Seared Scallops with Braised Pork Belly

Ingredients:
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1 tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
750g piece pork belly
Snipped parsley cres, to serve
Seared scallops
2x11cm rounds puff pastry
12 fresh scallops on shell
Orange star anise sauce
Olive oil
6 French shallots, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbs ouzo
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
5 sprigs coriander, finely chopped
5 mint leaves, finely chopped
Make 2 servings
Method
1. Combine cinnamon, sugar and salt on a tray. Coat pork belly all over in the spice mixture. Wrap it tightly in
many layers of plastic wrap and then seal in a snap lock bag, making sure you remove all the air. Drop the pork still in the bag into a saucepan of warm water - the water should constantly be between 90C-100C. Place a folded tea-towel onto top of the pork to weigh it down, keeping it submerged in the water, cook for 6 hours. Remove the pork from the saucepan and sandwich between two plates. Place in the fridge overnight.

2. For the orange star anise sauce, pour oil into a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add shallots, cinnamon, star anise and garlic and cook for 10-15 minutes until lightly caramelized. Add ouzo and flambé to burn off the
alcohol. Pour over the orange juice, and simmer 8-10 minutes until reduced by half. Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise and strain shallots, pressing as much liquid from the shallots as possible. Add 1 tbs olive oil to the sauce and set aside. Transfer the braised shallots and garlic to a bowl. Add the coriander and mint and pinch salt.

3. Preheat oven 160C fan forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pierce rounds of pastry all over with a fork. Place onto lined tray, top with a second sheet paper and another tray. Bake 12 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp. Set aside to cool. Increase oven to 180C fan forced.

4. Remove pork from the bag and unwrap, cut into twelve, 3cm square pieces. Heat frying pan over high heat until hot. Add pork, rind side down and cook 2 minutes. Transfer to the oven and roast 6-8 minutes until golden.

5. Remove the scallops from the shell. Cut in half to form 24 thinner scallops and pat really dry with paper towel. Trace a 10cm round onto a sheet of baking paper, turn paper over so pencil mark faced down. Using circle as a guide arrange scallops slightly overlapping over the circle. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over high heat, flip the scallops into the hot pan, remove the paper and cook for 30 seconds until seared. Remove from the heat.

6. Spoon caramelised shallot mixture over the top of both pastry rounds, place over the scallops. Use paper towel to wipe any excess oil from the hot pan then place your hand over the pastry round and carefully turn out scallops. Place into the centre of serving plate, pastry-side down. Arrange pork around outer edge of the plate, drizzle with orange sauce, scatter with parsley cres and serve.