The same pictures appear on my wife's blog, but without the text.

Below is the result.

On the 15th we had a Julia Child lobster dish, Lobster with Madeira and Cream over Angel Hair Pasta.

As always with lobster we had left over lobster, again on the 4th yum!. We are not going to throw it away, not in a household that freezes the shells for stock, and it is much too good for the cat, regardless of her opinion in the matter.

That is Julia Child by the way, her partner James Beard had to be put down earlier this month, sad but necessary. We decided to remain a one cat household.

First you gather your mise.

Three eggs, twice, with some sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, about 1 o'clock is the lobster, not long out of the reefer, the salt and pepper down the right, next to some fine herbs, some fresh chive - just off the deck, and in the middle about 6 oz of shrimp in pieces. Yes the cat got one.

Mix the eggs well and pour into a hot well lubricated pan, even with non-stick I use something, in this house PAM works fine in most cases.



Then the shrimp pieces go in a row. The shrimp goes in first as it needs to cook, and can use the extra few seconds.



The lobster gets added on top of the shrimp, you can see the egg solidifying in the center and around the edge.






Using the spatchula role about 1/3 of the omelet on top of the center. It tore a little at the top.



Continue rolling in the same direction, I'm right handed to it gets rolled from right to left, the omelet is loose enough in the pan that I use a second spatchula to hold it in place while I flip it.



It is out of focus, but the only one I've got, so I use it. I then move the omelet back to the center, highest heat point, to continue cooking. How long? I like a dry omelet but go entirely by sight on this.



Plated.



It won't work with an omelet with chunks of stuff this big, but on finely chopped additions, such as ham or onion, it is perfectly proper to stir the omelet, in the pan, with a fork. Saw this in a breakfast line at CIA one morning, and when I  got back from BBQ Boot Camp check Larousse, yes it is proper technique.

Coming up soon, will be posts on more sausage, boning roast joints, my opinions on The River Cottage Meat book, and my deck. The deck is coming along well, the underpinings got finished yesterday. This involved low crawling under it with tools and I am more than a little stiff today and will spend it blogging. The won't get published today, but should be published by the end of July - perhaps weekly from now to then.

        

Was out the other day emulating Hank, and caught the beauties below.



OK, I was out at the local supermarket, I haven't picked up a rod since I was 12 or so, perhaps I should. Do follow that link, he talks of making lardo - which I will be doing soon.

Anyway, Rainbow Trout, gutted and headless at $3.99 a pound. That was all they had.



Tail off.

Now let me point out that I do not know what I am doing in the next few pictures. If somebody who does can point a better way, please comment.

I want two fillets off each body. Somehow out of 7 fish I ended up with 15 fillets, not totally certain how I managed that trick.



Because I'm right handed I put the spine to my right, this picture is tail up, but head up works better. That knife (Henckels 31021-310) is longer than the trout and sharp. It isn't under the fish in the above picture but cutting into it.



That is about half way through removing the first fillet, some how the first fillet was always the best. Did I mention that the knife is very sharp?


The first fillet above.



What is left, I leave too much flesh, but I haven't done this since Costco stopped carrying trout and that was a few years ago.



Not pretty, but the best I can do.



Mise


Trout


Text, that is the CIA syllabus on smoked trout. That binder is the collection of CIA courses (one day) that my wife and I have taken. Their courses and boot camps are real and are hands on. Well worth the price.

Mise mixed.


The trout, it will rest for about an hour (in the reefer).



Washed off and drying. Right now that shelf has about 50 pounds of pork shoulder on it, the frozen to be sausage, the non frozen to be cubed and frozen. I plan on making 20 or 25 pounds of sausage this week and the supermarket had a shoulder sale.



I think the charcoal starter is on it's last legs.



Oak soaking.



The next property and mine are divided by a fairly wild copse, with flowers.



That is further back on the lot, which extends beyond the trees in the far back. I can't get down there, the drop is that steep. The only time I tried I broke two bones.



On a clear day I can see Mahwah NJ, that is mostly park and watershed.




Going well. soon


Smoking



Nirvana

But I'm not quite done. All of those fish had bones and tails, can't let that go to waste.



Trout stock.



Three quarts of trout stock.



Happy freezer, very full happy freezer.

And enough of the deck is done that I can use the grill.

        

I dry cure pork. Up until today I had two hams quietly hanging in my basement. However it is getting warm here.

Normally the hams start curing right after Thanksgiving, however  due to a freezer failure the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving they had to remain in the new freezer an additional two weeks. Plus there was some procrastination so insead of the hams - this year I did two - getting hung about Xmas it was well into January. So instead of 5 months + it was only going to be 4 and a week.

