Erkan Sahindal’s Porchetta Tonnata and Pink Grapefruit Cheesecake Recipes

Erkan Sahindal, business owner at the Olive Tree on Lincoln Way, Beverley, and accomplished chef, shares his recipes for Porchetta Tonnata and Pink Grapefruit Cheesecake.

Porchetta Tonnata (Serves 2 as a starter) Preparation takes 40 minutes plus 24 hours brining, with 3 hours cooking plus cooling. Ingredients include 500g pork belly (skin and bones removed), crispy fried capers, extra-virgin olive oil, mustard cress, and a tonnata paste made from tuna, capers, and anchovies. The tonnata sauce is made by emulsifying the paste with egg yolks, oil, and chardonnay vinegar.

The pork belly is brined for 24 hours to enhance flavor and keep it pink, then rolled, tied, and steamed or poached until tender. After cooling, it is sliced thinly and served with the tonnata sauce, crispy capers, olive oil, and mustard cress.

Pink Grapefruit Cheesecake (Serves 8) This dessert features a buttery pastry base filled with a mascarpone, crème fraîche, and pink grapefruit filling, topped with a grapefruit jelly layer. The pastry is made from plain flour, salted butter, icing sugar, and egg yolk, rolled out and baked until golden.

The filling combines mascarpone, crème fraîche, grapefruit juice and zest, icing sugar, and whipped double cream. The jelly topping is made with gelatine leaves, grapefruit juice, and caster sugar, poured over the chilled cheesecake and set for two hours.

These recipes showcase Erkan’s skill and bring a taste of Beverley’s Olive Tree to your table.