“How do you make a rillette?” Cheryl asked me when we dug into a pork and duck rillette after a long afternoon of car shopping. I replied that a rillette is just slow cooked shredded meat, kinda like pulled pork, mashed together with some fat. I’m sure you can all guess the follow-up: “Sounds easy.Continue reading “Duck Rillette – More Ducky Fun”
Category Archives: Recipes
Dark & Stormy – A Perfect Summertime Cocktail
Time to start thinking about summer cocktails, and that means rum. One rum cooler which I think is perfect for the heat is the Dark and Stormy. It’s refreshing, simple to make, and delicious with just the right mixture of spice, sweet, and citrus.
White Bean Bruschetta with Duck Skin Crackling
It has been a real whirlwind spring so far. I’ve been really busy with work (a good thing) and in our spare time we’ve been revamping the back yard, tearing out shrubs, expanding the patio, making some raised bed gardens (an even better thing). Cooking has temporarily taken a back seat. However, this past SundayContinue reading “White Bean Bruschetta with Duck Skin Crackling”
Herb Butter – Kitchen Essential
Herb butter. Compound butter. Hotel butter. No matter what you call it, it’s one of the easiest items you can make and add to your kitchen essentials cupboard. It’s also a good example of how a simple uncomplicated item can have tremendous effects on anything you cook. Finish off your vegetables with it, plop aContinue reading “Herb Butter – Kitchen Essential”
Two New Sausages: Mango-Poblano Pepper and Apple-Sage
I’ve been practicing my sausage making skills over the winter and last week I decided it was time to test myself. Grilling season is approaching here in Chicago so it was time to use the basic skills I’ve acquired and invent something delicious. I settled on two new flavors: a mango-poblano pepper sausage and anContinue reading “Two New Sausages: Mango-Poblano Pepper and Apple-Sage”
St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef (Part 2 – the finished product)
After 6 days in brine the brisket was ready for cooking and the photo above does not begin to do justice to this corned beef. If you could only taste it! The ready-to-cook corned beef you buy in the store has nothing on this version in terms of flavor. There’s no way you get asContinue reading “St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef (Part 2 – the finished product)”
St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef (Part 1 – brining the beef)
Corned beef. A staple of St Patrick’s Day here in America, along with green beer and a green river, at least here in Chicago. This year instead of buying the supermarket corned beef I decided to make my own. Armed with a brine recipe from Ruhlman’s Charcuterie I picked up a 4 lb slab ofContinue reading “St. Patrick’s Day Corned Beef (Part 1 – brining the beef)”
Homemade Gnocchi – It’s Taken a While but I Finally Did It
Ah gnocchi. When gnocchi is made right they are like light and airy pillows; when made wrong like heavy and dense globs of potato. They are one of Cheryl’s favorite foods and always in the running if we’re at an Italian restaurant and gnocchi is on the menu. Gnocchi are made with the simplest ingredients,Continue reading “Homemade Gnocchi – It’s Taken a While but I Finally Did It”
Palette de Porc a la Biere (ou en anglais Beer Braised Pork Shoulder with a Dijon Mustard Sauce)
Over the weekend Cheryl requested something new and untried for Sunday dinner and said she’d pick from the cookbook shelf. The winning recipe of the ones she chose: Bourdain’s Palette de Porc a la Biere; a.k.a beer braised pork shoulder with mustard sauce.
Linguine with Clam Sauce
For the longest time I had huge problems trying to make linguine with clam sauce like my mom’s. Try as I might I could never get it as thick as hers. I tried everything too, more butter, less liquid, more clams, nothing ever seemed to work. I had pretty much given up hope I’d everContinue reading “Linguine with Clam Sauce”
The Roaming GastroGnome 