In addition two hams is a lot more than we can use in a year. We don't use one in a year. I've still a few pieces of the 79 cent a pound from the 2007 ham in the freezer. Good taste but too tough to chew. The 2008 ham came from Dietrich's meat. The book Slow Food mentions two sources of meat; one is an Islamic charcuterist in Germany, does it by sense of smell and touch, the other is Dietrich's Meat.

For the 2009 hams I said I would be curing them, leave the skin on so they did.

Why two? you ask. Because Bob delGrosso of A Hunger Artist looked at the picture of the 2008 ham, Proscuitto-duh-Pomona and suggested that I hang it longer. So I intend to hang one at least a full year.

How you ask, my basement doesn't stay below 60, it is 59 today. Ta Da a wine cooler. After checking Lowe's, PC Richard's and a couple of other places, I looked at Costco. They beat both the other stores by over $150. That is a lot of ham. Plus it is big enough for both hams.





If I shorten the string on the one in front there is room in there for 10 bottles of wine as well. $199 plus tax, ordered on Saturday arrived on Wednesday. A US or Canadian company too. OK it isn't digital, it has a knob. I'm aiming for 55 F, if somebody has a better temperature let me know. It is adjustable from mid 40s to 60.

Later in the year I'll build a top for it so the microwave to it's left fits on top.

The deck is coming along nicely as well.

        

As always we start with the Ur text.

And as always, I won't give the recipe - GO BUY THE BOOK!!!

There are lots of other good books on Charcuterie, Hank of Hunter, Gardner... gives a good accounting  here. Hank was nominated for a James Beard award this year, check here.

I use other books as well, but all four recipes I was doing this time happen to come from Charcuterie.



Plenty of space is available.



First we need an ice bath, the grinder must be as cold as possible. Use an ice bath, putting it in the freezer can cause things to be too brittle and crack.



The working parts of the grinder in the bath. I have and until recently used the grinder attachment for the KA mixer.

However as mentioned here.



That is the mise for Italian hot sausage, no it doesn't include caraway, that is a bottle with something else in it, we buy a lot of stuff from Penzy's which comes in bags and bottles are handier.



Toasting the whole fennel seeds. There is a second whole seed in there as well, but I'm too lazy to walk downstairs and check on what it is.



I buy whole shoulders on sale, industrial grade pork, cut the meat off and freeze in 5 lb put ups. There are two more in the fridge waiting their turn in the que.



You could use a spoon, but I find that hands work just fine. I do wash them first however.



I also wash them after.



The grinder, out of the ice bath and assembled. I have named the grinder but I promised that if she behaved herself I wouldn't use it.
Taking the Princesses to the homeland.

Besides the hot Italian, I also did sweet Italian and Mexican Chorizo. All three of these were kept loose and went in to 1/2 lb put ups. It makes no sense to put sausage into a casing only to take it out before you use it. I do have both Italian sausages in casings as we like them grilled, but I haven't done the chorizo in a casing yet, we either do it as a breakfast sausage or loose in something.



That isn't today's chorizo, but from a previous batch. My wife did this last Monday for brunch.



Above is about a half hank of hog casing, This one is about a year old, still good to use, I keep them packed in Kosher salt in the garage fridge.



A single casing.



Check the comments to see if Kim has an opinion here.



A pound and a half of pork fat. My supermarket carries this stuff, thank you Shoprite.



Mixed with freshly ground dried peppers and  three and a half pounds of dark meat turkey, Talked about here, along with turkey boning instructions. This caused Attila the Mom to mention me, just below the diamond studded mouse about a page down in to the post.





So five pounds of turkey cranberry (yes the recipe called for cherries, but A). the store didn't have those and . I made this the first time just before Thanksgiving.

And to the sausage police, that did get twisted into proper links. This is a breakfast sausage and links look better. The French Garlic gets cut into lenghts because it will be cut in to small pieces before use and links aren't quite as good here.



And that has nothing to do with sausage, it was simply dinner last night.

        

Well, this isn't a real entry, but I am still alive.

This AM I did 20 pounds of sausage and tomorrow I will post on it. However there are onlyy 19.5 pounds left, lunch was good.

I'm also rebuilding my deck and the first load of lumber was delivered this AM, so there will soon be posts on it. Don't really need it quite yet, but the next delivery date was after I want to start work on it.

The peppers and tomatoes have to go in this week as well. They are here, but not yet planted. We also have pickling cukes and some beans and some vine stuff.

        

I just took a 3.5 pound bag of frozen dark turkey meat out, along with 3 five pound bags of pork chunks. Shoud be defrosted long about Thursday.

Turkey with cranberries in casings

Hot Italian - loose

Sweet Italian - loose

Mexican Chorizo - loose.

Check back later in the week.

