Oink: The Pork Story

Well, I can't say much for the photo. There's much to say about the dish however, and it's not all good. Ramsay would definitely be disappointed.

Modifications:

- I omitted the brandy. As it turns out, it wouldn't have been much of a help.

- I also used the sour cream. As it turns out, it was somewhat of a help, but not enough to undo my fatal mistake.

- I used sel de mer instead of coarse salt. The romance of the French overtook me. And the dish.

The Process:

Oh, how I love leeks. In cream, especially. And with bacon? Genius. Add some salt to that. And some more salt. Remember to rub the pork with salt. And season with salt before serving. Pour salt in the wound, why don't you? I could tell that the pork would have been lovely. The fresh rosemary and thyme were beautiful on the meat, and the tenderness was sufficiently ... tender. But without guidance from the recipe on the appropriate amount of salt, this culinary apprentice is "je ne sais quoi". Fok apologized, excused himself, scraped the lovely leeks from the plate of pork, mixed a small amount with a dollop of sour cream, and ... it was almost okay. Still too salty. I was bloated after four bites. I should know enough from Ramsay that a cook tastes her food before she serves it, but how could some French salt do wrong? It just never acknowledges it.

The Verdict:

I would attempt this again. If not for any other reason than to prove that I can rebound. I am surprised the previous reviewers did not reference the particularly vomitous appearance of the sauce. Aside from this and the lack of clarity re: salt quantity (I have no intuition), I would give this dish 4.2 pigtails out of 5. Sleep with one eye opened, porker.

The Redeemer:

The potato dauphinoise. Alas, the French reign supreme. It is a lovely, flavourful side, suitable for any meat dish ... a ham or turkey dinner, even. The gruyere is light, and the thyme necessary to provide that extra essence of Provence. I definitely recommend this recipe a creamy 4 and a half thymes after thyme.