Crisp Pork Belly 'Cracknel' with Whipped Lemon-Dill Crème Fraîche

A playful yet sophisticated dessert pairing, featuring intensely caramelized, shatteringly crisp morsels of slow-rendered pork belly, offering a delightful textural and flavour contrast against a cloud-like, tangy crème fraîche infused with bright lemon and fresh dill. An adventurous exploration of sweet and savoury dimensions, achieving extraordinary depth.

Ingredients

• Pork Belly, skin on, preferably thinly sliced (approx. 0.5 cm thick)200 g
• Erythritol-Monk Fruit Blend (powdered, 1:1 sugar substitute)20 g
• Flaky Sea Salt0.5 tsp
• Cultured Crème Fraîche (full-fat)200 g
• Heavy Cream (full-fat)50 ml
• Lemon, zest0.5 lemon
• Fresh Dill, finely chopped1 tbsp
• Apple Cider Vinegar0.5 tsp
• Black Pepper, freshly groundTiny pinch

Method

1. **Prepare the Pork Belly 'Cracknel'**: Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Score the pork belly skin deeply at 1-inch intervals, taking care not to cut into the meat too much. Pat the pork belly extremely dry with paper towels. Rub generously with flaky sea salt.
2. Place the pork belly, skin-side up, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Roast for 45-60 minutes, or until the skin is beautifully puffed and golden brown, and the fat has rendered significantly.
3. Increase oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Carefully remove from the oven. Sprinkle the powdered erythritol-monk fruit blend evenly over the crispy skin. Return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, watching carefully, until the sweetener has caramelized and adhered to the cracklings, creating a glistening, brittle crust. The Maillard reaction here will be intense, creating deep savoury-sweet notes.
4. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the wire rack. As it cools, the cracknel will become incredibly crisp and shatter. Once cool, break or cut into irregular, bite-sized 'cracknel' pieces.
5. **Prepare the Whipped Lemon-Dill Crème Fraîche**: In a chilled bowl, combine the crème fraîche, heavy cream, lemon zest, finely chopped fresh dill, and apple cider vinegar. Add a tiny pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
6. Using an electric mixer or whisk, whip the mixture until it forms soft peaks – it should be airy but still creamy, not overly stiff. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
7. **Assemble and Serve**: Arrange the Crisp Pork Belly 'Cracknel' pieces artfully on a serving plate or in individual bowls. Dollop generously with the Whipped Lemon-Dill Crème Fraîche. Serve immediately to enjoy the contrast of warm (or room temp) cracknel with cold cream.