My Weekend: Homemade Porchetta & Review of Auberge du Pommier

This weekend was a great time for me to relax before midterms come. In Toronto there is one small restaurant called Porchetta & Co. they make amazing Porchetta. I have dined there once and thought the sandwich was absolutely perfect. The bun, the crackling, the juicy fatty pork, the toppings,everything.

For those of you wondering, Porchetta & Co is located at 825 Dundas St W  Toronto, ON M6J 1V4. It is a small restaurant.  However if you try to look for the logo above it shouldn't be too hard to find.

Anyways this was one of my inspirations to make my own Porchetta at home. I learned from one of my neighbours that Porchetta is an Italian dish that is often served during a special event and that our neighbours typically buy it from a store in Woodbridge. Because I like to make things by hand if I can, I wanted to try to make my own Porchetta.

Kevin's Porchetta Recipe

 

Ingredients: 
Buy a slab of Pork Belly. As some of you may know I hate measuring things so try to find a big slab of pork belly that is about the length of your hand to your elbow both horizontally and vertically. This way you will have enough space to stuff it and season it overnight and let the flavours develop.
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- about 1/2 cup of ground toasted fennel seeds
- about 1/2 cup of ground corriander
- about 1/2 cup of coarse sea salt
- a head of fennel
- 2 lemons
- 2 handfuls of parsley then chopped
- 4 sprigs of rosemary chopped finely

Steps:
1. Get your pork belly and score diagonally both ways so you have diamond shapes on your pork belly. Doesn't really matter how big or small you want it. I kept it small but I wish I slashed it so that there were bigger pieces of pork crackling. Remember when you cook the pork for a long period of time it will shrink like any protein and most of the fat will render to teh bottom of the pan. With this pork belly I scored the skin lightly then I scored the flesh alittle deeper (this way when you add your seasonings to it, it will permeate all over the meat).

2. Get your ground toasted fennel seeds, ground corriander, salt, and mix it in a bowl. Sprinkle it generously on the flesh of the pork belly. Remember to keep some of the salt mixture for the outside of the pork belly later on.

3. Chop up your parsley, fennel, and rosemary finely. Add the herb mix all over the inside of the pork belly.

4. Roll the pork belly like a cigar with all of the herb mix stuffing inside and the skin facing outside. Get some butchers twine and cut it into about 15 inches long. Then tie it around the pork belly so that when it cooks the pork belly won't fall apart and open during the cooking process.

5. Get some olive oil and rub it all over the pork belly. Remember that the pork belly skin should be scored. Get some of that salt mixture and massage it into the pork belly. At this point you can also add lemon zest and rub it into the pork belly skin.

You cannot tell me that does not look delicious

6. Place the pork belly in a roasting tray ontop of a rack so that way the pork belly isnt fully in contact with the roasting tray and won't burn during cooking. Cover the pork belly with aluminum foil but keep alittle bit of it not covered so that way some of the moisture has time to escape. Place it in a cold area overnight until you are ready to cook AKA let it rest for about 15 hours. Remember that the more salt mixture you add ontop of the pork belly the better because you want that pork skin to get really nice and dry before cooking it.

7. Bring your oven to 450 degrees. I know that is an incredibly high temperature but you want that high temperature in order for your pork belly to crispen up. Remember to keep some window open or turn your fans on full blast because your oven may get a tad smoky. Place it in the oven at 450 degrees for about 40 minutes. Then reduce the heat to like 350 degrees and leave it in there for about an hour and a half to 2 hours or until your meat probe reads 145 degrees. Occasionally turn your porchetta around so the bottom part of it can also have a chance to get crispy. DON'T BE DISCRIMINATORY TO THE UNLUCKY PARTS OF THE PORK AT THE BOTTOM! Everyone should get a chance to be nice crispy!

Just a teasing picture to show how amazing this dish will turn out

8. When the porchetta is ready take it out and leave it to rest for 30 minutes. I know it is extremely tempting to nip at it and try it out but let it rest. IF you don't let it rest and immediately slice into it all the pork juices will all fall out! By letting it rest you also let the inside still cook because there is an incredible amount of heat. Sorry before you take it out make sure the pork skin is actually crunchy if not turn off the oven and turn on the broiler on high and rotate the pork around so it gets all nice and crispy.

