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The Evolution of Sliders

Editors Note: The Block Six restaurant referenced below is no longer open. The recipe’s creator, Chef Sam Ostrow, recently opened Festina Lente, an Italian eatery in Kittery, Maine, USA.

Sliders
DT

Debra Tillar

Debra writes science fiction and creates art from natural objects.

Editors Note: The Block Six restaurant referenced below is no longer open. The recipe’s creator, Chef Sam Ostrow, recently opened Festina Lente, an Italian eatery in Kittery, Maine, USA.

The pork belly sliders are served on a scrumptious buttermilk biscuit with peach jam and slaw.

Pork Belly for Sliders

Baked carameled pork belly

This recipe originally came from Block Six, a restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA which is now closed. The recipe was created by Chef Sam Ostrow.

Preparation

Many specialty grocery stores sell pre-cooked, packaged pork belly that just needs to be crisped up in a skillet. To make your own, buy a small amount .45 kg (1 pound) or so from your butcher. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 204° C (400° F). Cover pork with foil and roast until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to an hour. Cool completely before slicing.

Buttermilk Biscuits

This recipe originally came from Block Six, a restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA which is now closed. The recipe was created by Chef Sam Ostrow.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 190° C (375° F). Place the butter in the freezer while preparing the rest of the ingredients; the key to fluffy biscuits is very cold butter.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and baking soda; set aside.

3. Using the large holes of a box-style grater, quickly grate the butter onto a plate or sheet of wax paper. To keep the heat of your hands from softening the butter, you may want to hold it with a paper towel. Place the grated butter back into the freezer until very well-chilled again, for another 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Add the buttermilk to the dry ingredients, mix lightly, and add the butter. Mix by hand, breaking up the butter and smoothing it into the flour. The finished dough should be very crumbly or shaggy and not seem like it will come together.

5. Turn the crumbs onto a work surface and gently knead. The heat of your hands will melt the butter just enough to bring the dough together. By hand, roll the loose ball into a disk about 1 to 2 cm (½ to ¾ inch) thick. Use a round butter of the desired size to cut out the biscuits. The unbaked biscuits may be frozen and cooked without thawing; just add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time.

6. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with a little salt. (If planning to split the biscuits to make open-faced sandwiches, turn and sprinkle the other sides with salt, too.) Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Block Six Sliders

Block Six Sliders

This recipe originally came from Block Six, a restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, now closed. The recipe was created by Chef Sam Ostrow, who opened the doors of Festina Lente in 2018, an intimate Italian restaurant in Kittery, Maine, whose name loosely translates to “make haste slowly.”

At Block Six, they would roast their own pork belly and make their own own peach preserves, but purchased pork belly and low-sugar peach jam will also yield excellent results.

Preparation

  1. Bake the biscuits. When cool, cut in half with a bread knife.
  2. Combine the slaw.
  3. Meanwhile, cut the pork belly into pieces 2.5 cm (1 inch) square by .6 (¼ inch) thick. Sear the pork belly in a skillet over medium-high heat until browned, then flip and brown on the other side. Remove from heat.
  4. Drizzle pork with honey, and place on the bottom half of the halved biscuits. Top with a teaspoon of peach jam and a tablespoon of the dressed slaw. Put the top on the biscuit and consume.

They are messy but a lot of fun!

Slaw

This recipe originally came from Block Six, a restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA which is now closed. The recipe was created by Chef Sam Ostrow.

Preparation

1. Place all of the julienned vegetables in a bowl and set aside.

2. Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together. The consistency should be that of a heavy salad dressing. Based on the thickness of your mayonnaise you may need to adjust the amount of vinegar slightly to achieve the desired consistency.

3. Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix well.