Hounds In The Kitchen » Recipes

Handmade Chocolate Truffles {Recipe}

Rachel — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:12:06 +0000

Chocolate is a classic Valentine’s gift. It’s a special decadent treat that nearly everyone loves.

But there are problems with modern chocolate manufacturing: it often exploits the land and native peoples. Also, many big name companies use artifical flavorings and additives.

Treat your love like a king or queen and seek out fair trade, all-natural chocolate from an honest manufacturer. We like Dagoba, Equal Exchange, and Theo brands.

For an extra special gift, consider hand rolling truffles. This recipe is simple to put together and can be customized to a wide variety of tastes by changing the liquid flavoring and outer coating.

Lil and a friend made these truffles for holiday gifts. Their versions more closely resembled truffle mushrooms than a candy store confection, but they tasted fantastically gourmet. If distractable kindergarteners can make these, you can too.

Handmade Valentine’s Chocolate Truffles

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 30-40 tablespoon sized chocolate truffles

Combine four ingredients to make your own hand rolled chocolate truffles - so easy children enjoy it!

Ingredients

16 ounces fair trade chocolate pieces (any combination of semi-sweet to dark)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon extract (vanilla, almond, or peppermint) or espresso
4-8 ounces coating ingredients (cocoa powder, powdered sugar, finely chopped nuts or coconut)

Instructions

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or bowl set inside a pot of simmering water.
When chocolate is mostly melted, pour in the sweetened condensed milk. Stir together and continue cooking until the mixture comes together with a smooth texture.
Remove from the heat and stir in extract or espresso.
Chill in the fridge for two or more hours.
Roll tablespoon portions into spheres. Finish these by rolling in your choice of powdered sugar, cocoa, finely chopped nuts, or coconut.
Store truffles in individual candy cups in a covered container.

As these truffles rely on only a few ingredients, use the highest quality chocolate and sweetened condensed milk you can afford.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin

Added to Hearth and Soul blog hop 2/7.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Handmade Chocolate Truffles {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Sorta Scones {Recipe}

Rachel — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:25:39 +0000

The urge to make scones hit me in early January. I wanted a perfect-for-me scone: not greasy, not overly sweet, full of whole ingredients, and easy to pull together in the morning before breakfast. I made many batches of scones and finally came up with this recipe.

Alas, Alex doesn’t think they are scones. He says they are more like muffins without the shape or biscuits without the fluff. Out the other side of his scone-crumbed mouth he admits that it doesn’t matter what I call them so long as I keep making them. Done and done!

These scones are a breakfast or tea time treat. Lil likes them with chocolate, so I use fair trade dark chips, the healthiest chocolate choice. With whole wheat flour, buttermilk, and less fat than most recipes, enjoy my real food interpretation of scones.

Sorta Scones {Recipe}

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 6-8

Serving Size: pieces

A quick recipe for breakfast scones that is low-sugar, lowered fat, and full of flavor.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (I prefer King Arthur brand)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 cup cultured buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix flours, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl.
Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until mix resembles fine meal.
In a liquid measuring cup, measure buttermilk. Add egg and beat lightly with a fork. Pour vanilla into this liquid measure.
Mix together liquids into flours, stirring just until mixed. Add dried fruit, nuts, or chips and stir to distribute evenly. Do not over mix.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Dough will be sticky but use floured hands to gently form into a round.
Cut round into six or eight equal triangles. Place each on a silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned on top. Serve warm.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin

Added to Simple Lives Thursday.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sorta Scones {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Meyer Lemon Marmalade {Recipe}

Rachel — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

When I finished making candied Meyer lemons, I couldn’t toss the remaining syrup. Lightly lemon flavored, I tried stirring it into a cocktail but it was too thick. Jam-like already, all signs pointed to marmalade.

I chopped ten Meyer lemons from my surprise windfall from Green B.E.A.N. into tiny bits, carefully removing the central membrane and seeds. I simmered them with the syrup, water, and seeds in a cheesecloth bundle until the rind softened and the jam set up. I felt like the marmalade lacked sweetness and added vanilla bean plus a bit more sugar to smooth out that side of the flavor profile.

The resulting trio of quarter pints, plus a nearly full quarter pint in the fridge, represent my first home-canned goods of 2012. It feels great to be putting up again, though I bet these jars will vanish before I complete another canning project!

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4

Serving Size: quarter pints

Make and can sweet, tangy Meyer lemon marmalade with this simple recipe.

