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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Without the faintest hint of apology, Ruhlman and Polcyn present an arsenal of recipes that take hours, and sometimes days, to prepare; are loaded with fat; and, if ill-prepared, can lead to botulism. The result is one of the most intriguing and important cookbooks published this year. Ruhlman (The Soul of a Chef) is a food poet, and the pig is his muse. On witnessing a plate of cold cuts in Italy, he is awed by "the way the sunlight hit the fat of the dried meats, the way it glistened, the beauty of the meat." He relates and refines the work of Polcyn, a chef-instructor at a college in Livonia, Mich., who butchers a whole hog "every couple weeks for his students." Together, they make holy the art of stuffing a sausage, the brining of a corned beef and the poaching of a salted meat in its own fat. An extensive chapter on pâtés and terrines is entitled "The Cinderella Meat Loaf" and runs the gamut from exotic Venison Terrine with Dried Cherries to hearty English Pork Pie with a crust made from both lard and butter. And while there's no shortage of lyricism, science plays an equally important role. Everyone knows salt is a preservative, for example, but here we learn exactly how it does its job. And a section on safety issues weighs the dangers of nitrites and explains the difference between good white mold and the dangerous, green, fuzzy stuff. Line drawings.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
Charcuterie - a culinary specialty that originally referred to the creation of pork products such as salami, sausages and prosciutto - is true food craftsmanship, the art of turning preserved food into items of beauty and taste. Today the term encompasses a vast range of preparations, most of which involve salting, cooking, smoking and drying. In addition to providing classic recipes for sausages, terrines and pates, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn expand the definition to include anything preserved or prepared ahead such as Mediterranean olive and vegetable rillettes, duck confit, and pickles and sauerkraut. Ruhlman, coauthor of The French Laundry Cookbook, and Polcyn, an expert charcuterie instructor present 125 recipes that are both intriguing to professionals and accessible to home cooks, including salted air-dried ham; crab, scallop and saffron terrine; breakfast sausages; mortadella and soppressata; and even spicy smoked almonds.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Quite good but not perfect,
This review is from: Charcuterie (Hardcover)
I found this book quite interesting, informative and adequate about the theoritical aspect of things. I'm somehow sorry about many recipes, though. I was expecting something really more into the great French tradition of charcuterie, or close to the origins of some other recepies.Some examples : * a Merguez recipe that includes porc products is a nonsence. * I am not interested in hot-dog sausage recepy and was not expecting such topic in a book called Charcuterie ("à la Franēaise"). * I am somehow surprised to see bacon "dry" cured in a plastic bag, soaking in its juces, since the main purpose of curing is to extract water before aging and/or smoking. Soaking it in its own water doesn't seem logical. It must drip over a clay. * I was expecting much more typical (traditional) sausage recipes such as Toulouse, hams such as porc procuito. * etc. I must also point out that there are many interesting aspects in this book, particularly about confits, pātés and terrines. Those who are not already aware of those techniques will be delighted. So, as I said, if this book opened my mind and knowledge about many aspects of charcuterie on the theoritical point of vue of things (let's say for example : techniques of aging of lacto-fermented dry sausages and hams, some types of sausages types, a few interesting ideas about terrines and patés), I am quite desapointed about a large proportion of the recipes that doesn't seem to me close enough to the great French or Eurpoean tradition of charcuterie (including Eastern Europe). I must add that the presentation, typography, and illustrations are really nice! At 25.00$ CAD, though, it's worth it.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for the serious chef.,
By
This review is from: Charcuterie (Hardcover)
The benefits of having a skilled writer and a passionate chef collaborate is evident in this text. It is detailed, easy to read, clear for even a novice cook and is full of excitement and reverence for the craft.I have been barbecuing, smoking, curing meat, making sausage and brining pork and poultry for many years and yet this book offered new insights and fresh ideas I had not imagined possible. Illustrations are used to advantage to explain techniques and easily replace the customary colour plates. All aspects of the craft are fully detailed, recipes are well thought out and offer suggestions for variations. Ingredients, equipment and methods of work are all covered very well. This volume will rest comfortably beside Rytek Kutas' legendary text. Well done!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent reference, perfect for the novice home charcutier,
By Makin' Bacon (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Charcuterie (Hardcover)
To get started, you may have to hunt down some specialized supplies/ingredients (pink salt is a must, nitrate for the extended cures, a grinder for sausage). The salt cures can be a little tricky to secure in Canada, but definitely worth pursuing. Canadians can order cures from the States (suppliers listed) - just know that the s/h charges will probably exceed the product prices. Best to buy in quantity.I've been making sausage for years, but never cured or fermented meats. Curing whole meat slabs is actually quite simple ... apply cure to meat and refrigerate. Some cured meats benefit from air drying (that's what your cantina is for!) ... regulating temperature and humidity is important, here. Ruhlman recommends trying a home cured bacon to begin with. For bacon, you mix a basic cure of kosher salt, pink salt, and sugar, apply to pork belly, place in a ziploc bag and refrigerate. After 1 week, you've got bacon. Smoking the meat after it cures will enhance the bacony flavor. This was the first recipe I attempted, and it came out perfectly. Next time, pancetta! Excellent recipes, with clear, concise directions. Highly recommended.
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