As I struggled to pull together my June Charcutepalooza post this week, trying to force some personality to show through the words, I knew what fed my blogger’s block. My mother, my original kitchen mentor, died last week. It happened quickly, as she sat down to a dinner she had prepared for my dad and his friend. She was in her 87th year, and remained active to the end, playing, and winning, duplicate bridge the day before. These are all things to…
I don’t know for certain that I don’t like chicken sausage, but I assume I don’t because I really don’t like chicken all that much. So, faced with the task of producing a poultry based sausage, I immediately went looking for alternatives to chicken. One simple Google search later I was overjoyed to find several mentions of an Italian sausage made with duck and pancetta- whoo hoo! Fat, flavor and spiciness! The first step in the process had to…
This month, as I write this blog, I feel like I am back in school, burning the proverbial midnight oil, pressing hard into the night to complete the term paper (blog) before it’s due. I did all the research early on (made the chorizo, made the recipe, made a second recipe, and then finally a third), but putting it all together in the final product was left to the last minute. All these years, and the same old habits. I made…
You would think that after more than 40 years of cooking, I would have learned by now that it is imperative that one read through the recipe thoroughly before committing to the project. This is not, however, the case. On hearing the Charcutepalooza challenge to “smoke”, I immediately announced to the family that we would be having Lox and Bagels this month! Then life got in the way- job change, medical issues, normal business, Spring Break for the little ones,…
With the arrival of the pink salt (as well as two packages of casings, one beef and one pork, in anticipation of a future sausage challenge), I was faced with this question: Corned Beef Brisket or Corned Beef Tongue. The brisket was an appropriate choice, given an impending St. Patrick’s Day, but the tongue… memories of the best meal of my life, and the worst meal of my life. Seems like I have to try it to see if I can…
I think my family is really enjoying Charcutepalooza! They are eating quite well as I hole myself up in the kitchen, not just curing meat, but baking breads and experimenting with desserts to go along with the meals that feature the meat of the moment. Last month, for the bacon and pancetta chapter of Charcutepalooza, because not many retailers stock it here in Orange County (I guess the Real Housewives don’t cure their own, eh?) ,and because I was on a…
As anyone who read my bacon blog knows, I was a bit frenetic at the beginning of this challange, flying through the bacon curing process with little creative input. Even my final production of a Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato sandwich was to say the least, uninspired. I hoped to do better with this one, taking a deep breath after placing the bacon belly in the refrigerator. Not yet a true believer in the magical process since, at this point,…
Sunday, Jan. 30, 9:15 A.M.: scanning Facebook, I notice a post from a food friend in Santa Cruz- She’s taking part in a cook-and-blog event called Charcutepalooza. 9:16 A.M.: click the link to find out what Charcutepalooza is. Joy and excitement- it’s an excuse to buy Ruhlman’s ( oh how I love him) book, Charcuterie, and play with pork and other things! Always wanting to make things myself, my only venture into charcuterie was a stab at chorizo after a trip to…