Ingredients

10 organic Meyer lemons
1 cup sugar (or 1 1/2 cup thick sugar syrup reserved from Candied Meyer Lemons
1/2 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, optional
4 quarter pint canning jars, rings, and lids

Instructions

Wash lemons thoroughly.
Slice lemons into quarters lengthwise. Remove central membrane/core and all seeds. Reserve seeds and membrane and tie into a cheesecloth bundle, as they contain pectin needed to set the jam.
Slice each quarter into half lengthwise again and then slice into very thin pieces.
Place lemon pieces, sugar (or syrup), water, and seed bundle into a heavy bottomed 1 quart pot. Heat to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to cook until lemon rind softens, 30-45 minutes. Taste and adjust sugar as necessary.
Test the jam to see if it is set by placing a small drizzle on a ceramic plate. Put the plate in the freezer and wait 2 minutes. If the marmalade is jelled in the freezer, it is ready to can. If not, continue to simmer and test again in 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, sanitize jars, rings, and lids by heating them to boiling in water.
When jam is jelled, remove the seed bundle and discard. Use a sharp knife to halve and remove the seeds from the vanilla bean. Stir these into the marmalade. If eating fresh, ladle marmalade into clean jars, allow to cool, and store in the fridge for up to a month.
If canning, ladle marmalade into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Secure rings and lids and process at a rolling boil for 15 minutes.
Remove from the water bath and allow to cool. Remove rings, wipe rims, label and store in a cool dark place. (See How to Manage Home Canned Goods)

Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin

Added to Simple Lives Thursday 78.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meyer Lemon Marmalade {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

The Lemon Meringue Pie Test

Rachel — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

If there were a Homemakers Award system with a Home Baking merit badge, lemon meringue pie would be the final exam. This diner dessert requires mastery of a flaky crust, no-fall meringue, and tempered egg filling. These elements must be managed in quick succession so that they come together for a final bake before sogging the crust. Then, the whole thing must chill before service just enough that beads of moisture do not form on the meringue.

In my first sitting for the lemon meringue exam, I failed.

First, the sides of my all-butter crust slumped during the blind baking stage. I deduced that the oven was not hot enough. A second crust in a hotter oven retained its shape.

I read the recipe for the filling a half dozen times. The process starts by dissolving cornstarch and sugar into solution and then one tempers egg yolks into the pot. Off the heat, the recipe calls for adding lemon juice and butter before pouring it into the shell.

This all sounded a little fishy to me – every lemon meringue pie I’ve eaten tastes like the filling is lemon curd and this cornstarch solution isn’t part of lemon curd. Yet I persisted. I emptied our cornstarch jar with just a little less than the recipe called for but the yolks tempered beautifully. I timed every step and poured the ‘isn’t-that-a-little-runny’ filling into the crust just as egg whites came to a stiff peak in the mixer.

I scraped the meringue over top, learning that why a piping bag would make that step much more efficient. Again, I followed the recipe to a T, spreading the meringue to touch each edge. I carefully transfered the pie to the oven.

Top browned, I removed the pie, noticing the top quaking like a leaf on a rippling stream. When would that filling set up? Perhaps in the cooling. The pie sat at room temperature and then on our chilly porch for four hours.

Carrying it over to friends’, the filling was still a running river. When it was time to serve, our lovely hostess presented a knife. I asked for a spoon.

Of course, because the filling never set, the crust was a soggy mess too. The flavors were all good, so we ate the pie soup. Lil consumed only the meringue top to her piece – a choice I can’t fault, as it was the only truly successful part of the dish. We forgot the delightful candied lemon garnish which could have pulled the pie into passing territory.

Someday I’ll attempt making lemon meringue pie again. Until then, if you are looking for your Homemakers Award, I recommend anything but this recipe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Lemon Meringue Pie Test is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

When Life Hands You Meyer Lemons, Candy Them {Recipe}

Rachel — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

After sipping my homemade limoncello last week, I decided I hadn’t had enough of this season’s Meyer lemons. I ordered another half dozen from Green B.E.A.N. delivery.

When I opened my box I found not six but eighteen petite yellow lemons. I immediately contacted customer service and offered to return them. The quick response: “We can’t take them back, can you use them?”

Oh can I? When life hands me Meyer lemons, I feel very lucky indeed.

I started with candied Meyer lemons. I spent 30 minutes focused with a sharp knife slicing thin strips of lemon and picking out the seeds.

Then I simmered them in sugar syrup until the rind turned translucent, enjoying the sweet summery scent as it wafted through the house. Finally, I moved the slices to a drying rack to drain the excess syrup.

Unlike the failure of a lemon meringue pie, candied lemons are a delight. I could see using them as a translucent garnish for nearly any dessert, chopping them into scones, or slipping the sweet slices in between cake layers.

