Char Siu Wellington

For this Thanksgiving centerpiece recipe, developer and fashion designer Peter Som combined the flavors of very Cantonese char siu pork with those of very British beef Wellington. As a kid there was nothing Som liked more than when his grandmother would bring over still-warm char siu from Chinatown; he prized the edges in particular—slightly charred and fatty, with ample amounts of that sticky honeyed glaze. This version features pork loin marinated in a classic salty-sweet mixture of hoisin, honey, Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine), and five-spice powder, then roasted inside an old-school puff pastry crust for a luxuriously alternative Thanksgiving dinner. Meanwhile, the marinade is repurposed to create a silky, umami-rich gravy that comes together in a jiff. There are quite a few steps to this recipe, but most of the work can be done in advance, which will make day-of cooking a snap.

For the rest of Som’s Thanksgiving menu, see his recipes for Asian Pear Salad With Peanut-Lime Dressing, Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Gochujang Brown Butter, Sweet Potato Tian, Dutch Oven No Mai Fan, and Milk Tea Bread Pudding With Crème Anglaise.