9. When the porchetta has rested for 30 minutes... yes I said 30 minutes. Cut all the strings off it and get a nice sharp knife and slice thinly into it and enjoy!

One thing I did with my porchetta is I made a sandwich. I bought some nice size buns from Loblaws and made my ideal porchetta sandwich. The following is my recipe to my perfect porchetta sandwich:

KEVIN'S PERFECT PORCHETTA SANDWICH:
Ingredients:
Nice amount of porchetta from above recipe with crackling
Bacon
Overeasy egg
Parmagiano Reggiano
Salsa Verde (Sauce, recipe will be placed below this one)
Dijon Mustard
Caramelized Onions
Sauteed Mushrooms reduced in some sort of alcohol like wine or champagne

When I buy a fresh bun I always enjoy having it as is but with this sandwich I decided to lightly toast the bread sliced in half. This way it has a nice crunch to it and can also absorb some of the juice that will most definitely be dripping down your hand to the side of your arm.

The bottom layer I spread on some Dijon Mustard then placed some caramelized onions that I made before, then placed some sauteed mushrooms. Make sure it covers most of the bottom bun and is flat. I then added the bacon and egg ontop of that. On top of the bacon and eggs I then added the porchetta and drizzled some salsa verde on top of it and shredded some Parmagiano Reggiano.

There is a reason to doing it this way. I added the Dijon Mustard to the sandwich because you want a little bit of spice to it. If you recall in the porchetta there was like no pepper or spice. It would help with the richness of the pork. The bacon is nice because you have a different flavour of crunch. The over-easy egg you can place ontop of the porchetta if you want but I placed it below that way you can taste the porchetta before the egg and it wouldn't be messy. I thought about having the egg on top because that way when you bite into it the egg yolk will ooze out and become like a sauce but the salsa verde was sauce on top. The caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms I wanted to add into this dish because it adds a sweetness that was not present in the porchetta. The Salsa Verde I added because it adds such great colour but also contrast because of the lemon juice and zest. 

Another way to serve this dish is just with some roasted potatoes and roasted vegetables or even an arugula salad instead of roasted vegetables. Arugula has a nice bitterness to it which could cut through the richness of the pork fat.

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KEVIN'S SALSA VERDE
- A package of parlsey like when you go to metro and they sell parsley in a elastic. Buy one of those that's all you'll need for this salsa verde
- 2 cups of olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of salt
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 tablespoons of ground toasted fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons of ground corriander seeds
- 4 cloves of garlic
BLEND ALL INGREDIENTS UNTIL SMOOTH
-----------------

Auberge du Pommier

The porchetta was the dinner I made on Saturday night. Sunday my family and I went for Winterlicious lunch at Auberge du Pommier. This is my review:

 I had a reservation for this past Sunday for 11:00 lunch. We were seated at the side of the restaurant with a beautiful fireplace and a beautiful view of the fountain... yes there is a fountain at Auberge du Pommier. Our server Tony gave great recommendations for wine as we had to have wine for lunch cause we try to be classy people :). Tony was amazing in his eye for detail and accommodating to every need we had. One of the things about high end restaurants is that sometimes the servers are a bit snobby and pretentious. This has not been my first time at Auberge and it will definitely not be my last. Servers at Auberge are super down to earth and even though they dress very professionally, they are able to act like themselves, and not shield away who they are individually. The bread served at Auberge was amazing and it was served with a kind of butter and artichoke emulsion of some sort. It was not heavy,  the perfect accompaniment for a perfect warm bun such as those served.

Appetizer 

Smoked Salmon Rillettes
cornichons, capers, Dijon crème fraîche, rye bread crostini

 My sister and I ordered the Smoked Salmon Rillettes for our appetizer. I really enjoyed this dish. Sometimes when you have an appetizer at Winterlicious it is so small and its basically a sample. This appetizer was perfect and whet my palate. The Salmon Rillettes had great smooth textures and was creamy but not too creamy. It was super refreshing and had nice textures from the baby pickles and beets. The dijon creme fraiche was a nice little sauce that went well with the salmon. My only complaint was that there was not enough rye crouton however it was the perfect excuse to eat more of the in house baked bread which was divine!

