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Charcutepalooza December: Thank You

by David Dadekian December 6, 2011
written by David Dadekian
Charcuterie Board (see lower photo for descriptions)

Charcuterie Board (see lower photo for descriptions)

And so it goes. Our year of meat has come to a close. For the final Charcutepalooza challenge we were told to show what we learned all year. In Cathy’s own words, do some “showing off” with a celebration. Personally, I think a lot of the Charcutepalooza participants have been showing off all year long—and I mean that in a very positive way. I’ve had an immense amount of fun, a little frustration and a minor failure, but mostly huge fun.

The final challenge for me involved my family and the weekend after Thanksgiving, a leisurely weekend of chopping down a Christmas tree and putting up lights and decorations, all while enjoying the meats and cheeses you see on the big board above. The bresaola I had made for the previous challenge, all the rest of the charcuterie I slowly assembled over the month of November in preparation for the bittersweet end.

CharcutepaloozaAs I said, it was the weekend after Thanksgiving. My parents were visiting us from their home in Florida. My wife had four days off from work. My daughters were constantly excited from all the grandparent attention and all these Christmas decorations coming out—there’s a tree in the house! I knew I wasn’t going to want to cook too much after the multi-day extravaganza that is Thanksgiving, but I knew we’d want to eat something else besides leftovers so thought, what’s better than a spread of charcuterie that we can pick at as we work and play?

I made all these photographs and then we proceeded to clear the board over the weekend, cooking up the sausage and some of the lamb bacon, steaming the pastrami until it was moist and tender. My mother loved the pâté, something she doesn’t get that often, and I avoided mentioning to her that using Jacques Pépin’s very classical recipe calls for half a pound of livers with 3/8 of a pound of butter as the base. As much as I would love to see my girls eat everything on the board, they’re not there yet, though Brigid did sample all the Farmstead cheeses at the Wintertime Farmers’ Market and helped pick out two of them.

When I was making the pâté the day before I had taken out a bottle of Armenian “cognac.” I use quotes because it’s obviously not made in the French region of Cognac, but that’s what Armenian brandies have been called for many years. Supposedly Armenian cognac was Winston Churchill’s drink of choice. My dad hadn’t seen a bottle in years and wanted to try it so my wife, in perhaps a bit of whimsy, took out a couple of shot glasses with shamrocks on them for us to have a drink. The bottle from Armenia alongside the Irish shot glass kind of summed up our whole family so I made a photo, but this being a Charcutepalooza feast I had to stick the pâté in the photo too.

So with that memory and image of all my now eaten charcuterie (there’s a little lamb bacon left, but won’t be for long) I close my year of meat. But I certainly can’t end without a huge thank you to Cathy Barrow and Kim Foster for coming up with all this fun. I’ve been making charcuterie for years, but never as regularly or as focused as I did for the last year. Also, for me, the best part was expanding how I would photograph these things. I started with some different ways with the duck prosciutto, became really happy with my style as I got to the pancetta and the last three months of meat pie, galantine and bresaola have been very satisfying for me. I appreciate all the kind comments and Kim’s choosing a few of my photos for her monthly wrap-ups. I can’t thank her and especially Cathy’s inspiring challenges and tweets enough.

Special thanks also to Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, authors of our manual for the year Charcuterie. I eagerly await their salumi book. Finally, I can’t possibly think of a way to say thank you enough to all the wonderful Charcutepalooza participants. I can’t say enough about the joy of “conversing” with all of you on Twitter. If I begin to try and list everyone’s Twitter name I know I’ll miss someone, so check out this great archive of every tweet with the #charcutepalooza tag and follow them all.

Thank you again, Cathy @MrsWheelbarrow and Kim @KimFosterNYC!

Turkey & chicken liver pâté with Armenian brandy ("cognac")

Turkey & chicken liver pâté with Armenian brandy ("cognac")

Charcuterie Board

Charcuterie Board

Turkey & Chicken Liver Pâté

Turkey & Chicken Liver Pâté

Bresaola

Bresaola

Lamb Bacon

Lamb Bacon

Pastrami

Pastrami

December 6, 2011 0 comment
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chefs & restaurantsnewswine & drinks

Tini’s Spring Cocktails Are Here, Along With Two New Dishes

by David Dadekian April 1, 2011
written by David Dadekian

The new Spring Cocktails at Tini, from left to right: [verb] my Green Bikini in [place], A Classy [noun], [noun] on the Horizon, [verb] the White Dog, Make Her [verb] This Time

The new Spring Cocktails at Tini, from left to right: (verb) my Green Bikini in (place), A Classy (noun), (noun) on the Horizon, (verb) the White Dog, Make Her (verb) This Time

After this winter, it seems as if everyone is working hard to bring about spring. When I asked bartender Alicia Canning about working on the five new drinks for Tini‘s Spring Cocktail Line she gave kind of a sly smile. I’ll just say bringing about spring at Tini can be intoxicating and leave it at that. It can also be delicious, as proven by Chef Darius Salko’s two new dishes. When I received Salko’s message mentioning a fried chicken skin sandwich you could almost see the swooshing, curly speed lines behind me as I rushed to Tini.

