While in college, our oldest son, Josh, was a musical theater major, and the favorite character he ever played was Sweeney Todd. And, as you might expect, since we started grinding meats for Charcutepalooza there have been many references in our house to the play, and the music, and even Johnny Depp has come up a couple of times… but I digress. Now, to have the opportunity to make a meat pie! I could almost feel the whoosh of the bodies sliding…
We have already discussed my 11th hour habits, that cram for exam attitude which has reared it’s ugly head often through this Charcutepalooza challenge and made life difficult, though occasionally thrilling, for me. Though, this time, I almost wonder if it wasn’t a purposeful stall that allowed me to miss out on slow cooking a pig head on my stove top, only to be replaced by the still life seen below- starring a luscious foie gras terrine with a supporting cast…
What better place to serve a hot dog than a Fourth of July Barbeque? The menu almost writes itself- and the hot dog is the star of the show! As always, as commited as I am to the Charcutepalooza project, I felt pressed for time as I shopped for the dogs, so I was overjoyed to find that Whole Foods had Korean style short ribs ready for purchase. Cutting out that small bone was a cinch, and I now have…
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…
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…