Have you ever been served a dish and wondered, how did the chef come up with this? Well, this series is going to answer that question for seven special dishes from the Eat Out three-star restaurants. We’ve picked the chefs’ brains about the process and inspiration that led to these star dishes and we’re sharing it all here.  

First up, chef Callan Austin from DUSK in Stellenbosch reveals the origin story of Peppa Pig’s Golden Dome – a dark ode to the popular children’s cartoon character.  

The dish
It consists of a dome of confit, pulled pork combined with a truffle-celeriac mousse that sits on an almond sable. A Pink Lady apple jelly encases the dome and gold leaf and individually picked thyme leaves complete the bite-sized morsel.  

What inspired this dish? Is there a personal story or specific influence behind it?
Ironically, the inspiration for this dish traces back to a light-hearted social media reel my girlfriend, Janka, sent me. I don’t remember the clip in full, but its premise was darkly comedic – it suggested that Peppa Pig, the beloved children’s TV character, would inevitably be slaughtered and turned into sausages. That punchline quickly became an inside joke between us, and around the same time – while I was working with pork for a new dish – it evolved into the dish’s name. In hindsight, the story underscores a much deeper truth: how desensitised we’ve become to the origins of our food. It makes me wonder how a child might connect the dots between their favourite cartoon character and the bacon on their breakfast plate – and more importantly, how a parent would navigate that uncomfortable conversation. 

What are the key ingredients and why were they chosen?
Well, of course, there’s the pork – shoulder, to be specific – which, as explained above, was inspired by the Peppa Pig reel. I don’t work with pork often so I kind of branched out from my norm to experiment. I remember doing a lot of research on rillette and terrines so that’s where the inspiration came from. The other elements are just great combinations for the pork. We sourced beautiful Pink Lady apples from the Elgin region and toasted almonds, which kind of link to the classic Waldorf Salad flavours of apple and rocket, which could be great at a picnic with some pork rillette.

Are there any unexpected ingredients or flavour combinations that make the dish unique?
Not necessarily in flavour, but in presentation, the dish is quite striking – even intricate. I think this narrative speaks to my approach to cooking: taking classic, time-honoured flavour combinations and reimagining them through a DUSK lens. I don’t apply this philosophy to every dish, but it’s a meaningful way to honour the groundwork laid by the great chefs who came before us – a respectful nod to tradition, reinterpreted with intention. 

 

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What’s the most technically challenging part of making this dish?
It’s a very time-consuming dish to prep – there’s a lot of setting and freezing involved and then the added time expense of the brining and confit process of the pork shoulder. Garnishing the dome is also painstakingly tedious, as you must pluck individual thyme leaves and place them around the dome. Making sure you keep an eye on your temperatures is also key. 

Is there a particular technique or piece of equipment essential to its preparation?
Not really, but we do use specific moulds (they are readily available) and we use an ingredient called elastica to make the apple gel that the dome gets dipped into. 

Was there a breakthrough moment in developing it?
I think when we discovered the elastica, that was a bit of a breakthrough. It produces a much thinner, evenly spread jelly in comparison to a gelatine or agar-agar-based jelly. 

Did you test it with your team or guests before putting it on the menu?
The team always tastes every dish before we put it on the menu. We sometimes have regulars who we’ll send out new dishes to but often we just bang it out if we’re all excited about it. 

Chef Callan Austin

Is there a specific way you would like guests to eat or interact with the dish?
Just one bite – please, for the love of good food, don’t use a knife and fork. It’s no bigger than a coin and meant to be eaten whole. On that note, one of my biggest pet peeves is seeing guests overanalyse or pick apart a dish. I’ve always loved food you can just dive into, no fuss. There’s something so satisfying – even honest – about eating with that kind of ease. So, when you’re at DUSK, enjoy it as you would at home: simply, instinctively, and with joy. 

What do you want guests to feel as they’re eating it?
First and foremost, it should taste delicious. Beyond that, I want it to spark curiosity, to make people pause and think, “How on earth did they do that?” That sense of wonder, of being caught off guard by technique or flavour, is what excites me most. 

Intrigued? Book a table at DUSK and try the dish for yourself.