Streamlined meatloaf

Make the panade: tear in bread, one egg, buttermilk, salt and pepper, using about 100 grams of bread per kilogram of meat.

Sprinkle about two tablespoons of powdered gelatin over the buttermilk in the panade; it blooms in the paste as it sits.

Squish the panade together by hand into a paste, getting rid of the big chunks; it does not have to be perfectly smooth.

Sweat chopped onions, carrots and celery with a couple of tablespoons of butter over moderate heat without browning, adding the minced garlic, until they soften; vegetables do not soften until about 183F, by which point the meat would be overcooked, so they must be cooked first.

Combine the ground beef and ground pork with the panade, soy sauce and Worcestershire.

Salt at about one to one and a half percent of the weight, about 10 or 12 grams for a kilogram, and season with black pepper.

Add the sauteed vegetables and about 120 grams of grated cheese, and knead together only until homogenous; overmixing makes it tough.

With wet hands, form a free-form loaf with squared ends on a parchment-lined pan and set the oven to 350.

To check the seasoning, microwave a small piece for about 10 seconds and taste it, or pan sear a dime-sized piece; raw mix cannot be tasted.

Bake until the centre reaches about 140F, around 40 minutes.

For the glaze, simmer ketchup, about equal parts brown sugar, a splash of cider vinegar, a dash of Worcestershire and a dash of soy sauce until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool.

At 140F, brush on the glaze and raise the oven to 500, as hot as it goes, for about three minutes per coat, lacquering it in three layers.

Rest until the centre equilibrates at around 150F, up to about 160, then slice.