Glazed pork belly, apple dashi dressing, pickled apples, radish gel, and green onions

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Recipes

Apple Dashi

3.785L apple juice (Note: If a juicer is available then juicing from Granny Smith apples would be preferred however readily available pure apple juice is adequate)
kombu
bonito flakes
rice wine vinegar
mirin
reduced sodium light soy sauce
xanthum gum

Add apple juice to a large pot.
Add kombu and bonito flakes to the juice.
Bring juice to 80°C.
Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 30 minutes.
Strain first through a colander (the kombu and bonito flakes can be safely discarded).
Strain the remaining liquid through cheesecloth.
Season dashi with rice wine vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce.
Thicken with xanthum gum to the desired consistency

Mix together dry brine ingredients (salt, pepper, and garlic powder) and rub over the entire pork belly. Place pork on a wire rack over a tray in the refrigerator and leave uncovered for 6-12 hours.

Add iced tea to a pan and set over medium heat. Simmer until reduced by 2/3.
Remove from heat and whisk in remaining ingredients except for the bourbon and butter.

Preheat oven to 90 C.
Place pork belly in high-sided oven-proof dish and fill with neutral oil until the flesh of the pork belly is completely covered.
Place covered dish in preheated oven and cook for 6-8 hours until a cutlery knife can pass though the center of the belly with no resistance.
Strain oil and allow the pork belly to come to room temperature before wrapping tightly in cling film. Chill in the fridge to allow the fat to solidify, making the pork belly easier to slice.

Preheat oven to 140 C
Cut chilled pork into thick ~1.5 inch cubes.
Submerge each cube into the glaze and set on an oven tray, pouring more glaze over each cube (ensure there is some glaze reserved for finishing)
Place in preheated oven for ~30 minutes.
White pork bites are in the oven, add remaining glaze to a pan, add in the bourbon, and flambe.
Once the alcohol has burnt off, remove from heat, add butter, and swirl until emulsified.
Allow pork bites to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, salt, and star anise in a large pot.
Bring the pot to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Place the sliced apples in an airtight container and pour the pickling liquid over the top until the apples are fully submerged.
Cover the top of the container with either a lid or a cartouche and allow the apples to pickle for at least one hour before serving.

Trim the radishes and slice into thin rounds.
Store the radish slices in an airtight container and set aside.
In a small pot, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Pour the hot pickling liquid into the container with the radishes until the radishes are fully submerged.
Cover the top of the container with either a lid or a cartouche and allow to cool for at least one hour.
Separate the radishes from the pickling liquid but do not discard either.
Add the radishes to a blender with ~1/3 of the pickling liquid and puree until smooth. Add more pickling liquid as needed.
Strain the radish puree through cheesecloth.
In a small pot, combine the radish puree and agar at a ratio of 100 mL of puree to 1g of agar.
Bring the puree and agar to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to boil for two minutes while stirring.
Remove the puree and agar from the heat and pour into a container.
Place the puree container in an ice bath to reduce the temperature until the mixture sets as a solid gel.
Once the gel is set, break up the gel and return it to the blender with a small amount of pickling liquid.
Blend the gel until smooth, adding more pickling liquid as needed until the gel reaches the desired consistency

Prepare an ice bath and place beside your cutting station.
Separate the green of the stalks from the whites.
Julienne the green onions.
Shock the green onions in ice water until the green onions begin to curl into wisps.

On a round plate, align the pork belly like a diamond on the right side of the plate.
Gently spread the apple dashi on the opposite side of the plate, taking care to mirror the curvature of the plate's rim.
Place five apple slices in a sun ray pattern around the pork.
Place a small clump of green onions between each apple slice.
Hold the squeeze bottle of radish gel close to the dashi and keep it in place as you slowly squeeze out a small ball of gel on the dashi. Repeat until there are three dots of gel along the dashi.