my grandpa signing a portrait he painted in ’64 that hangs in our home cured and apple-smoked shoulder of wild boar [sow, actually] cured and smoked wild white spring salmon
2nd Annual Game Dinner Eve
Last year my dad asked me if I’d be willing to cook a multi-course dinner featuring the different game birds and big game that he and his friends hunt. It was a really memorable party. 7 courses, lots of drinking, and lots of being merry. It far exceeded expectations. So tonight, we’re hosting the follow up to this event. I … Read More
A memorable food day
I made and smoked sausage today, and am happy with the product for the first time. I’d tried with goose meat prior, and it smelled and looked the part, but tasted awful. This time I blended calf moose, elk, and pork, and it looks, smells, and tastes great. Thank god. While making the sausage, I couldn’t bring myself to grind … Read More
Party season
Time for our 3rd annual winter party. I was hoping to make it an annual event back when I did my first one, and I’m really pleased to be at the third already! I’m going to try a couple recipes from my charcuterie idol, Michael Ruhlman. Oh. I diverge. I emailed the guy, I think I mentioned this. Well he … Read More
Bacon and Venison
I smoked bacon in -24 and snow today. Far more enjoyable in the fall, but seems to have worked okay nonetheless. Cured pork belly is not near as good as its smoked counterpart. It’s not just the smoke – in this case, hickory. It’s a texture thing too – it firms it up, changes the character of the meat, and … Read More
You should thank Gordon Ramsay
I hunted, killed, butchered, cleaned, cured, and confit’d 11 wild ducks. Not 1. Eleven. I pitted and dried a bunch of evans cherries that a friend picked for me. I roasted a sweet potato, days ahead. I ground pork fat and the above mixture. I moistened the mixture with some white wine I made. I stuffed it in hog casing. … Read More
Engagement Party Dinner
Saturday night I put together an ultra-posh ‘French Bistro’ themed 5 course menu to celebrate M & D’s engagement. A quick review: Wine pairing for the next two courses: Crémant d’Alsace from Turkheim we brought back from our recent trip to France. It’s essentially champagne, from Alsace. We tasted at a lot of wineries before settling on this as our … Read More
Culinary Accomplishment – Paté de Campagne
I am preparing for a very posh, French Bistro-themed dinner party to celebrate M&D’s engagement. Included on the starter menu: Paté de Campagne. Luckily, my charcuterie mentor had a great recipe for me to run with – and this baby is gonna be good. Some flavour components to get one excited: pork liver, brandy, nutmeg, clove, and heavy cream. I … Read More
Culinary Accomplishment
My brother in law and I just wrapped up a goose sausage making session. We made roughly 20lbs, about 5 lbs of each of the following: Garlic Sausage with Sage Lots of garlic, and dried sage from my garden, with my red wine. Provencale Dried tomatoes from my garden, herbes de provence I brought back from Ile de La Sorgue … Read More
A Sausage First
Today I completed my first attempt at making my own sausage. It’s a lot of work, but damn tasty. I made a pork garlic sausage with herbs my garden and red wine I made with airborne yeast and no chemicals. It was an important first step in my quest to make a variety of ‘gourmet’ sausages during this year’s coming … Read More