Croustillant of Golden Cross goats cheese with candied tomato, fennel and pickled watermelon rind

Here is a dish i have had my du jour menu this week. The cheese is an unpasteuriesd goats cheese from Sussex, which is rolled in oak ash and then matured. It is whipped with a little creme fraiche. The tube is made with rice papper which is deep fried to make it crisp. The cheese itself has hints of macadamia nut and burnt caramel on the palette. It eats nicely with the sweetness of the tomato being tempered by the tartness of the watermelon rind, leaving an aroma from the fennel to round it off. Garnish is some small fennel fronds.

These are a couple of dishes from my weekly du jour menu which starts today.

Underneath which was my cheese course is Cerney goats cheese wrapped in wild garlic leaf with a walnut and date chutney. The cheese is an unpastuerised cheese from the village of north Cerney in Cirencester, Cotswolds. It has a texture similar to that of fromage frais and has a pleasant citric taste. It is pyramid shaped and is covered in oak ash. This kind of cheese does need a sweet garnish, which pairs well with the sweet garlic aroma of the leaves.

To the left is my main which is a Saddleback pork loin, which is cleaned and cooked sous vide for 4 hours at 50C. It is then chilled, portioned and vacuum packed individually with garlic, butter and thyme, reheated and caramelised in foamy butter. The sausage is shallot, garlic, pancetta, black pudding and red wine cooked down in a pan to a paste. Rolled into log shape and chilled. Once it has been chilled it is cut to size and reheated through the oven. Garnishes are, crisp onion rings, spinach, pork fat pin wheels and an apple balsamic reduction