Orange Dream Salad (larger version at end of piece)

Orange Dream Salad (larger version at end of piece)

First, the food. In addition to the fried chicken skin sandwich, which is more properly called The Crackling Club, there is the Orange Dream Salad. I’ll confess, when Salko told me what was in it—orange and grapefruit segments, dates, Bulgarian sheep’s milk Feta cheese, red seedless grapes, torn mint, cinnamon and pomegranate seeds—I wasn’t sure how that combination would work. But I’ve learned to have faith in Salko’s method of putting together good, fresh ingredients in clean, simple ways that create hugely flavorful dishes. Salko told me, “We serve it with two tortillas and you kind of just have a ball,” and he was so right. I highly recommend ordering the Orange Dream Salad, especially if you’re going to also have The Crackling Club, which as you might imagine, is so good (and only a little bit “bad”).

The Crackling Club (larger version at end of piece)

The Crackling Club (larger version at end of piece)

While you might think a fried chicken skin sandwich sounds hedonistic, again, in the Tini style of fresh and simple, it’s really a somewhat light sandwich. I say somewhat because it is a club sandwich, so there’s also house cured & smoked bacon, Allen Farms red mustard greens, sweet cabbage, pickled shallots, bread-and-butter pickles and house made mayonnaise, along with the two chicken cracklings. It’s all piled beautifully on their house made brioche. The chicken skin is perfectly crisped and slightly puffed so the effect is really a somewhat light spring-like club sandwich and not something heavy.

Now, the cocktails. Canning prepared five beautiful drinks for me to play with making photos of, and then of course I got to try them all. The Spring Cocktail Line is called “Ad Lib” and the names of the drinks require the person ordering to fill in some key words, in the style of a favorite childhood written word game. Sure the missing spots in the cocktail names could all be filled-in with words loaded in innuendo, but then who didn’t do that with Mad Libs anyway (0r skipped the innuendo altogether and just went straight to the gutter)? The cocktails are:

  1. White Whisky, Muddled Cucumber = [verb] the White Dog
  2. Cachaça, St. Germain, Basil = [verb] my Green Bikini in [place]
  3. Belvedere, Framboise, Lemon, Champagne = A Classy [noun]
  4. Genever, Maraschino, Violette, Mint = [noun] on the Horizon
  5. Maker’s Mark, TINI Grenadine, Thyme = Make Her [verb] This Time

I really enjoyed the “[verb] the White Dog.” It uses Death’s Door White Whisky which is fermented in stainless steel and finished in uncharred oak barrels so it never gets the caramel color or smoky flavors of a traditional whisky. Personally, I wouldn’t call it a whisky, or maybe label it with an asterisk, because it’s a delicious drink and people who aren’t fans of whisky might pass it by. The “Make Her [verb] This Time” was also a favorite. The thyme and a little touch of salt in it really brings out some subtle flavors. All the drinks were perfectly balanced and should be big hits.

In addition to the new drinks and dishes, Tini is now serving late on Wednesdays with live music. Salko posted, “It’s the Tini Show starting at 10 p.m.! 3 excellent musicians, amazing cocktails, $15 wine bottles, late night grub until 11 p.m. You can’t go wrong! Tini Weenies and Fries will be served for the Music Lovers!”

[verb] the White Dog

(verb) the White Dog

[verb] my Green Bikini in [place]

(verb) my Green Bikini in (place)

A Classy [noun]

A Classy (noun)

[noun] on the Horizon

(noun) on the Horizon

Make Her [verb] This Time

Make Her (verb) This Time

Orange Dream Salad

Orange Dream Salad

The Crackling Club

The Crackling Club

April 1, 2011 0 comment
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cooking

Charcutepalooza February: The Salt Cure: bacon & pancetta

by David Dadekian October 31, 2022
written by David Dadekian

pancetta with slice
pancetta with slice

Pork belly.

I’m going to let those words roll around your tongue for a while. Perhaps I’ll type them again.

Pork belly.

Beautiful words, yes? Before February’s Charcutepalooza challenge was even announced I had acquired a thick, fatty, gorgeous pork belly from a pasture-raised Berkshire pig. It had been delivered on a Friday morning by Patrick McNiff of Pat’s Pastured farm in Jamestown, Rhode Island and then butchered in front of my camera by Chef Champe Speidel of Persimmon Provisions butcher shop in Barrington, Rhode Island. When the photo session was done (the photos will be in the upcoming spring issue of Edible Rhody) I said, “I’m buying that pork belly.” David, who works at Persimmon Provisions, also said, “I’m buying that pork belly.” Fortunately, there’s two sides to every animal, so we avoided pork belly tension. Have I achieved any kind of record for the number of times one can type “pork belly” in a paragraph?