But to be honest, I doubt they will make their way into any recipe at our house. We are eating a sticky slice or two with herbal tea in the afternoon and as a snack after dinner. The bright, bitter intense flavor adds moments of light to our days.

Candied Meyer Lemons {Recipe}

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: approximately 24 slices

Preserve Meyer lemons by candying them in sugar syrup for a tangy, slightly bitter, translucent sweet.

Ingredients

2 organic meyer lemons
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Instructions

Wash lemons well.
Slice off ends and discard. Cut remaining part of the lemon into the thinest slices possible, at least 1/8 inch. Remove seeds as you come to them.
Meanwhile, simmer sugar and water in a wide skillet over medium heat.
When sugar is dissolved, add lemons and continue simmering. Stir occasionally to ensure that lemon slices are in a nearly single layer.
Cook until rind is translucent, about 30 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer slices to a cookie cooling rack.
Dry at room temperature for twenty four or more hours; lemons may still be sticky. Store in single layers between parchment in a loosely lidded container.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin

Added to Hearth & Soul Blog Hop.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Life Hands You Meyer Lemons, Candy Them {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Meyer Limoncello {Recipe}

Rachel — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:28:55 +0000

Seasonal foods are hot and heavy in the spring, summer, and fall as we eat our way through herbs and asparagus to peas and beans to tomatoes and squash.

What about winter? Hot houses do produce fresh food in Ohio but there are only so many ways to eat greenhouse-grown lettuces and greens. Even homegrown squashes and potatoes are starting to scream “get me out of storage and eat me now!”

I expand my local circle a little south and look for seasonal foods elsewhere. 500 miles to the south are pecan farms sending up buttery fabulous-fresh nuts. Travel a little further and citrus orchards are ripe with fruit.

While one can buy an orange any day of the year in a grocery store, fresh seasonal citrus has a flavor of its own. Oranges are floral and grapefruits more sweet during the winter when they are shipped fresh from the orchard.

The gem of the citrus season crown is the Meyer Lemon. These small, thin fleshed lemons were originally brought to America from China by an agricultural explorer in 1908. They grow on dwarf trees and are available as indoor plants for those who live in Northern climates. One of my very first Hounds in the Kitchen entries tells about our Meyer Lemon tree. It produced beautifully last winter but we have no fruits ripening yet this year.

Fortunately, Green B.E.A.N. delivery currently offers organic Meyer lemons for subscribers. I nabbed a half dozen to enjoy two weeks ago and ordered another batch this week. I spied them today while shopping at Whole Foods and Andersons for $2.99/pound. Though I have never bought them directly from a farmer, a quick internet search reveals that Naples Orchard and Four Winds offer Meyers for purchase. The Meyer lemon season ends in early February, so shop soon.

Meyer lemons have an enchanting floral scent and mild lemon flavor. With little bitter pith, whole slices of Meyers can be incorporated into baked goods. They are excellent candied and I imagine they would make a very fine marmalade. Our favorite way to preserve Meyer lemons is by transforming them into limoncello.

Homemade limoncello takes little more than half an hour of preparation and the patience to wait three or more weeks as the limoncello ages. Those who wait are justly rewarded with a tart but mellow, bright and fresh liqueur. Keep it in the freezer and nip it directly from there or mix with club soda for a refreshing drink.

Meyer Limoncello

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 1 quart

Serving Size: 2 ounces

Homemade limoncello requires nothing more than a bit of time and patience. The reward is a tart, aromatic, alluring meyer lemon liqueur.

Ingredients

5 meyer lemons
1 orange
2-3 small bits of aromatic whole spices such as 1 one inch cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, and 1 branch star anise
3/4 to 1 1/2 cups simple syrup (1 part sugar dissolved in 1 part water) or honey
3 cups 80 proof or higher vodka

Instructions

Very carefully peel just the colored zest of the lemons and orange. The white pith is bitter, so avoid it as much as possible. I like my OXO swivel vegetable peeler for this purpose. Place zest in a 1/2 gallon non-reactive container, like a glass jar.
Slice fruit in half and juice. Pour juice (straining out seeds) into jar.
Place spices and 3/4 cup simple syrup or honey into jar. (Make simple syrup by heating one part water to one part sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.)
Add 3 cups of vodka to the jar and swirl to stir. Rain vodka is a neutral spirit made from organic grains and much of it is bottled (relatively) locally in Bardstown Kentucky. This is not the time to use top shelf liquor because you want the taste of the Meyer lemon to shine through.
Place jar is a dimly lit, cool place. Swirl once every two or three days. Taste weekly, adding additional sweetener as you wish. When the taste is to your liking, strain out peels and aromatics.
Keep limoncello in the freezer. Serve straight from the freezer or mix with soda water or cocktails.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Meyer Limoncello {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Really, Rugelach? {Wordless Wednesday}

Rachel — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:40:41 +0000

Lil and I made Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s rugelach for a cookie exchange last week. Lil loved rolling peach, blueberry peach, and sour cherry preserves with almonds in the rich butter and cream cheese dough. She even made her own creation, chocolate with no nuts.

