Charcuterie

[Dwain Pannell]

It's me again Donna. Thanks again for taking the time to be with us. I am getting into grinding/curing/stuffing/smoking sausages, curing whole muscle cuts, and curing/smoking my own bacon. Being the daughter of a butcher, do you like to delve into charcuterie? Any tips/tricks you'd like to share that your father may have taught you you'd like to share?

Thanks (again) -- Dwain

 

[Donna Fong]

Hi Dwain,
I can't say I have. I used to make salmon gravalax on a regular basis and add dill, brown sugar, salt and some Vodka. I'd let that sit in the refrigerator for a few days underneath some cans of food to push out the moisture. It was delicious. For salumi, we eat it often at restuarants but have come to realize that it is never as good as it is at one of my favorite restaurants in Berkeley, Oliveto's. And I've tried and found that though chefs can acheive the right texture, often times, it is just salty without any more depth than just that. As such, I probably would never try, being afraid to disappoint my own high expectation of the various forms of salumi. There are a few things in my refrigerator that you can always find; mustard, ketchup, mayo, bbq sauce, fermented soy bean, bacon and imported prosciutto(because of my 10 year old foodie daughter). Thanks for your question.

Donna