STUFFED BELLY PLAY RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Divide dough into quarters. Shape each into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 2 hours., On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 4-in. round cutter. Using a floured 3-1/2-in. round cutter, cut centers out of three-fifths of the cookies to make window cookies. Reroll and use dough trimmings. Place solid and window cookies 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake until edges are firm, 8-10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For royal icing, combine confectioners' sugar, water and meringue powder; beat on low speed just until blended. Beat on high until stiff peaks form, 4-5 minutes. Tint with red, white, black and gray food coloring. Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. If necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture., Frost half of solid cookies with red icing; using a pastry bag, pipe them with belts, buckles and trim. Pipe white icing around edges of window cookies and remaining solid cookies so they will adhere. On each solid cookie, layer three window cookies; fill opening with M&M's. Top with a red-frosted cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let stand at room temperature several hours until frosting is dry and firm. Store in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 240°C/fan220°C/gas 9, or as high as it will go. Place the pork belly skin-side down on a board. Using a very sharp knife or Stanley knife, carefully remove and reserve the flap of belly that sits over the rib bones, then remove and reserve the ribs. Turn the belly over, short side towards you, and score it widthways, 1cm apart, across the skin.
• Make the stuffing. In a frying pan, soften the onion in the oil over a low heat, then remove to a bowl to cool. Finely chop 250g of the reserved belly flap meat in a food processor (if there’s any remaining, discard it). Add to the bowl of onion along with the remaining stuffing ingredients, and some seasoning. Set aside.
• Place 30cm lengths of string at 2cm intervals across a large board. Lay the pork on top, skin-side down, so the string is running the same way as the scored lines. Spoon the stuffing lengthways down the middle of the pork belly, heaping it up into a cylindrical shape, then bring the sides of the belly up and around the stuffing so that they meet tightly. Tie tightly with the string, and weigh to calculate the cooking time (25 minutes per 450g, plus 20 minutes). Turn the rolled pork belly over and rub the sea salt into the skin, making sure that it gets right into the score lines.
• Place the ribs in an oiled roasting tray and place the pork on top, with the join underneath. Roast for 20 minutes to brown and crisp the skin, then turn the oven temperature down to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4 and roast for the remainder of your calculated cooking time.
• When the pork is cooked (a metal skewer inserted into the centre of the meat should be hot at the tip), remove from the oven and rest on a board, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Carve into slices, cutting along the score lines you made earlier. Serve with the crispy crushed potatoes and fennel salad.