Charcutepalooza - Packing (no I am not going anywhere)

This is September Charcutepalooza challenge. This month it was all about "Packing". I trembled at the thought of having to make a pastry dough. I can not tell you how just hearing the word "dough" sends me into fits.

We chose to make a Pate en Croute from a recipe I saw on Canadian Living. It called for duck and pork. How can you go wrong? Throw in chicken livers and pork belly and well....need I say more?



So, I put on the "Big Girl Panties" and dug in to the task of making dough. I have to say that I started to really get into it. It wasn't too bad.



Did I ever tell you how much I love chicken livers? Oh, I did? Hmmm.



I can't tell you how amazing and lucky I feel to have Pork from Neal Foley. I feel privileged to have meat in our freezer that was raised lovingly by friends.



So, grinding up pork belly is my middle name. "No it isn't Janis. Your middle name is Diane. Not only that but you are talking to yourself out loud"



Dough! I made pretty pretty dough. Doh.



Heh, this next picture ALMOST makes up for my rambling. No? Ok, well I swear that if you came over and hung out with me that it would make a lot more sense this rambling of mine. I swear. Dr. Food only gives me dirty looks once in a while. What? What is that you said? He is NOT a saint.



And just for you I made Pig cutouts. They sorta look like Aardvarks but they are pigs.




This doesn't look the prettiest but boy did it taste good. I almost (I said almost) cried.



Goober climbed Mount Pate en Croute!



So the collection of charcuterie is growning. As if we didn't have enough I decided to go for another Pate en Croute that I saw in Garde Manger. It is a textbook from the Culinary Institute of America. Amazing book. I decided I had to make the Salmon en Croute.



We needed Crayfish and we found them at H Mart.



It isn't all glamour around Chez Janis ya know. I had to shell those little crawdaddys.



The dough was a Saffron dough.



Me with the dough again. Argh.

We made a mousseline-style forcemeat by processing the salmon and shrimp and folding in the crayfish, chives, and basil.



My friends Monty and Peter had given me (well they gave it to Dr. Food for his birthday but what is his is mine too. Sorta.) a Le Creuset terrine. It is an old old one. We packed that puppy up. We layered the mousseline with strips of salmon and then another layer of mousseline.



We encased it in dough and put the little chimney's in there.



We baked for prescribed amount of time and then took out to cool. I could have not shown you what this looked like when it came out but then you wouldn't be impressed when you saw what it looked like by the time it cooled all the way down.



Voila! No joke. When it cooled it shrunk and looked perfect. Now was the time to put the aspic in. I don't have pictures of this because both of us were needed to actually do this procedure. The aspic was made out of toasting the shrimp shells and using some clam juice. We also added wine to it. We then added gelatin. After it was piped in and cooled overnight we had a pretty fancy pants looking Pate en Croute.



Came out of the terrine unscathed (well, I won't show you the side that got a little bit wonky).



Look how clear our aspic is? Almost looks like it isn't there. We floated a raft on the aspic to clarify it. Aspic must be very clear and clean.



There you have it! Packing. This was sent to Dr. Foods work for all to enjoy. Don't YOU wish you worked with Dr. Food?


Pate en Croute (Duck Breast and Pork)
Canadianliving.com

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless duck breasts, (each about 8 oz/250 g)
1 boneless pork loin centre chop, (about 6 oz/175 g)
3 tbsp (45 mL) brandy
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh thyme
3/4 tsp (4 mL) pepper
1 pinch ground allspice
2 tbsp (25 mL) unsalted butter
1 onion, finely diced

4 oz (113 g) duck or pork or chicken livers, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
3/4 tsp (4 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) nutmeg
1/4 cup (50 mL) dry white wine
1-1/2 lb (680 g) pork belly
2 eggs
1/4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream
1 egg yolk
2 tsp (10 mL) water
Pastry:
2-2/3 cups (650 mL) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
2/3 cup (150 mL) cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 mL) sour cream
1/4 cup (50 mL) cold water
Preparation:

Pastry: In large bowl, whisk flour with salt. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until in fine crumbs. Whisk together egg yolks, sour cream and cold water; drizzle over flour mixture, tossing with fork and pressing with hands to form ragged dough. Divide in half; press into squares. Wrap each and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Thinly slice 1 of the duck breasts across the grain; place in bowl. Slice pork thinly across the grain; add to duck. Stir in brandy, 2 tsp (10 mL) of the thyme, 1/4 tsp (1 mL) of the pepper and allspice; cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or for up to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in skillet, melt butter over medium heat; cook onion until softened, about 6 minutes. Add liver, bay leaves, salt, nutmeg, and remaining thyme and pepper; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in wine; cook until no liquid remains, about 2 minutes. Transfer to large bowl; let cool completely. Discard bay leaves.