The recipe is time consuming and made me break up with my food processor but the results are outstanding. This is the perfect cookie for me – not at all sweet but full of flavor from homemade jams. Mrs. Wheelbarrow’s recipe also suggests a bacon jam version which a friend made and paired with scotch. Yum!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Really, Rugelach? {Wordless Wednesday} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Pecan Brittle Bars {Recipe}

Rachel — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I don’t know what I was thinking when I signed on to the International Blogger Cookie Exchange 2011. My family eats sweets slowly; cookies, brownies and the like often become stale before we eat a whole batch. I am so grinch-like that I don’t even have a Christmas cookie tradition.

But I did sign up and receive a recipe for pecan chocolate bar cookies from Diana of Cookerati.

I made the cookies with a few adaptations. I halved the recipe to fit my baking pan and to prevent waste if they sat around too long. At Lil’s suggestion, I increased the chocolate. The recipe below reflects the light brown sugar and white whole wheat flour used because that’s what I had on hand.

The resulting bars are salty and sweet, rich and snappy. I have a hard time classifying these bars as cookies because the overriding crispy sweetness reminds me more of candy – good homemade candy. A small square is a filling dessert. I think the name Pecan Brittle Bars better reflects the taste and texture of this recipe.

I wasn’t kidding that we don’t eat cookies quickly; this batch is still going strong after four days. Brittle bars would definitely keep well for a mailed package.

I wish I could say that the recipe exchange changed me into the Christmas Cookie Queen but it didn’t. I’m still a salty smoky gal. I do thank Diana for sharing a tasty recipe I will surely make again.

Pecan Brittle Bars
Adapted from Cookerati’s adaptation from Fine Cooking Annual Cookbook, 2007

Makes: 12 2×2 inch squares
Time: 30 minutes cooking, 15 minutes baking

1 1/2 cups raw pecans

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup unbleached all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp table salt

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I like Ghiradelli brand)

for the brittle:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk
1/4 tsp table salt

1) Position a rack in the center of the oven at 350 degrees F.

2) In a skillet over medium heat, roast pecans until just browned and nutty smelling. Remove from heat and pulse in food processor until finely chopped. Set aside.

3) Put butter in a food processor bowl (don’t bother to wash from the pecans) along with flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pulse until combined.

4) Scatter the dough into an 8×8 or 6×10 inch baking pan and press evenly over the bottom.

5) Bake the base until firm and lightly browned, approximately 20 minutes.

6) Remove from and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Set pan aside but don’t turn off oven.

7) As the cookie base bakes, in a saucepan melt the butter, then stir in the brown sugar, honey, cream and salt. Simmer for a minute stirring occasionally.

8 ) Turn off the heat and stir in pecans.

9) Pour the mixture over the cookie base, spreading evenly.

10) Return to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbling throughout, about 12 – 15 minutes.

11) Let cool completely in the pan.

12) Cut carefully into squares. I found scoring the top with a butter knife and then pressing down for a second pass worked best.

13) Keeps, covered, for up to five days.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Pecan Brittle Bars {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

A Six Year Old Makes Lardo & Rat Creature Quiche {Charcutepalooza}

Rachel — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

The eleventh Charcutepalooza challenge is curing. Alex and I have cured and dried many meats including saucisson sec, fermented chorizo, and coppa.

I asked my daughter Lillian to complete this challenge with me. She’s been around hanging meat for most of her life. Curing requires minimal skill and can be left for days at a time, perfect for the distractable mind of a six year old. Watch how Lil cures lardo:

While the lardo cured and dried, our family began reading Columbus-native Jeff Smith’s iconic juvenile comic series Bone. One character in the book, an adversarial rat creature, is so mesmerized by quiche that he wants to cook the protagonist Bones into quiche, dreams about quiche, and even argues so adamantly about quiche that the Bones repeatedly escape capture. For the rest of the series, the Bones call the quiche-loving, negligent soldiers ‘stupid, stupid rat creatures’.

As Lil says in the video, she doesn’t like lardo raw but loves it cooked like bacon. We cooked some salted, dried back fat into a quiche that a Lil’ rat creature might like – no green stuff or spice. We arranged a few strips of lardo into a star pattern on the center, another recurring theme in Bone.

