Spicy Gingerbread

Ingredients

• 6 Eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp gingerbread spice
• 6 tbsp liquid butter
• 150 g flour
• 4 pork neck steaks
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• herbs de Provence
• oil (for frying)
• 100 ml dry red wine
• 2 tbsp Madeira
• 150 ml Vegetable broth
• 1 apple
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 clove of nutmeg
• cornstarch (for binding)
• 100 g whipping cream (at least 30% fat)
• 1 tbsp horseradish (jarred)
• 1 tbsp lingonberries (jarred)
• parsley (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C with top and bottom heat. Line a baking tray (25 × 30 cm) with parchment paper. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Whisk the yolks with 1–2 tbsp hot water, salt, and gingerbread spice until frothy. Gradually fold in the butter to create a foamy mixture. Sift the flour over the foam, add the beaten whites, and gently fold everything together. Spread the batter onto the tray and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

2. 2.

   Season the neck steaks with salt, pepper, and a touch of herbs de Provence. Quickly sear both sides in hot oil, then remove from the pan and keep warm. Deglaze the pan with red wine, Madeira, and broth, seasoning to taste.

3. 3.

   Peel the apples, core them, and slice into 1.5 cm thick rounds. Bring the sauce to a boil in the pan, season with cinnamon and nutmeg, add the apple slices, and cook for about 3 minutes until firm yet juicy. Remove the apples and keep warm. Thicken the sauce by whisking a small amount of cornstarch into cold water and adding it to the pan.

4. 4.

   Cut the gingerbread sponge from the wider side into three strips, then cut each strip into eight equal pieces. Whip the cream stiffly. Fold in horseradish and lingonberries. Spread the mixture onto eight gingerbread pieces and top with another piece. Halve the apple slices and place them on the gingerbread cuts. Drizzle a little sauce over them. Place the remaining gingerbread cuts on top, then add half an apple slice of meat on each. Drizzle with the remaining sauce and serve garnished with parsley.