Cut pork belly and remaining duck breast into chunks; transfer to food processor and purée until smooth. Add to onion mixture. Stir in eggs and whipping cream until combined, using hands if necessary.

On lightly floured surface, roll out 1 of the pastry squares to scant 1/4-inch (5 mm) thickness; cut into 14- x 5-inch (35 x 12 cm) rectangle. Place on parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Spread with half of the pâté mixture, leaving 1-inch (2.5 cm) border. Lay strips of marinated duck and pork lengthwise over pâté; spread with remaining pâté. Turn pastry border up sides. Whisk egg yolk with water; brush some of the egg wash over pastry.

Roll out remaining pastry to 14- x 8-inch (35 x 20 cm) rectangle. Place over pâté, pressing to seal. Trim any excess.

From pastry trimmings, cut out decorations for top. Using egg wash, stick onto pastry top. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut 2 circles in top. Insert rolled-up parchment paper “chimneys” into holes for steam vents. Brush with egg wash. Bake in 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F (180°C); bake, covering with foil if necessary to prevent browning and removing any fat that seeps onto pan with turkey baster or shallow spoon, until digital instant-read thermometer inserted into centre reads 170°F (77°C), about 50 minutes.

Using 2 spatulas, transfer to clean parchment paper–lined baking sheet; let cool. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature to serve.)
Additional Information:

Tip: Keep pâté refrigerated while rolling the pastry to prevent the mixture from becoming too soft.

Korean Pork Neck Stew made with ribs not neck.

Hi Readers! I wanted to share with you my new favorite recipe. You know that I am madly in love with Korean food. You didn't know that? Well, that means that you don't read this blog enough because I am always using run on sentences to describe this passion.



I also am madly in love with Perilla. It is also known as Shiso. I planted in my backyard last year and to my surprise it came back. Not only did it "come back" but it grew in weird places. Sorta reminds me of when old men have hair growing out of their ears and places that it shouldn't be. Well sorta like that.



Not only is it getting pushy with my basil, but it is growing everywhere it wants.



It is growing in the rocks. Rocks! Now I have more of this stuff than I know what to do with. I mean really... How does one preserve Shiso? Hmmm. Shiso jam perhaps.



Oh, I also grew mushrooms (See Dr. Food? You think you are so smart snickering at me telling me that it "never works"). I won this Back to the Roots Mushroom Growing kit from Rebecca at Foodie with Family (Waving to Rebecca! Hi Rebecca I love my mushrooms) however...



I let them go a little too long. Shut up, I wanted them to get REALLY big. Pfft. You know you would have done the same. Anyhow I decided to use them in the Pork Neck Stew Made with Ribs Instead of Pork Neck. I couldn't get the necks this week. We went to H Mart and they were out of them so we bought pork riblets.



I think that I liked the ribs in this better than neck because the stew then had a bit more meat in it.



This is the Umma Paste that I also posted in the chicken recipe that I made from this same cookbook.



Perillo cut into ribbons. This stew was so good that it almost made me tell it that I loved it more than I loved Dol Sot Bi Bim Bap but I didn't.



See that picture? I made an omelette in my coffee mug! You are impressed I can tell. I just put the egg in there with some smoked turkey and a drop of cheese and put it in the microwave. Why am I telling you this in the middle of my blog post about Korean food? I don't know. I felt like it.

Pork Neck Stew with Potatoes and Perilla
Marja Vongerichten Kimchi Chronicles

Printable Version

2 lbs pork neck bones (I used 2lbs of ribs)
4 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbl soju, sake, or vodka
Umma Paste (see below)
3 Tbl doenjang (soybean paste)
2 dz perilla leaves, sliced into thin ribbons
2 tbl perilla seeds (couldn't find this time but that is ok it was fine without it)
1 tbl roasted sesame seeds
6 scallions, thinly sliced

Umma Paste
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons gochugaru
(red pepper powder)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons gochujang
(red pepper paste)
3 tablespoons soju

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree to a smooth paste.

Place bones in a large, heavy pot with enough cold water to cover them by 6 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Return to a boil an cook for 5 to 6 hours, checking periodically to be sure the water doesn't completely evaporate. Broth will be cloudy and white and heady.

Stir in the potatoes, onion, soju (or sake), Umma paste, doenjang, and perilla leaves. Crush sesame seeds (with perilla seeds if using) in a mortar and pestle and add to soup. Boil until the potatoes are completely tender but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the soup sprinkled with scallions.

