Ibérico Pork and Cream Cheese Roulade

The word roulade, actually originates from the French word ‘rouler’, meaning to roll. Across Europe, there are many savoury roulade dishes, usually slices of meat that are then rolled around fillings such as cheese, vegetables and other meats. There are also sweet roulades, probably in the UK the most famous of which is a Swiss Roll, a spongy cake layer filled with jam and cream. In Spain a similar version is known as a Brazo de Gitano (literally translated as a gypsy’s arm) and is usually filled with cream, chocolate spread or sugar.

This recipe is a bit of both, a spongy cake layer filled with delicious meat and cheese. The combination of flavours, the sweetness of the roulade, the intensity of the paprika flavoured pâté and softness of the cream cheese make this a very intriguing yet delicious dish. For the pâté, we have used Ibérico pork pâté with paprika but you could equally substitute this with another pâté.

This dish will work well as an appetizer, as it’s nice and light. It can equally be enjoyed al fresco as part of a picnic spread.

Ibérico Pork and Cream Cheese Roulade

• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Cuisine: Tapas

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 85g brown organic sugar
• 4 free range eggs
• 120g self raising flour
• 45g melted butter
• 200g cream cheese
• 125g Ibérico pork pate with paprika
• 150g serrano ham
• 50g rocket leaves
• 20g poppy seeds

Instructions

1. Take your eggs and separate the yolks and egg whites into two mixing bowls. Beat the egg whites until they start to stiffen, adding a teaspoon of sugar as they come together. Set the bowl to one side.
2. In your other mixing bowl, add the remaining sugar (~ 80g) to your yolks and with a wooden spoon, whisk together until the mixture has thickened and turned pale yellow. Then add the flour, and continue to whisk until everything has come together into a thick dough. Now, take your egg whites and with a rubber spatular, gently begin to fold them into your dough until your dough has loosened and has a batter-like consistency. Finally, whilst you continue to stir your mixture, slowly add 25g of melted butter.
3. Preheat your oven to 210°C, and line a baking tray with baking paper. Pour your mixture over the paper, trying to shape it into a rectangle whilst aiming for a thickness of about 5mm. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 8 minutes.
4. When the roulade has cooled, we can start to add the filling. First spread a layer of cream cheese, aiming to have the same amount of cheese all along the surface. Then add the rocket leaves and on top of them, the slices of Serrano ham. Finally, spread your pâté over the slices of ham. If the pâté is difficult to spread, you can always heat it for 5 to 10 seconds in the microwave.
5. Carefully roll up your base and wrap it in cling film. Put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. When you are ready to serve, remove the cling film and brush the surface of the roulade with the remaining melted butter (~20 g). Sprinkle over your poppy seeds and then slice the roulade in rounds, approximately 1.5 cm thick.