Tasty
Charcuterie Recipes
Here are home-friendly recipes from Alberta practitioners of the charcutier’s art. Any of these will make your name as a holiday host and cook who attends to the finely detailed and reviving art of homemade charcuterie.
Recipe #1
Heather’s Smoked Bacon
Chef Heather Goulde-Hawke at District, a new watering hole on 11th Ave. S.W., makes her bacon without nitrites. After curing, cut the bacon into useful sized pieces and wrap well for freezing. Gould-Hawke likes the additional flavour that accrues when she leaves the rind on the pork belly (bacon comes from the pork belly). This recipe needs a smoker and a fruit wood, like cherry or apple.
Chef’s note: if you don’t have a smoker, it takes a little trouble to smoke pork belly over indirect heat on a closed barbecue for a minimum of 6 hours, but it can be done. Engineer your barbecue so that soaked wood chips in a pan are on one side of the grill, while the pork belly sits on the other side on the rack over very low heat. Most butchers carry pork bellies.
4 T.
maple syrup
2 lb.
pork belly, any ragged edges trimmed, rind on
4 oz.
kosher salt by weight (about 1 c.)
2 oz.
demerara sugar by weight (about ½ c.)
1
garlic clove, minced
1 t.
minced thyme
cracked black pepper to taste
Directions
Rub the syrup onto the pork. Mix together the remaining ingredients – the cure — on a tray. Dip the meat into the cure to coat all surfaces and shake off any residue that does not cling. Put the meat into a waterproof plastic bag in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, turning daily. On the final day, rinse well under cold water and pat dry. Let stand, uncovered, to air-dry in the fridge for up to 48 hours to develop the sticky texture that allows smoke to penetrate. Don’t skip this step. Smoke the pork belly for 6 to 8 hours over very low heat. Cool and wrap. Fry to use. Makes 2 lbs.
Recipe #2
Andrew’s Pork Rillettes
The traditional version of rillettes is made with pork belly and pork shoulder, cut into cubes, slowly simmered for several hours in stock or seasoned water, then shredded with a fork and mixed with pork fat before being packed into a crock or ramekin for storage in the fridge. These rillettes from Andrew Keen of ParkerHouse Grill & Wine Bar are pretty straightforward. He stresses the importance of incorporating the liquid and fat into the meat by hand. This is perfect party food– awesome with toast points and cornichons (tangy, tasty little French pickles).
1 4 to 5 lb.
pork picnic shoulder, skin on
2
carrots, chopped
1
head of garlic, coarsely chopped
2
onions chopped
2
ribs of celery
1 t.
minced thyme
bouquet garni tied in cheesecloth with twine: celery leaves, bay leaves, black peppercorns thyme, marjoram
8 c.
chicken stock
4 c.
dry white wine
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Directions
Place the whole pork picnic into a roasting pan just large enough to hold it and add all the remaining ingredients. Cook, uncovered, in a low oven (250 F) for about 8 hours. Turn the meat twice during this time. When the meat is fork tender, remove it from the broth and set it aside. Strain the broth and reserve it; discard the solids. Remove the skin from the meat and discard it. Cut the meat into large pieces. Place the meat in a large bowl and shred it into fine shreds with two forks. As you shred the meat, add the strained broth and fat, 1/2 c. at a time. Add up to half the cooking liquid until the meat is moist and as finely textured as you want. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pack into ceramic ramekins or bowls or a pair of large loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool completely in the fridge, about 4 hours. Allow a day for the rillettes to mellow before serving. Scoop out of the container, serve in the container, or invert the rillettes onto a plate to serve. Makes 2 12” X 4” loaf pans.
Recipe #3
dee’s Duck Two Ways: Confit and Rillettes
Serve whole duck leg confit, re-heated in the oven until crispy, with good chutney, or shred it into salad, cassoulet, risotto, bean pots, sauerkraut, soup, wilted chard or savoy cabbage. Save a few legs to shred into rillettes. Though traditional rillettes are made from pork, duck or goose legs make a nice variation. Elaborate at will: sweet spices such as allspice, star anise or anise seed, sparingly applied, make a good counterpoint to the richness of duck, as do ginger and Szechaun pepper. Serve rillettes in an uncomplicated fashion, on its own with cornichons (little tart French pickles), mustard and good crusty bread, or as part of a charcuterie platter. Rillettes keep, covered, in the fridge for up to a month, and freeze well. Find duck fat at The Better Butcher, Bite Groceteria, Second to None Meats and The Cookbook Co.
8
4 T.
kosher salt
1 T.
freshly cracked pepper
5
1 t.
minced fresh thyme
1 t.
ground allspice
½ t.
ground star anise
2
bay leaves, crumbled
½ c.
brandy or cognac
8 c.
duck fat
Directions
To make confit: season the thighs with the salt and pepper. Make a paste of the garlic, thyme, allspice, star anise, bay leaf, and brandy or cognac. Rub into the flesh. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Heat the duck fat in a large pot, add the legs, skin side down, fitting them in snugly. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours over low heat. Transfer the duck legs to quart jars and pour in the fat to cover. Cool, then store in the fridge. Confit keeps for a long time. To use, bring the jar to room temperature, pull out however many duck legs you need and crisp them on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a 450 F oven. (Strain the duck fat after use, discarding the solids, and freeze it for re-using.) Makes 8 confit duck legs.
To make rillettes: Pull off and discard the skin from the duck confit. Pull the meat off the bones and save the bones for stock. Use two kitchen forks to shred the meat and pack it into several ramekins. Top each with enough melted duck fat to completely cover the meat, and chill. Let the rillettes age for at least 3 days before serving. One confit duck leg makes one ramekin of rillettes.