Serves 4 to 6

Stuffed Leg of Lamb...aren't you glad I didn't say pork?

I might be crying uncle on pork products now. I will be back to them but for now I think I have had enough pork for a lifetime. So when we wanted to make something good Dr. Food suggested this recipe and we ran with it. It is a Stuffed Leg of Lamb. What is it stuffed with? Pork! No, just jokin.



I just so happen to have most of a lamb left in my freezer. The best lamb ever. You know how I feel about Leyden Glen Lamb (waving to Kristen, Mark and Julia). If you are new to this blog I will tell you that I am crazy about these guys.



Since we were smoking this leg of lamb in the smoker Dr. Food decided to throw in a bacon and a pastrami. We also threw in a turkey breast to smoke for lunch meat.



This pastrami was an experiment. We had bought a corned beef that had been in the freezer. We thawed it and dried it out a bit then we smoked it (after I rubbed pastrami magic stuff on it. Well, not really magic. Just some spices.) Haven't tasted it yet but will let you know when we do if it is any good.



So leg of lamb is rubbed with garlic and oil mixture. It then sat overnight.



I was lucky enough to receive a sampler of Cypress Grove cheese. Man o man is it good. I used the Ms. Natural in this dish. The stuffing for the lamb was spinach, goat cheese, and pinenuts.



We stuffed the boneless leg of lamb and then tied it up. Well, we had a "discussion" how to tie it up and well...nevermind. It wasn't pretty.



After we got it secured we seared the outside of it.



Did I ever tell you I have 2 cats? I actually do. This is Jasmine. She is old. She kills lots of mice and brings them to the door. Most the time she has eaten most of the mouse. She is really obnoxious but I love her. The other cat is not so old but she weighs 100lbs and is really dirty. She annoys me too but I feel sorry for her. Dr. Food is nice to both of them even though they annoy him too. Ok, I got off the subject again.



So the smoker is loaded. From the looks of that photo so was I... but I wasn't.

Fast forward...



Bacon out of the chamber!



Um...this is either the pastrami or the lamb. Meat is meat and I don't know which one this was. Hey, this blog is free don't complain. You get what you pay for. You are stuck with my memory.



Here is the stuffed lamb. I know this for sure on this one. That is corn (har har).

Dr. Food quit rolling your eyes. I know you are reading this and rolling your eyes at me because you think I ramble and don't make sense and that the people reading this won't know what the hell I am talking about. YOU married me didn't you? See? I make sense.

Luscious Leg of Lamb
From: Smoke & Spice, by C.A. Jamison & B. Jamison
Printable Version


LUSCIOUS PASTE

10 garlic cloves 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5-pound to 5 1/2-pound boned leg of lamb

FILLING

1 tablespoon olive oil 8 ounces mild goat cheese [we used feta]
1/2 medium onion, chopped (we used more) `1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup dried currants or chopped raisins
1/3 cup pine nuts or chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional) [we omitted, Marty hates anchovies!]
1 1/2 pounds spinach, cooked, drained, and chopped

LUSCIOUS MOP (OPTIONAL)

2.1/2 cups beef stock 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil
Serves 6 to 8




The night before you plan to barbecue, prepare the paste. With a mortar and pestle, or in a mini-food processor, crush or mince the garlic with the salt. Add the olive oil in a stream until a thick paste forms. Rub the paste very lightly over the lamb. Place the lamb in a plastic bag and refrigerate it overnight.

Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 200 degrees F.

Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

To make the filling, warm the oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened. Add the pine nuts and continue to cook for another minute or two. Spoon the mixture into a bowl. Add the spinach, cheese, parsley, currants, and the anchovy paste, and blend well. Spread the filling evenly over the lamb. Roll the meat up snugly from one of the long sides. totally enclosing the filling. Tie as needed with kitchen twine to secure.
If you plan to baste the meat mix together the mop ingredients in a sauce-pan and warm the mixture over low heat. [Note: we mopped.]

Warm a heavy skillet over high heat and sear the lamb quickly on all sides. Transfer the lamb to the smoker. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes per pound, until the internal temperature o fhte meat is 145 degrees F, rare to medium-rare. Baste the meat with the mop after 30 and 60 minutes in a wood-burning pit, or as appropriate for your style of smoker.

Remove the lamb from the smoker and let it sit for 10 minutes. Slice the lamb and serve it warm.

A Tale of Two Fantastic Chicken Recipes

First off does anyone know what plant this is? Are these edible? If I channel my inner Hank Shaw and forge and eat one will I die?



One more thing... My Concord grapes are growing. I love how the insides pop out of the tough skin. I have a whole lot of them growing and I want to do something other than jelly or juice. Any ideas?



