi - 60 cups
- egg - large
- squash blossoms - 1 to 1.5 ea. per egg
- zucchini - 1 ea.
- yellow squash - 1 ea.
- Recipe for bacon vinaigrette:
- white balsamic vinegar - 180 gms.
- orange juice - 50 gms.
- orange zest - 8 gms.
- dijon mustard - 15 gms.
- shallot - 10 gms.
- rosemary - 16 gms.
- thyme - 16 gms.
- bacon fat - 430 gms.
- extra virgin olive oil - 260 gms.
- Recipe for pickled red onion:
- red onion - 1 ea.
- red wine vinegar - 1/2 cup
- red wine - 1/2 cup
- sugar - 1/2 cup
- water - 1/2 cup
- Recipe for cherry tomatoes:
- cherry tomatoes
- olive oil - to dress
- maldon salt - to taste
- cracked black pepper - to taste
Instructions
Procedure for Pork Belly:
- Score the top side of the pork belly lightly in a crisscross pattern.
- Liberally coat the pork belly in the cure, and put in refrigerator for 36 to 48 hours.
- Lightly rinse cure off the pork belly.
- Roast in oven on 300 degrees for approximately 3 hours (chef's note: I like to use a 4" hotel pan, with a roasting rack. Optional - put mirepoix and a pint of chicken stock under the pork belly for a more of a braise.).
- Remove from oven, and place on a sheet tray. Place a clean 2" hotel pan on top, and press for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, cut the pork belly into sections; wrap/store appropriately.
- Cut into a large dice; and render/crisp in a sauté pan.
Procedure for Egg:
- I used an alto sham combi oven on steam. Set for 5.5 minutes.
- Once steamed, immediately remove the eggs and submerge in ice water.
- Peel while still warm, but not hot.
- Once cooled, brush with room temperature bacon vinaigrette and adhere squash blossom leaves to the outside to completely cover the egg.
Procedure for Zucchini and Squash:
- Thinly shave zucchini and squash on a mandoline.
- Brush with the bacon vinaigrette, shingling the zucchini and squash in an alternating pattern.
- Optional: use a ring mold and cut a circle out of the vegetables—strictly for optics in plating.
Procedure for Bacon Vinaigrette:
- Combine first seven ingredients in a blender (all but extra virgin olive oil and bacon fat).
- Slowly emulsify the bacon fat and extra virgin olive oil into the blender.
- Store in quart containers.
Procedure for Pickled Red Onion:
- Finely julienne the red onion and set aside.
- Combine the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil in a sauce pot.
- Once liquid boils, cover onions with pickling liquid, put a piece of parchment paper on top to submerge.
- Tightly wrap with plastic wrap.
- After 24 hours, store in a quart container.
Procedure for Cherry Tomatoes:
- Cut in half.
- Dress with olive oil.
- Add salt and pepper.
To Plate:
- Using a fish spatula, take the shingled zucchini and squash, and put it in the center of a medium circle plate.
- Arrange pork belly and cherry tomatoes around the outside of the zucchini and squash in an alternating pattern.
- Take the warm egg, and put it directly in the center of the zucchini and squash.
- Add pickled red onion, intertwined with the pork belly and tomatoes.
Chef's notes: While a lyonnaise salad traditionally includes Frisee lettuce, I added a few squash blossom leaves, and baby arugula. Your choice of lettuce/microgreens/herbs would work as well.
