Brandied Pork Shoulder with Pignoli Puree
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Brandy-Marinated Cast Iron Pork Shoulder with Pignoli Puree and Braised Endive
Giuseppe Tentori brought Italian sensibility and precise classical French training to a brandy-forward pork shoulder plate.
Having butchered the shoulder down to its tender sweet spot and cut it into steaks, he seasoned with garlic, onion powder, and fennel pollen before grilling on the cast iron griddle. {Giuseppe}: "The plan, I think I'm gonna braise the endive in wine to give a little boost of flavor. I think I'm gonna cut the pork into steaks and try to grill them."
The endive was braised in white wine for sweetness and depth. A pignoli puree was prepared as a rich, creamy counterpoint to the lean grilled pork. {Giuseppe}: "The pork is grilling, and now I need to find a way to balance the endive. It needs some kind of creamy and fatty. So I'm making a pine nut puree, because they're very rich."
Some raw endive leaves were kept back for the plate to reintroduce fresh bitterness. {Giuseppe}: "I'm trying to serve some raw endive too, so I can use the randomizer a little more. I want to use the leaves to make sure it's light and gentle."
The dish was finished with a brandy and thyme veal jus.
Voiceover (Tiffany Faison): "In front of you, brandy marinated and cast iron grilled pork shoulder with braised marinated endive, brandy pureed pignoli, and a brandy thyme veal jus. For the boozy components, the braised endive was braised in white wine. The pignoli puree was treated to the cognac."
{Judge}: "We are literally being seduced by this pork here. It is so incredibly tasty. There's a level of sophistication on this plate that you could tell this chef knows what the hell they're doing."
{Judge}: "I love the endive. They took away that bitterness with the grilling of it. I keep going back for more." {Judge}: "What we have here is an embarrassment of riches. The thing about pork shoulders, not all of it is tender. So you have to know the part that's the sweet spot, and they certainly did that here. It's cooked to a sort of medium-rare level. It's gorgeous. It's amazing."
{Judge}: "This is spectacular cooking. Specifically that pine nut puree, which is so rich and creamy and fatty against the booze. I think cognac has so many dimensions to it."
{Judge}: "For me, the pork, I wish it was maybe a little bit thinner. Other than that, exceptional."
Final Score: 88.