I lied, one more thing for real. I love this bug. I saw one of these when I was a kid and never saw one again. I had thought that I made it up in my head until this morning when this little guy was right on my door to my house. "Hi little stick guy!" That is what I said to him. I wish I could keep him for a friend but Dr. Food would probably um...I dunno what Dr. Food would do. It might throw him over his limit of what he can tolerate from me and he would cry. That would be scary.

Ok ok, two fantastic chicken recipes (along with some description)



I cut up my own chicken and I think that I invented parts that no one has ever heard of before. It did call for 10 pieces and there were 10 pieces but not the "usual" 10 pieces. Oh, there was a wing in there somewhere.



This recipe was in "The Kimchi Chronicles: Korean Cooking for an American Kitchen" a new cookbook that we bought. I can't tell you how much I love this cookbook and want to make everything in it.



This one was called "Easy Braised Chicken" and it was easy and good.



The Umma Paste is spicy so add less or more depending on taste.



Moving on to Chicken recipe #2! I loved this one so much that it is now one of my very favorites. I got it because I was Tweeting with Cathy (Mrs Wheelbarrow) and she said that she was making it for dinner. She said that if I made it too it would be like we were eating dinner together. I made it and boy am I glad that I did!



The spices are really pretty together (although the turmeric did turn my pretty manicure to yellow).



How beautiful is this? It is so easy to make and I swear you wont be sorry.



I also made with roasted brussel sprouts but...



I kinda got distracted and kinda let them burn.



Didn't matter because this was an awesome dinner! I better go "tweet" to see what I will be making tonight. Mrs Wheelbarrow? Any more suggestions?


Easy Braised Chicken
Kimchi Chronicles
Printable Version

One 4-pound chicken
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil

*Umma Paste
1 tbsp soju, sake, vodka, or water
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

8 small boiling potatoes, peeled
2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bunches scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 fresh green chile pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
1 fresh red chile pepper; thinly sliced (optional)
Cooked white rice, for serving


Cut the chicken into 10 pieces (2 wings, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, halve the breasts).

Season the chicken pieces aggressively all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, wide heavy pot over high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken, skin-side down, and brown on both sides, 6 to 7 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2 cup water, the Umma Paste, soju, honey, and sesame seeds. Set the sauce aside.

When all the chicken is browned, add the potatoes, onions, carrots, scallions, and reserved sauce to the pot and stir everything together. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked through and yielding and the potatoes are tender, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with chiles if you’d like and serve with rice.


*Umma Paste
Makes 3/4 cup

4 large garlic cloves, peeled
3 tablespoons gochugaru
(red pepper powder)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons gochujang
(red pepper paste)
3 tablespoons soju

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and puree to a smooth paste.



Peruvian Chicken
Mrs Wheelbarrow

Printable Version

Buttermilk Soak:

3 cups buttermilk
2 crushed garlic cloves
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
one - 3 - 3.5 pounds chicken, rinsed and tidied up

Peruvian Style Rub:

1 medium head of garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 tablespoon hot Hungarian paprika or smoked paprika, or a combination. depends how spicy you like your chicken.
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 limes
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup chicken broth

1. Soak the chicken in the buttermilk brine for 3-4 hours. I use a ziplock bag as it's easier to get the buttermilk all around the chicken.
Roast the head of garlic. Slice off the top of the head, exposing all the cloves. Drizzle the oil in between all the cloves, and wrap the whole thing up in foil. Bake for about an hour at 350.


2. Squeeze all the tasty roasted garlic out into a small mixing bowl. Add the butter and spices, and the juice of one of the limes, and make a paste.

3. Remove the chicken & brine from the refrigerator. RInse the chicken and pat it dry. Rub the paste under the skin of the breast and thighs and then over the entire chicken. Tuck one or two quartered limes in the cavity and truss the chicken loosely.

4. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature, and the paste to season the chicken, for about 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 475 with the rack in the bottom third of the oven. In good weather, I use my outdoor gas grill as an oven. It heats up faster and hotter then the oven.

6. Get out a heavy cast iron skillet.

7. Heat the skillet for 3 minutes on high heat. Add a shimmer of canola or other oil and get that good and hot, too. Another minute or two.
Slip in the chicken, back side down, into the skillet, and then place the skillet in the oven. (Or on the grill.)

The chicken will take about 50 minutes to one hour. The only reliable test is a thermometer reading of 160.

Remove the chicken from the oven/grill and put it on the stove, over high heat, and add thyme and 1/2 c chicken broth, then spoon the broth over the chicken. Allow the bird to rest for 10 minutes, then quarter and serve.