Pure Pork AwesomenessTotally Cookable Recipes from Around the World

Chef Kevin Gillespie‘s true passion lies in incorporating fresh, organic, and sustainable ingredients in all of his dishes. After graduating with honors from the Art Institute of Atlanta, the Georgia native worked in top restaurants in Atlanta and Oregon before opening his first restaurant, Gunshow, in May 2013. Gillespie was one of the final three cheftestants on sseason six of Bravo’s Top Chef and was voted Fan Favorite. He has been named a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Rising Star Chef of the Year Award for three consecutive years, nominated for Food & Wine’s People’s Best New Chef and named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for his outstanding accomplishments in the restaurant industry. As a rising young culinary star who was bringing more than just good food to the table, Gillespie was named one of Mother Nature Network’s top 40 Chefs Under 40 in November 2009 for linking farms to forks and promoting better health for people and the planet. In February 2010, he was honored as one of Gayot.com’s Top Five Rising Chefs. His debut cookbook, Fire in My Belly, was selected as a James Beard Award Ffinalist. Gillespie is a member of Slow Food Atlanta, Southern Foodways Alliance, Chefs Collaborative, Community Farmers Markets Chefs Advisory Board, Georgia Organics, and the Society for the Preservation of Traditional Southern Barbecue. He owns two restaurants: Gunshow in Atlanta which also operates a BBQ catering business called Terminus City. He plans to open a second restaurant called Revival in Decatur in 2015. It will be based on the Southern concept of meat-and-three; just like going to Grandma’s for Sunday dinner, but available every day. For more information, please visit chefkevingillespie.com.

David Joachim has authored, edited, or collaborated on more than 40 cookbooks. His first book with Kevin Gillespie, Fire in My Belly, was a James Beard Award finalist. His A Man, A Can, A Plan series of books has sold more than 1 million copies. He writes a column in Fine Cooking magazine called “The Science Of…,” and he co-owns Chef Salt, a line of artisanal seasonings that feature unrefined salts from around the world.

BANOFFEE TRIFLE WITH CANDIED BACON

FEEDS 6 TO 8

My restaurant Gunshow has no investors. To raise money I did a series of fundraising dinners all over the country. I customized the menu for each group—except for dessert. I’m not much of a pastry chef, so I stuck with my slam-dunk combo of bananas, toffee, and candied bacon. I made it several different ways. At first, I plated it as a deconstructed modernist dessert. Then in Seattle I served a much bigger group of folks and the modernist plating turned out to be too time-consuming. Out of sheer necessity, I made it into a trifle, and that’s what made the dish even more successful. It’s a layered dessert of vanilla custard, Candied Bacon (page 139), crushed shortbread cookies, fried bananas, toffee caramel, and chocolate ganache. You can totally make this at home. The layering makes it look awesome in a glass dish. Serve it with coffee and your friends will think you’re badass.

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup heavy cream, divided

1 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Canola oil for frying

3 bananas

5 ounces 65% chocolate, chopped

12 ounces shortbread cookies

2 cups vanilla custard or pudding (see Good to Know)

16 strips Candied Bacon (page 139), chopped, 2 pieces reserved for garnish

To make the caramel, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and stir in ¾ cup of the cream. Return to a boil and decrease the heat to a low simmer. Simmer, swirling occasionally, until the mixture reaches 235°F, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt and vanilla.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350°F.

Peel the bananas and fry until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to cool.

Heat the remaining ¼ cup cream in a small saucepan just to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.

Place the cookies in a large zip-top bag, squeeze out any excess air, and roll with a rolling pin a few times to make very coarse crumbs; you should have about 3 cups.

You can make one large trifle bowl or individual servings in 8-ounce canning jars. To assemble, layer one-third of the cookie crumbs, half the custard, half the bacon, half the fried bananas, half the caramel, and the chocolate; continue layering on the remaining custard, bacon, bananas, and one-third of the crumbs; top with the remaining caramel and crumbs. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Cut the reserved bacon into long strips and garnish each serving with a strip.

Good to Know: You can replace the chocolate with ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips.

Use your favorite vanilla custard or pudding here; store-bought will work but homemade is better.

From Pure Pork Awesomeness: Totally Cookable Recipes from Around the World by Kevin Gillespie with David Joachim, Andrews McMeel Publishing. Photo: Angie Mosier