Alas, our lardo-making daughter did not like the quiche. Alex and I, however, think the the stupid rat creatures were right on: quiche is a great way to enjoy cured meat.

Stupid Rat Creature Quiche
Makes: 6
Time: 20 minutes preparation, 40-50 minutes baking

4 ounces lardo, diced, plus several slices for garnish if desired
5 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 grinds fresh black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar
single pie crust (my recipe here)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook lardo in a skillet until lightly browned, drain fat.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
4. Line a 9-inch quiche or pie pan with crust. Tuck under edges and finish with a fork or fingers.
5. Scatter lardo and cheese on the bottom of the crust.
6. Pour egg mix over the top.
7. Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes or until top is browned.
8. Cut into six slices and serve.

This post is a part of the year-long Charcutepalooza challenge. Read below for our other meat-curing adventures and reflections.

Modern Mistletoe: Meat, Marriage, & Duck Prosciutto Pizza
Waste Not, Want Not Squirrel Rillettes
English Pork Pie Photojournal
Almost All-Ohio Mouselline
How to Make Hot Dogs Like a Girl
Mint Lamb Sausage Inspired by Jorgensen Farms
Taco Truck Chorizo Sopito
Red’s Canadian Bacon or Why I Had to Kill a Pig To Eat Meat Again
The Story of the Rachel
Salt Cure Old and New
Cider Syrup Bacon

Added to Simple Lives Thursday.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A Six Year Old Makes Lardo & Rat Creature Quiche {Charcutepalooza} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Modern Mistletoe: Meat, Marriage, & Duck Prosciutto Pizza {Charcutepalooza}

Rachel — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I recently mentioned on twitter that having the first meat of the season hanging in the basement made me feel like our house was a home again. Someone (who are you? I can’t find the tweet now!) replied “It’s modern mistletoe!”

That got me to thinking about how meat curing is a tasty metaphor for my nearly-eleven-year-long marriage to Alex.

Curing meat takes time and attention from both parties in our house. We help each other to procure the ingredients, turn the meat in cure, and check it as it dries.

Some couples like to have independent hobbies but we like being in each other’s business. Even before I ate meat, I assisted Alex with charcuterie because it’s a fascinating hobby.

Meat curing and marriage benefit from a healthy dose of humor. Much of making bacon (or duck prosciutto in this case) is icky work – there’s raw meat, mildly-toxic salt, and the possibility of insects being attracted to the drying meat. The cure for the gross parts of curing is to laugh. We make jokes (sausage is especially good for word play), gently tease, and sometimes try to drip meat juice on a spouse during a photo shoot. It’s all good fun.

When meat is done curing, we cook up creative dishes together. In the case of the duck prosciutto, we added it to homemade pizza. Alex made the dough and I popped open a jar of my home-canned tomato sauce. We added a pile of arugula and mozzarella before topping the ‘za with thin prosciutto slices and a grate of Parmesan.

Alex and I enjoyed the pizza with a glass of wine and candle on the table in the company of our daughter Lil (who also served as the photographer for the three portraits above). We savored the from-scratch food we made together.

Curing meat challenges us to work together, listen to each other, and enjoy the finer things in life. Meat IS our modern mistletoe, the object under which we find love.

Duck Prosciutto Pizza
Makes: 1 12-inch pizza
Time: 2 hours dough, 20 minutes assembly, 7-10 minutes cooking

1/4 recipe homemade pizza dough
1/4 cup tomato sauce
3 ounces fresh arugula
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 ounces duck prosciutto, sliced as thinly as possible
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F with a baking stone on center rack.
2. Make a thin circle from the dough and place on a cornmeal dusted pizza peel or back of a cookie sheet.
3. Top pizza with a bit of tomato sauce, then arugula and mozzarella cheese.
4. Arrange duck prosciutto and top with Parmesan.
5. Transfer pizza to the baking stone.
6. Bake for 7-10 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly brown. Remove from oven, let rest 1-2 minutes, cut, and serve.

This post is a part of the year-long Charcutepalooza challenge. Read below for our other meat-curing adventures and reflections.

Waste Not, Want Not Squirrel Rillettes
English Pork Pie Photojournal
Almost All-Ohio Mouselline
How to Make Hot Dogs Like a Girl
Mint Lamb Sausage Inspired by Jorgensen Farms
Taco Truck Chorizo Sopito
Red’s Canadian Bacon or Why I Had to Kill a Pig To Eat Meat Again
The Story of the Rachel
Salt Cure Old and New
Cider Syrup Bacon

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Modern Mistletoe: Meat, Marriage, & Duck Prosciutto Pizza {Charcutepalooza} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!