Dried acorn kernels
1. Soak the kernels overnight in
plenty of cold water to remove some
of the tannins, then drain. 2. Bring
a large pan of water to a rolling boil,
add the acorns and cook at a rapid
simmer for about 15 minutes, until
the bitterness is less pronounced.
3. Drain and leave in a very low oven
for about an hour to dry.
Acorn syrup
1. Crush the dried acorn kernels by
hitting them with a rolling pin or
a heavy pan. Put them on a baking
sheet and toast at 170°C/Gas Mark
3 for 10 minutes. 2. Put the water,
honey and sugar in a pan and bring to
the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
3. Add the acorns, remove from the
heat, cover and leave somewhere cool
to infuse for 1 week. Strain through
a fine sieve before use.
Savoury acorn praline
1. Toss the acorns and almonds
with the olive oil and 1g of the salt,
then scatter them over a baking
tray and toast at 170°C/Gas Mark
3 for 10 minutes, until golden.
Remove from the oven and leave
to cool. 2. Chop 100g of the nuts
quite coarsely and set aside. 3. Place
the rest in a food processor with the
remaining ingredients including
the remaining salt and blend to a
coarse-textured purée. Transfer to
a bowl and mix in the chopped nuts.
Apple vinegar
1. Cook the barley in the water
until completely soft, then leave
overnight to infuse. 2. The next day,
strain the liquid through a fine sieve,
pressing down hard on the solids.
3. Boil the white wine vinegar for
3 minutes, then add the barley water,
Chardonnay vinegar, sugar and
vitamin C. 4. Return to a simmer,
remove from the heat and pour the
mixture over the apples. Cover with
a lid and leave overnight in the fridge.
5. The next day, strain the mixture
through a fine sieve, pressing down
hard on the apples. 6. Using a hand
blender, add the xanthan gum
and combine until very thick, then
pass through a fine sieve again.
Crushed green apple
1. Place all the ingredients in a
vacuum bag and seal. Cook in
a waterbath at 95°C for 8 minutes,
until softened but not completely
cooked. Alternatively, you can put
the ingredients in a pudding basin,
cover with cling film and steam for
about 20 minutes. 2. Transfer the
contents to a bowl and pulse with
a hand blender until crushed but
not smooth.
Radishes
1. Place the radishes in a vacuum
bag, add enough iced water to the bag
to submerge them completely, then
seal and leave for 1 hour. If you don’t
have a vacuum bag, simply store them
in iced water. 2. Strain and bring to
room temperature before serving.
Iberico pork
1. Bring the presa to room
temperature. Lightly oil the meat
and season it well. 2. Barbecue
over hot coals until well coloured
all over, then raise the cooking
shelf and cook above the coals,
turning regularly, until the internal
temperature reaches 55°C. 3. Leave
to rest for 15 minutes, then carve.
To assemble
1. Place a spoonful of acorn praline
on each plate, then top with the pork.
2. Dress the radishes with some apple
vinegar and scatter them around
the plate. Spoon some extra apple
vinegar around the pork. 3. Put a
heaped spoonful of the crushed apple
alongside and top with a sprinkling
of clover.