Chef Jeff Mahin's slow braised pork shank on THE Dish

 

Mahin was born and raised in California and is the son of a scientist and engineer. He has always had a passion for cooking but was originally drawn to science and math and because of this he brings a scientific approach to his cooking.

Mahin visited "CBS This Morning: Saturday" and shared his ultimate dish, slow-braised pork shank.

Slow-braised pork shank, roasted apples, celery root mash, mustard pork jus

3 pc pork shank

6 oz celeriac mashed potato

2 pc knob onions

3 pc 1/8 apple

3 pc half fingerlings

1/2 oz Mustard Jus

Chopped chives

Celery leaves

1. Place a warm pork shank onto a sizzle pan with 6 oz of mustard juice
2. Heat up shanks for 5-7 minutes in 400 degrees oven, spooning just over every min or so
3. Heat up celeriac mash and place 6 oz on center plate.
4. Garnish with chopped chives.
5. Finish shanks under salamander after spooning some mustard jus over it for caramelization.
6. Place shank on celeriac mash.
7. Put potatoes, apples and knob onions on left side of shank then finish with celery leaves.

Pork Shank Braise

60 pork shanks

1 g spanish onions, diced

2 c apple juice

2 c white wine

3 g veal stock

Prime rib rub

1. Rub shanks with prime rib rub and let sit overnight.
2. Sear shanks
3. Saute onions on same pan
4. Deglaze with white wine and apple juice.
5. Reduce halfway.
6. Add shanks and veal stock
7. Braise in oven at 375 degrees until almost falling off the bone.

Mustard Jus

12 oz  pork shank braising liquid reduction

1 t whole grain mustard

1. Add mustard to 12 oz of reduction.

Celery root mash

5 lbs peeled yukon potatoes

2 lbs butter

2 cups milk

1 lb celery root, diced

1 cup milk

1. Simmer celery root in 1 cup milk until soft then put in blender.
2. Simmer the potatoes and salt covered in water
3. When the potatoes are cooked, strain.
4. Pass the cooked potatoes through the food mill.
5. Mix in butter and rest of milk plus celeriac puree.

Fingerling potatoes

Fingerling potatoes, cut in half

Olive oil

Garlic

Thyme

Salt and pepper

1. Lay potatoes on sheet tray then drizzle some olive oil, garlic and thyme.
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Cook in 500 degrees oven for 12 mins.

Roasted apples

Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into eights.

Honey

Coriander, ground

Salt

Pepper

1. Lay apples on sheet tray.
2. Drizzle with honey.
3. Season with ground coriander, salt and pepper
4. Cook in 500 degree oven until soft, around 10 minutes

Burrata, grilled grapes and house made bread

Recipe for large platter to feed 5-6 people

Grilled Grapes

2 cups olive oil

.5 cup  balsamic vinegar

3 lbs red grapes

1/2 tbls chili flakes

1.  Wash the grapes

2.  Mix the vinegar, chili flake, oil in a large bowl

3.  Cut the grapes into portions

4.  Toss in oil mix

5.  Place on wood grill and grill for 20 seconds

6.  Turn then grill another 20 seconds

7.  Remove from wood grill and place back in marinade

8.  Keep at room temp for service

Burrata

6 each 4 oz portion of burrata

Olive oil

Sea salt

House made bread

Garnish

Fig vincotto

Petite rocket or hydro water cress

1.  Plating instructions: On a large oval oval plate, place clumps (stem on) of the grapes slightly off set the center of the plate

2.  Remove the burrata from their individual bags, and drain any water

3.  Place the burrata on the center of the plate in a line

4.  Cut an X into the tops of each of the burratas and make and opening (like a small indent)

5.  Season each indent with salt and fill with good olive oil

6.  Drizzle fig vincotto around grapes (do not drizzzle fig vicotto over the burrata)

7.  Garnish with arugula leaves

Roasted cauliflower, smoked caciocavallo, brown butter, hazelnuts and preserved lemon

