“On my festival days they still feast on eggs and rabbits, on candy and on flesh, to represent rebirth and copulation.”
-The Goddess Ēostre from Neil Gaiman’s American Gods (more…)
prosciutto
Duck Prosciutto
My two greatest culinary passions are a) methods of preserving food- the simpler and more flavourful the better – and b) duck! The former being a tether to the distant past when salting and fermenting meant survival for crafty cooks and the latter being the tastiest damn animal know to man.
Now I know I’ve already done a ton of duck recipes, including the great-granddaddy of all preserved duck dishes: confit du canard, but bear with me one more time ‘cause this one’s a keeper. It’s a technique for preserving breasts that results in a semi-cured, dense and beautifully salty-sweet taste reminiscent of prosciutto de parma. It’s dead-easy and a great entry-level way to get into more serious charcuterie. (more…)
The Ultimate Ham & Cheese Sandwich!
Lo, and naught but a week ago my old comrade-in-arms Nicholas (BBQ Warlord and member of The Brotherhood Of Bacon) crossed the frothing Georgia Straight to my monastery island and entreated me to join him on a glorious quest! (more…)
Chanterelle Mushroom and Brie-Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ever since we ate at The Nest Bistro, I’ve been playing around with the idea of cheffing-up a brie-stuffed chicken breast. It’s such an easy way to add a whole lot of flavour and moisture to an oftentimes dry and tasteless bit of bird! If only there was a way to make it a bit less like the chicken cordon bleu you’d eat down at TGI McFunsters and a tad more cool. (more…)
Grilled Peaches with Prosciutto and Bitter Greens
The next time you are wandering ‘round the supermarket, or the farmer’s market or wherever you get your produce from, take a minute and smell a peach. Get your face in there and breathe deep! It sounds dirty and yeah people are going to give you weird looks, but trust me, you ‘aught to smell a peach now, when they’re at their most luscious. It’s the smell of summer.
Then buy that peach, take it home, and grill it. (more…)