Recipe #4
Dominique Moussu’s Pâté de Lapin aux Pruneaux (Rabbit & Prune Pâté)
Moussu is a chef and the owner of L’Epicerie. Making pâté is no more complicated than making meat loaf, its homespun North American cousin. The golden ratio of meat to fat in a pâté is 3:1. For a rougher-textured country-style pâté campagne, leave some meats in larger chunks. Use a heavy ceramic pot or terrine mould in a hot water bath to cook the pâté. This keeps for several weeks in the fridge. Most butchers carry caul fat and pork cheeks.
2 4 to 5 lb.
rabbits, bones removed, meat cubed, 4 tenderloins left whole
½ c.
brandy, Armagnac or cognac
½ t.
minced fresh rosemary
cracked white and pink peppercorns to taste
2 t.
kosher salt
1 t.
nitrites (a.k.a. ‘cure’— it boosts flavour and helps maintain good colour — 1%, available from CTR Refrigeration, 403-444-2877)
1/4 lb.
pork belly, cubed
1/4 lb.
pork shoulder, cubed
1 c.
minced prunes
½ c.
brandy, Armagnac or cognac
court bouillon (recipe follows)
½ lb.
pork cheeks (optional)
½ lb.
rabbit liver
2 t.
quatre épices (recipe follows)
salt and freshly cracked pink and white peppercorns to taste
caul fat or slices of lean side bacon
½ lb.
pork fat, sliced thin (you need this if you are using caul fat)
Directions
Have your butcher bone the rabbits. Marinate the tenderloins with the brandy, Armagnac or cognac, rosemary and peppercorns for 24 hours. Mix together the salt and nitrite, then rub it over the the pork belly and pork shoulder. Cover and chill for 24 hours. Reserve the cubed rabbit meat in the fridge until ready to use.
When you’re ready to make the pâté, macerate the prunes in the brandy, Armagnac or cognac for 20 to 30 minutes, or until softened.
Heat the court bouillon and poach the cheeks for 10 minutes to an internal temperature of 175 F. Then shred them and keep them warm. Use a meat grinder fitted with a coarse blade to grind the cubed rabbit, pork belly and shoulder, and rabbit liver, reserving the tenderloins. Mix together the ground meats, prunes, shredded pork cheeks, quatre épices, salt and peppercorns. Sauté a bit of the mixture and taste for salt content.
Turn the oven to 350 F. Line a 4” x12” ceramic terrine mould or 2-quart (medium sized) ceramic pot with caul fat, if available, or bacon. Add half the ground meat mixture. Lay the rabbit tenderloins down the centre of the terrine on top of the ground meat, then cover with the remaining meat mixture. Fold the caul fat or bacon strips over the top of the mixture. If using caul fat, lay the strips of pork fat overtop in a diagonal pattern.
Pick up the pan and whack its base on the counter to eliminate air pockets. Place the uncovered pan in a hot water bath so that water comes 2/3 up the sides of the pan and cook the terrine until the top starts to brown. Reduce the heat to 300 F and cook to an internal temperature of 148 – 150 F, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Remove and pour out the juices from the cooked pâté, cover with parchment and place several cans on top to weigh it down. Refrigerate and age at least 3 days before slicing. Store uneaten pâté in the mould, covered. Makes one 4”x12” pâté.
Court bouillon: combine in a pot 4 c. water, 1 each carrot, celery stalk and small onion, coarsely chopped, 3 garlic cloves, bruised, 2 thyme sprigs, 1 bay leaf and a couple of black peppercorns and simmer 30 minutes. Strain and discard the solids.
Recipe #5
Quatre Epices
Although it is called “four spices,” this classic seasoning for pâtés and terrines is usually made of at least five spices.
1 t.
ground cinnamon
2 t.
ground allspice
1/8 t.
ground cloves
½ .t
ground cardamom
1 t.
freshly grated nutmeg
2 t.
ground coriander
1 t.
each, freshly cracked white and black peppercorns
2 t
finely crumbled dried tarragon
½ t.
finely crumbled dried marjoram
Directions
Recipe #6
Dee’s Chicken Liver Pâté with Cognac and Figs
This smooth and simple pâté is more like a mousseline, unctuous and rich. Serve with fresh figs and crusty fig-anise bread.
1/4 c.
minced dried black Mission figs
1/4 c.
cognac or port
1
onion, minced
4
cloves garlic, minced
2 – 4 T.
unsalted butter
1 lb.
chicken livers, cleaned and patted dry
½ t.
dried basil
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper or quatre épices to taste
½ c.
unsalted butter, softened (optional)
1/4 – 1/2 c
whipping cream (optional)
2 T.
minced fresh thyme
melted butter for the top of the ramekins
Directions
Macerate the figs in the port or cognac. Sauté the onion and garlic in a little butter until tender and translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the pan. Raise the heat under the pan and add a little more butter. When it foams, add the chicken livers in small batches and sauté until medium-rare, sprinkling each batch with dried basil and salt and pepper or quatre épices to taste. Deglaze the pan with the cognac from the figs after the last batch of livers is cooked. Purée the chicken livers with the deglazing liquid, onion and garlic, blending until perfectly smooth. Add the optional butter and cream, reserved figs and thyme. Taste and adjust the flavour with more salt if needed. Pack into small ramekins, cover with melted butter, wrap well and chill for at least one day before serving. Makes 6 ramekins.