Charcutepalooza

I put the belly in my refrigerator, planning on spending some time that weekend curing it. I have often made un-smoked slab bacon (essentially slab pancetta) and had come very close to a recipe I liked the last time I had done it, so I had hoped to perfect it with the nine-plus pounds of belly now wrapped in plastic in my refrigerator. Clearly the pork belly has mystical powers because it was revealed on Saturday morning that the February Charcutepalooza challenge was The Salt Cure. How often do you find yourself with a large cut of pork belly and the possibility of winning a prize by curing that pork belly? I know what you’re saying: not often enough.

First thing I did was split the belly into two pieces. The extremely thick end weighed in at about 3 1/2 pounds and that was set aside for bacon. The rest, which was still pretty thick and proved a bit difficult to roll, I cured with the pancetta recipe straight out of Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn’s Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing. I still haven’t completely decided if I’ve perfected my bacon cure yet, but if you like your bacon a little on the spicy/savory side, you can give this a try:

Bacon Cure

Print
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Ingredients

  • salt cure (how much and what color I leave to you to decide, my bacon never leaves a refrigerator or oven, so I used a cup of kosher salt)
  • 1 Tbs Ecuadorian whole black peppercorns
  • 1/2 Tbs whole coriander
  • 1/2 Tbs whole cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 Tbs Herbs de Provence
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup

Instructions

Toast and grind the whole spices, crumble the bay leaves and mix it all up in a zip top bag with the pork belly. From there follow the directions in Charcuterie. I use Ecuadorian black peppercorns because they have a bit of heat. I wouldn’t say hot like cayenne, but definitely more heat than you’d get from Tellicherry peppercorns. I get them from The Spice House. If you don’t have them you could use standard peppercorns and a dash or two of ground cayenne or perhaps a few shots of Tabasco.

Before closing, a quick story about my wonderfully faithful and protective black Labrador named Bayou (yes, she was born in Louisiana). I hang most of my charcuterie out in the open in our basement. Each time I hang a piece of meat, Bayou wanders down to the basement and sniffs every square inch of the floor, hunting for something she knows smells delicious, but she can never find it. I’m not sure if I’ll be upset or proud on the day Bayou finally figures out that all she has to do is look up.

Photos and captions will tell the rest of my curing tale. Thank you again to Mrs. Wheelbarrow and The Yummy Mummy.

Berkshire pork belly after curing for bacon, prior to roasting
Berkshire pork belly after curing for bacon, prior to roasting

Berkshire pork belly after curing for bacon, prior to roasting (reverse view)
Berkshire pork belly after curing for bacon, prior to roasting (reverse view)

pork belly cured for bacon, seen after roasting, fresh from the oven
pork belly cured for bacon, seen after roasting, fresh from the oven

close-up cross section of bacon
close-up cross section of bacon

the bacon now having cooled
the bacon now having cooled

full view of bacon cross-section
full view of bacon cross-section

cooked bacon, soon to be inside grilled cheese sandwiches, alongside a jar of glowing bacon fat
cooked bacon, soon to be inside grilled cheese sandwiches, alongside a jar of glowing bacon fat

bacon fat, strained through cheesecloth
bacon fat, strained through cheesecloth

portion of pork belly cured for pancetta
portion of pork belly cured for pancetta

belly rolled, tied and ready to hang
belly rolled, tied and ready to hang

pancetta tie job 1
pancetta tie job 1

pancetta tie job 2
pancetta tie job 2

close-up of rolled belly and trussing
close-up of rolled belly and trussing

hung
hung

finished pancetta, cut in two
finished pancetta, cut in two

one half of the rolled pancetta
one half of the rolled pancetta

one thin slice
one thin slice

One more time: pork belly

October 31, 2022 0 comment
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chefs & restaurantswine & drinks

Cochon 555 Boston

by David Dadekian April 8, 2010
written by David Dadekian

Chef Ryan Farr from 4505 Meats in San Francisco doing the pig butchery demonstration with a Tamworth/Berkshire/Large Black pig from North Plain Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Chef Ryan Farr from 4505 Meats in San Francisco doing the pig butchery demonstration with a Tamworth/Berkshire/Large Black pig from North Plain Farm in Great Barrington, Massachusetts

On Sunday March 28th the second annual Boston event for Cochon 555 was held at The Liberty Hotel. Last year’s champion from Providence, Rhode Island, Chef Matt Jennings of Farmstead, successfully defended his title. Chef Jennings won in a very tight competition against Chef Tony Maws from Craigie on Main, Chef Joseph Margate from Clink., Chef Jamie Bissonnette from Toro and Coppa and Chef Barry Maiden from Hungry Mother. Needless to say, there was a lot of phenomenal food served, almost all—with a few exceptions at the pre & post-events—containing some part of a heritage breed pig.