I also have bacon, lardo and turkey pastrami to do in the near future. Those have to be timed so as to be ready for smoking, them that will smoke that is, at the same time.

Just got back from St. Louis, decent BBQ one night, not so good another. Other nights were catered as part of the conference, as I said Shazia does put out a good spread. She did give up on asking attendees if they wanted beef or fish, we all got salmon. She figures the vegetarians will contact her on the subject. I sat next to a couple, non Vegan vegetarian.  Top line hotel, good food, good service

        

I've just spent two days driving to St. Louis, this was what greated me when I opened my hotel room window.

More later.

        

Note: There is a related blog to this one. If you click on the title of this blog above " The Art of The Pig" the result will take you to the related blog, and vice versa.

        

OK, Thanksgiving is fast approaching.


 

And we need to be prepared, turkeys and tools. Two boning knives, my big chef's knife - which I'm finally starting to like - and ex-mother in law's cleaver - which I like a whole lot, but I've had it 36 years.

Well, not really fast but my wife wants to do this for Thanksgiving



and I've never boned a turkey in my life. I needed two for their breasts for pastrami and the legs/thighs for sausage. The wings we are deep frying and having for supper tonight.

So I can practice on them. After I get what she wants, notice legs and wings are still attached? I will simply cut them off and do my thing with  all the parts. Carcass and skin will make stock (for the record 4 gallons).




First we remove the wish bone, cutting it out and pulling it out with your fingers. Hopefully whole, but that doesn't always work.



Then we disjoint the wings, first bending it to get the end out of the socket then cutting the tendons, but not removing it.



Then, having cut through the skin and what little flesh is on the back, we start gently working the breast away from the carcass. When we get there we will dis-articulate and cut the thigh tendons in the same fashion.


Then we do the same for the other side.




Victory!


That is the boned turkey, wings, thighs and legs still attached.


And that is the position it will be trussed into when stuffed, when we do this for real with a bigger bird, this as about 12 lbs.



Now we remove a wing.


And the other.



Now we work on the leg, remember the tendons have already been cut, so we are talking skin here, mostly.



Cutting the breast in to two pieces.



And skining it, it is going to be pastrami, remember?



Skining the hind quarter.



Seperating the two pieces, which makes boning them easier.



About 3.5 lbs of dark meat from the two birds, add some fat to that and we have turkey cranberry sausage. Great stuff and to be featured soon.

        

Today will be a short post and actually on two related topics. The first group of pictures are from a course in Sausage I took one fine Saturday almost exactly 4 years ago at the CIA. Actually the pictures are from a different course taught by the same Chef, Chef LeBlanc, but I think the pictures will show why I used these.

First is the kitchen. I'm not certain which of the kitchens in Roth Hall this was in. I don't think it was one of the Garde Mange kitchens on the main basement hall, but the one stashed in a forgotten corner of the basement, gaurded by a maze.

The woman in the foreground was one of my two partners this day, the classes typically are divided into groups. Sometimes doing the same things, in other classes the groups do different items. The sausage course was a mixture, all groups did three basic sausags and each did one nobody else did.



That is the two of them, a mother daughter (OK I thought they were sisters). The daughter is in television food and I expect to see her on the Food Network some day.



She even smiled a lot.



This is Chef LeBlanc responding to a  simple query of mine about a technical fine point.



Which brings us to the main thing. The previous post was about chicken sausage. Before that bowl of skined boned chicken thights came to be, it had to be fabricated. That is 40 chicken quarters with backs. I need 3.5 lbs of meat, so I am going to have a bit left over.



That is the result. Legs, thighs and unseen backs.  They are in a stockpot already. Only the thighs will be used for the sausage and as I recall only a dozen of those. The rest got frozen in single meal put ups (for two people that is).

After enough experience you can find the point where the thigh and leg join easily, or you can have the quarters almost frozen, use a very sharp knife and brute force and cut through the bone. As a point of ease, before you cut the leg from the thigh, dislocate the thigh from the back, the leg adds a place to grip. The quarter will dimple at the dislocation and should be cut free there.







The picture below shows the process of skinning the thigh, first the whole thigh, pull the skin from the top and cut it off.



Then flip it over, 2nd thigh from right, and cut the fat/skin glob at about 2 o'clock. The skin and fat all go in the stock pot.



Now we cut the meat free. The skinned thigh, followed by one side of the bone cut free.



2nd thigh from right showes the other side cut free and the right thigh shows a third piece cut off, essentially the back. There isn't waste, the bone and flesh left on it go into the stock pot. I'm not finished yet, and I've put up 5.75 gallons of poultry stock this past weekend. I actually am running out of pints and the last batch and the next will be in quarts.



And the bowl in the upper right is 3.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thigh in sizes that the YM will grind.