Spring is finally here! In my house, that means digging to the bottom of the freezer for a big pork leg or shoulder to cure up a smoked ham. Ham pairs beautifully with spring vegetables like asparagus, artichokes and peas. Read more ›
The final challenge for Charcutepalooza was to make a whole mess of charcuterie items and throw a party to celebrate the makings. Thank goodness I had a whole month to prepare, because that’s how long it took me to do it all. If I had not done the eleven preceding challenges, this final project would have been impossible. Read more ›
This rillette’s recipe came from Charcuterie by Ruhlman/Polcyn, but there are lots of good recipes out there. In fact, you barely need a recipe. What you do need it the right cut of meat. Read more ›
It’s time once again for this month’s Charcutepalooza challenge-packing! No, not packing for your trip to Paris (darn!) I mean packing lovely porkie goodness into a terrine for paté, in my case. I used Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s Paté Campagne recipe, but instead of prunes I used red flame and golden raisins, Read more ›
I was a little late doing my Charcutepalooza challenge last month. The assignment was to make either headcheese or a seafood terrine. It was ridiculously hot and humid in July, so I couldn’t bring myself to boil pigs feet for hours on end, no matter how tasty the result. Read more ›
I’ve been part of this crazy Charcutepalooza group since January 2011, where we work our way through Michael Ruhlman’s “Charcuterie” book, one challenge a month. So far we’ve made duck ham, bacon, corned beef, chorizo, chicken sausage and mortadella. Read more ›