Each of the five chefs had a different heritage breed pig from different local farms. There were two Tamworths from Codman Community Farms in Lincoln, Massachusetts, a Yorkshire from Adams Farm in Athol, Massachusetts, a Gloucestershire Old Spots/Tamworth from North Hollow Farm in Rochester, Vermont and a Duroc/Yorkshire from Rockville Market Farm in Starksboro, Vermont. There were also five winemakers represented as well from Anderson’s Conn Valley, Anne Amie Vineyards, Elk Cove Vineyards, Wind Gap Wines and Westport Rivers Winery.

The evening also featured Smuttynose Brewing Co., Island Creek Oysters and many other food & beverage professionals that are highlighted in some of my photos below. Everyone I spoke to had a wonderful time and I actually had a very happy pork-hangover the next day. Thank you to Brady Lowe, Carolina Uribe and their staff, and congratulations again to Chef Matt Jennings and his team. Good luck at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Matt. Bring the national award home to Providence.

The Hungry Mother team assembling sandwiches. Note the fantastic low-tech pig chart with all the cuts labeled with what went into what menu item.

The Hungry Mother team assembling sandwiches. Note the fantastic low-tech pig chart with all the cuts labeled with what went into what menu item.


Chef Jamie Bissonnette slicing some porchetta

Chef Jamie Bissonnette slicing some porchetta


Chef Tony Maws with his Confit and Roasted Tete de Cochon

Chef Tony Maws with his Confit and Roasted Tete de Cochon


Daniel Hyatt from The Alembic Bar in San Francisco

Daniel Hyatt from The Alembic Bar in San Francisco


Chef Margate's beautiful table display, works of art

Chef Margate's beautiful table display, works of art


Hungry Mother -- Don't Touch!!


bacon


Cheeses from Formaggio Kitchen and South End Formaggio

Cheeses from Formaggio Kitchen and South End Formaggio


Prosciutto e Uova Verdi t-shirt


Hungry Mother's table display


Chef Jamie Bissonette's simply gorgeous meat slicer (it was a gift from a customer!)

Chef Jamie Bissonette's simply gorgeous meat slicer (it was a gift from a customer!)


Hungry Mother in action. The pate with a white wine aspic in front was one of my favorite items of the evening.

Hungry Mother in action. The pate with a white wine aspic in front was one of my favorite items of the evening.


Chef Ryan Farr's butchery tools

Chef Ryan Farr's butchery tools


The judges table

The judges table


Chef Joseph Margate's steamed pork buns

Chef Joseph Margate's steamed pork buns


Slices of marinated pork tenderloin being prepared for the dehydrator to be turned into Chef Margate's delicious pork jerky (another highlight item)

Slices of marinated pork tenderloin being prepared for the dehydrator to be turned into Chef Margate's delicious pork jerky (another highlight item)


Margate's jerky alongside his excellent pork skin salad

Margate's jerky alongside his excellent pork skin salad


Luau pig

Luau pig


Farms For City Kids Tarentaise Vermont Cow's Milk Cheese

Farms For City Kids Tarentaise Vermont Cow's Milk Cheese


Chef Margate's caramel popcorn made with Mangalitsa fat and tossed with Vosges chocolate with bacon

Chef Margate's caramel popcorn made with Mangalitsa fat and tossed with Vosges chocolate with bacon


Atrium of The Liberty Hotel

Atrium of The Liberty Hotel


Every wine glass came with a complimentary little, pink plastic pig

Every wine glass came with a complimentary little, pink plastic pig


The five competing chefs with Brady Lowe, from left to right: Chef Tony Maws from Craigie on Main, Chef Matt Jennings from Farmstead, Chef Joseph Margate from Clink., Chef Jamie Bissonnette from Toro and Coppa, Chef Barry Maiden from Hungry Mother

The five competing chefs with Brady Lowe, from left to right: Chef Tony Maws from Craigie on Main, Chef Matt Jennings from Farmstead, Chef Joseph Margate from Clink., Chef Jamie Bissonnette from Toro and Coppa, Chef Barry Maiden from Hungry Mother


Boston Prince of Porc, winner Chef Matt Jennings from Farmstead with Brady Lowe

Boston Prince of Porc, winner Chef Matt Jennings from Farmstead with Brady Lowe


Chef Matt Jennings


Chef Jennings with his team

Chef Jennings with his team


At the after party Chef Jason Bond from Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro was carving lamb with the aid of this beautiful inlaid bone handle

At the after party Chef Jason Bond from Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro was carving lamb with the aid of this beautiful inlaid bone handle


bacon

April 8, 2010 0 comment
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