The idea of magic, of alchemy, of starting with one substance and transforming it into a completely different substance has fascinated me since I was a little girl, and I couldn’t help but think of that as my husband and I used a mysterious solution to transform brisket into corned beef a few weeks ago. Corned [...]... Read More
Last weekend, we decided to make pâté with a friend of ours, figuring that he wouldn’t be scooged out by the procedure, since he’s french and would therefore understand the desired result, even if we failed to achieve it. Our idea had been to make the pâté — what our cookbook charmingly calls “The Cinderella Meat [...]... Read More
Some couples “practice” for children by getting a dog; my husband and I are evidently “practicing” with charcuterie (tr. “cooked flesh”), the art of making sausage, bacon, terrines, and cured meats. Like preparing for a child, charcuterie requires: a manual — an authoritative cookbook instead of a parenting tome items that the uninitiated would never have lying [...]... Read More
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