Whole roasted cauliflower

2 each heads of cauliflower  

8 tbls butter

2/3 cup lightly toasted hazelnuts

2 cups smoked caciocavallo cheese

Salt

Pepper

Candied lemon

Chopped parsley

1. Clean the green leaves of the cauliflower off the base – keep the cauliflower completely intact (whole)
2. Bring a fryer (with clean oil) up to 350F
3. Place the cauliflower into the fryer
4. Fry until the entire cauliflower is medium golden brown (2-3 min tops)
5. Remove from fryer and allow to drain off oil
6. Place the cauliflower each into a 10-12 inch sauté pan
7. Place 3 tbls of butter over each cauliflower and season with salt and pepper
8. Place 1/2  cup of micro planed caciocavallo cheese over each head of cauliflower
9. Place into an oven at 375F
10. Allow the butter and cheese to melt
11. Cook the cauliflower until it is tender all the way through  (use a cake tester)
12. While the cauliflower is in the oven, heat the remaining 2 tbls of butter in a sauté pan with the hazelnuts
13. Allow the butter to brown and remove from the heat
14. Remove the cauliflower from the oven
15. Cut into quarters – this will expose the pure white flesh
16. Arrange in the center of the plate
17. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of microplaned cheese over (use judgment, the cheese is an accent, a light cover will suffice)
18. Heat the brown butter back to temp and spoon the hazelnuts and brown butter over the cauliflower (this will melt most of the cheese)
19. Season with salt and pepper
20. Sprinkle candied lemon (recipe/ method below) & chopped parsley over the dish

Candied lemon

1.  Peel 3 lemons

2.  Remove the white pith from the rind

3.  Blanch 4 times in boiling water (new water each time, then shocked in ice water)

4.  Place in 50/50 simple syrup and simmer until tender

5.  Allow to cool in simple syrup

6.  Chop fine for garnish

Beet tostones

1 lb baby golden beets

1 lb baby red beets

1.  Remove the leaves from the tops of the beets

2.  Wash with a brush to remove dirt – leave the skin and 1 inch of the tops on

3.  Place in separate baking containers, cover in water

4.  Add salt and white wine vinegar to taste

5.  Wrap in plastic wrap and tin foil

6.  Place into the oven at 350 degrees

7.  Check after 40 min – the beets should be tender and easy to poke with a knife

8.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in liquid

9.  Once cool, remove beets and rub skin off with a kitchen towel – keep 1 inch of the top on

10.  Smash the beets slightly as so they break but don’t entirely fall apart

11.  Place on a sheet pan to reserve

Pickled stems

2 cups white wine vinegar

1.6 cups water

.5 each bay leaf

3 gr fennel seed

3 gr coriander

1.5 gr chili flake

1 gr black pepper corn

40 gr sugar

20 gr kosher salt

1.  Combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil

2.  Cut the stems into 1 inch strips and place into a bowl

3.  Once pickling liquid is at a boil, strain and pour over stems

4.  Allow to cool and refrigerate

5.  Use for garnish on beet dish

Yogurt

1 cup Greek yogurt

1 tbls lemon zest

2 turns black pepper

Pinch of salt

Mix together

Use for base of dish

The Beet Leaves

1.  Reserve the young tender leaves

2.  Using a small sharp ring cutter

3.  Cut circles out of the beet leaves and place into ice water

To serve

1.  Spoon and spread the yogurt on to the base of the plate

2.  Place the red and yellow beets into the fryer at 360F

3.  Fry until crispy

4.  Remove and season with salt and espelette pepper

5.  Carefully arrange the beets around the plate over the yogurt

6.  Place some pickled beet stems sporadically around and over the beets – not too much

7.  Garnish with the beet leaves and lemon zest

Whole grilled branzino, alligot potatoes, crispy sage, toasted walnuts

1 14-16 oz  branzino, cleaned and marinated

4 oz  aligot potatoes

1 tsp walnut oil

2 oz  brown butter

2 tablsp  fried sage

4 tablsp toasted walnut pieces

Lemon zest

Fresh lemon juice

1.  Place the skin side of the butterflied branzino down on the wood grill (round grates) and cook for 3-4 minutes.

2.  Gently flip the fish and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes, until cooked through.

3.  Place the aligot potatoes in a straight line in the middle of the plate.

4.  Fold the fish back to its original form

5.  Place the fish best skin side up, directly on top of the potatoes.

6.  In a sauté pan, brown 2 oz of butter, 1 tsp of good quality walnut oil, 4 table spoons of toasted walnuts and 10 leaves of sage

7.  Spoon over the fish

8.  Garnish with the crispy sage leaves

9.  Microplane fresh lemon zest  and squeeze of lemon to order

Fish marinade

10 ea 16 oz  branzino, cleaned, de-headed and boned brined (5 percent salt solution for 30 min)

1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves, no stems

2 tablspoon espellete

Salt

Microplane lemon zest

1. Open up the branzino filet, flesh side up
2. Sprinkle with thyme leaves, espellete and lemon zest
3. Drizzle with olive oil, and fold over, wrap in plastic