Gingerbread cheeks and Westvleteren 8
10
persons
: easy
: 60 minutes
Ingredients
- 600 grams of pork cheeks
- 25 grams of butter
- 1 onion
- 1 stem of green celery
- 4 slices of gingerbread
- 1 bottle of sweet brown beer (Kasteelbier, Westvleteren 8)
- 20 cl veal stock
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 bunch of flat parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 gram of gingerbread spices
- pepper and salt
Preparation
- Melt a knob of butter in the frying pan and fry the chopped onion and the chopped celery together with the pork cheeks on a high heat, until brown on both sides
- Season the cheeks with salt and pepper
- Blend the whole with the beer and the veal stock and add 4 slices of gingerbread, cut into cubes
- Add a sprinkle of gingerbread spices, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of rosemary, a bay leaf and the flat parsley, turn the heat low, cover and let cook for 60 minutes
- Take the pork cheeks out of the sauce, cut them into thin slices and let them rest under aluminum foil
- Sieve the sauce and cook to obtain the desired thickness
- Serve with fries or on a slice of gingerbread
- Pour some gravy over the cheek and sprinkle with parsley
beerpairing
Westvleteren 8 is a noble beer with a malty/fruity and full flavor. With this beer we prepared a knightly pork stew with authentic gingerbread. The meat with its small tendons and nerve tissue has a peculiar texture. Consequently, it must cook for a sufficient time until the collagen rich tissues have been converted into gelatin. When you cook the cheeks together with the beer and the gingerbread, you get a sweet and creamy stew with a pleasant beer bitterness. A top combination when accompanied by a Westvleteren 8.
