A pure expression of the pig: nothing extraneous, nothing wasted. Pork, salt, and a little bit of time: that's all you need to make rillettes. It was a beautiful idea which had led me to the kitchen, where I had 25 pounds of pork (a ball of lard, huge hunks of shoulder, and a bag of spare ribs larger than a medium-sized dog) and where I realized I was in over my head.
C onfiture de coch...
Though Blake announced his move to Chicago about a month ago, and even updated folks about his recent rental in Bucktown, I can personally vouch that he is not here. Believe me, if he were just down the block I'd be pestering him to take more pictures of his food. I know he spent months in an apartment that didn't have a stove , but come on! I have been absolutely trouncing him thi...
It was a last-minute whim, but there I was at the checkout, buying a whole duck. I've cut up dozens of roast chickens into legs, thighs, and breasts -- usually with the meat and skin steaming and burning my fingers -- so how much harder could it be to do the same with a duck? Above all, it's much cheaper to buy a whole duck and cut it up yourself than it is to buy the parts separately -- and...