Pork chops and curd with amaretti and pear: Max Coen’s recipes for cooking with citrus

2 hours ago 1

Citrus season brings an entirely new dimension of seasoning – a way to add vibrancy, nuance and brightness far beyond the standard squeeze of lemon. For me, citrus isn’t just acidity: it’s a complex alternative to sugar and vinegar, with varieties that offer bitterness, floral tones, sweetness and sharpness in equal measure. With more than a hundred types of lemons, clementines and limes now available, I find it easiest to think of them in two groups: sour citrus and sweet citrus. Once you know which you’re working with, you can explore each variety’s complexity and decide how best to use it.

Pork chop with citrus butter (pictured top)

A well-seasoned pork chop needs little embellishment, but a punchy citrus butter brings lift and freshness, and cuts through the richness of the meat. For the butter, I use sour lemons for acidity, and balance that with the juice of sweet clementines to round things out.

Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 2

For the citrus butter
150g room-temperature butter
20g parsley leaves, finely chopped
20g chives, finely chopped
1 tsp flaky sea salt
40ml lemon juice, or other sour citrus juice
30ml clementine juice, or other sweet citrus juice

For the pork
Salt and pepper
1 large pork chop, or 2 small ones – the best quality you can get your hands on
Neutral oil, for searing

First make the citrus butter. Put everything in a bowl, whisk smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning. It should have gentle sweetness and salinity, with a sharp, citrus finish. Cover and chill, or, if cooking straight away, keep at room temperature.

Now for the pork. Heat the oven to 70C (50C fan)/140F/gas low. Put a frying pan on a medium-high heat until it’s very hot. Meanwhile, lightly season the chop on both sides. Add a little oil to the hot pan, then sear the chop for a minute on each side.

Transfer the pork to a rack set over a tray, then transfer to the oven for 10 minutes. Do not wash out the pan: you want the fat and the caramelised bits in there. After 10 minutes, return the pork to the hot pan for a quick second sear on both sides, then return it to the rack and the oven for another 10 minutes: you’re aiming for a core temperature of 60C.

Once the chop reaches temperature, give it a final sear in the same pan on the stovetop to crisp up the crust and raise the core to 63C.

Thinly slice the chop, arrange the meat on two plates and serve with all the citrus butter melting over the top.

Citrus curd, amaretti and pear

A light, balanced dessert that’s built around sharp citrus curd, amaretti and fresh pear for a play on texture and acidity that keeps the sweetness in check.

Prep 15 min
Cook 40 min
Chill 30 min+
Serves 4-6

For the amaretti
70g egg whites
200g caster sugar
200g ground almonds

For the citrus curd
100ml fresh lemon juice, plus about 35ml extra to taste
40g caster sugar
100g whole eggs
160g unsalted butter
Up to 60ml fresh clementine juice, or other sweet citrus juice (optional and to taste)

For the cardamom chantilly
1 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp ground cardamom
100ml double cream
A pinch of salt, pink ideally

To finish
2 fresh pears, cored and thinly sliced at the last minute

First make the curd. Put the lemon juice, sugar and eggs in a bowl set over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water, and whisk until the mix comes up to 80C. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, ensuring the mixture is well combined, then add the butter and whisk hard for 20 seconds, until very smooth and emulsified. Transfer to a bowl and taste – adjust with the extra lemon to taste, and if need be balance the acidity with a little sweet clementine juice. Divide the curd mix between four small serving glasses (those tiny French glass tumblers or similar), then put in the fridge to chill and set for 30 minutes.

Now for the biscuits. Whip the egg whites until fluffy, then gradually whisk in 50g of the caster sugar until it’s dissolved and the mix forms soft peaks. In a second bowl, combine the ground almonds with the remaining 150g caster sugar, then gently fold in the whipped egg white mix to make a sticky dough.

Lightly dampen your hands with water, then portion the dough into 15g balls – you should get about 20 in all – and arrange these on a greased and lined oven tray, spacing them apart to allow for expansion while baking.

Heat the oven to 185C (165C fan)/360F/gas 4½, then bake the biscuits for 12-15 minutes, until crisp at the edges but still with a chewy centre. Transfer to a rack and leave to cool completely.

Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar and cardamom in a small bowl. Whisk the cream, then gradually beat in the icing sugar mix until the cream forms soft peaks – take care not to overwhip, so it stays smooth and light. Season lightly with salt.

To assemble, top each glass of set curd with a spoonful of the cardamom chantilly, then top first with two crumbled amaretti biscuits and then with six thin slices of fresh pear. Serve at once, or chill until ready to serve.