Leek & Cabbage Soup
braised leek & green cabbage, slow poached egg, Gruyère cheese, sourdough croûton

My parents both started off with the Leek & Cabbage soup. This dish when it arrived I thought it was simple. I mean look at how beautifully laid out and thought out it was. You have the nice clear consomme with little golden puddles of extra virgin olive oil, it was blessed with these amazing sourdough croutons. The cabbage was perfectly wilted so that it still had some texture. The soft poached egg had a nice creamy yolk that added a little bit of a heaviness component to the dish. Again with this dish it was quite perfect.

After we finished the appetizers and our plates were taken away I was super excited to see what my main would look like. Some of you have seen my previous post on my recommendations for winterlicious and I was super excited to come to Auberge and try their roast chicken. One of the things I pride myself on is being on a journey to cook the perfect roast chicken with a crispy skin and deliciously juicy flavourful bird.

Main Course

Roast Chicken
roasted mushrooms, grandmother’s vegetables, pommes purée, smoked bacon jus

 My sister and I both ordered the Roast Chicken. This dish was pure Oliver & Bonacini. Simple, elegant, perfect. Letting the ingredients speak for themselves. The pommes puree aka mashed potatoes were smooth and silky and delightfully tasty. The smoked bacon jus was the perfect accompaniment for the chicken. The chicken was sliced perfectly like you could see no tears in it or anything. I love jus like this because sometimes when people make gravy AKA when my mom makes gravy she likes to have a thick gravy. I like to keep my gravy very nice and natural and if I want to thicken it I would reduce it a bit and add a little bit of butter and whisk it in and some red wine and let the red wine become a tad syrupy for the jus. The mushrooms and veg were really nice as well.

Meatball
braised beef, currants, golden raisins, slivered almonds, rapini, soft polenta, sweet & sour jus

The parents had ordered the meatball. Again this was quite simple and perfect. One of my favourite vegetables have to be rapini. It has a nice bitter note and works well with a little bit of squeezed lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil and alittle fleur de sel on top! The meatball was super tender and polenta was nice and creamy. The slivered almonds added a nice crunch!

The last part of a meal is one that has great importance. It is the last thing you eat before you leave the restaurant.

Dessert

Sticky Date Pudding
toffee sauce

 Unlike the other two dishes, my mom and I both ordered the Sticky Date Pudding. We were trying to imagine how it would be plated and I thought you would be eating the dates and you could taste the textures and everything but this was not what I was imaging. I know some of you may be sick of reading this part but it was AMAZING it had a sponge cake like consistency, worked brilliantly well with the sticky toffee sauce and candied gingers and raspberry sauce. UGH I would love to enjoy this again! and again!

Chocolate Mousse Cake
espresso cream

My sister and dad enjoyed the Chocolate Mousse with Espresso Cream. This again was amazing and perfect.  With a chocolate mousse it is very loose(sorry did not mean for it to rhyme) and not very cake like. Somehow Chef Marc made the chocolate mousse in a perfect cake like consistency but all the while maintaining the integrity of a chocolate mousse by keeping it nice and light. And you can see how perfect they may have sliced the cake as the shown side is completely smooth!


All in all the meal at Auberge du Pommier was definitely something I will always remember. Michael Bonacini & Peter Oliver are two great entrepreneurs that showcase fine cuisine that can be found within Ontario. They are the ones that have set the standard so high, I hope one day my restaurants will reach that same level! The level of service from the hostess to the servers to the servers assistants to the food being plated down at the same time was masterful. It was definitely the type of service that you would receive at a Michelin stared restaurant! Having been a foodie I have always considered Auberge du Pommier to be the Toronto version of The French Laundry from Napa Valley which is a 3 Michelin Star restaurant! I will definitely be returning again. If you dine at Auberge du Pommier please ask if you can sit in Tony's section or call in advance. He is a great server! It is also worth mentioning that the assistant manager Cesar was amazing and also very attentive. He came by each table to ensure everything was perfect and if we needed anything. Auberge du Pommier is definitely worth a visit!