MarkinHouston

The Fava Bean Cassoulet is really extraordinary. The difficulty of finding fresh favas is the only barrier which keeps me from making this dish more often.

I took a quart of Andie's master mustard to my reunion last weekend. I added the Mae Ploy sheet chili sauce and served t with spicy roasted pork loin and pickled onions. The mustard was completely gone afterwards, and several people siad it was the best they have ever eaten. Thank you, I am a real believer!

Good answers, all. I think brining is a great idea, and I could start the brining process and then apply the seasonings the day before cooking. I am going back to the store which sold me the orzo, as the chef can translate the instructions for me.

I am now sold on going with the oven roasting versus the rotisserie. You are right; it is too long between initial cooking and serving. Question: I usually don't cook multiple packages of pasta at once. Can I three or four pounds of orzo at a time, and if so, how large a cooking vessel would I need? Same question for four 20-oz packages of tortellini. Thanks.

Heidi, I am meeting some others on Thursday who might add to the food supply, but western Kansas is pretty much a wasteland for scavengering good victuals unless you seek something chicken-fried. The spicy pork loin recipe is actually from Ruhlman's Charcuterie page #89. Per his directions, I could just bake in a 350º oven which means I could do that on Saturday--I just have access to a rotisserie here. ( will not have time to smoke-roast the loins, so it is either rotisserie four days in advance or oven the day before.) Garten's chicken salad calls for 2 whole breasts to serve four. I was thinking of increasing the recipe 6x to feed 24. The tortellini salad would involve four 20-oz packs of tortellini, and there is enough added to it--artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, olive, and fresh mozzarella--that there should be enough for 40-50 servings. I have four pound of dried orzo for the orzo salad. Unfortunately the only thing I can read on the package is the Anglicized nuttrition information and that the orzo takes about 18 minutes to cook. Is it possible to cook all four package at once? (I have 20-quart and a 12-quart stock pots.) Assembling the crudite and fruit platters wil entail some basic knife work, but it is the minor part of the project.

Next weekend I am going to a high school reunion, and somehow I was cajoled to provide the food for the oicnic on Sunday. I will be leaving my home near Houston late Wednesday, and after a circuitous trip, arrive in western Kansas on Friday. I will have coolers, dry ice and/or regular ice as needed, and probably some cooking facilites although I don't know what equitment may be available. I am planning to make: Spicy Pork Loins from Bruce Aidells Pork Cookbook that I currently plan to cook on a gas rotisserie Tuesday night Chicken Salad Veronique from Ina Garten, probably with wraps or little dinner rolls Orzo with Dried Apricots, Pistachios, Parsely and Green Onions with a crystallized ginger/sherry vinaigrette Cheese Tortellini Pesto Salad Vegetable tray with green goddess dip and basil aioli Fresh fruit tray I hope that doing the pork loins in advance will not be an issue, or do I need to freeze them and hold on dry ice until I can get to a freezer or refrigerator? I think I should cook the chicken breasts in advance and leave whole until time to assemble the salad. Yea or nay? I think I might have "assistants" to assemble both the orzo and tortellini salads on Saturday afternoon--they could be held in refrigerators until Sunday. The veggie and fruit trays could be assembled Sunday morning. I don't have experience doing this scale of picnic--probably 75-100 people--where I am not in my own litchen. Are there mistaken assumptions in my thinking, or better ways to handle the logistics, etc.? All advice is appreciated.

I have a double batch of Andi's master mustard waiting patiently for completion. I know that some will get spiked with Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce, as Andi suggested. If I add horseradish, should I grate some fresh or would bottled (and drained?) be an acceptable alternative. Tarragon or other fresh herbs to taste for another batch? I also bought several habaneros but am not sure how much or how little to add...anyone have experience adding hot pepper to mustaard? Thanks.

I found two quart jars with Confit of Toulouse sausages cover in oil that have been in the spare refrigerator. I am fixing to convert it into a curing chamber for some fermented sausages and wonder whether I should keep or toss these sausages. Paula's book says they will keep for two or three months, but I think it's been closer to six. Thumbs up....or down?

Find a "wall wart"( the things you plug into wall outlet to charge/power, stuff), at the thrift store that has the required DC voltage (and amperage) and use that to power your fan... Bud ← Thanks, Bud. That's what I needed to know. I hope to start my cinghiali salumi experiments this week.

Dougal, about that computer fan concept, I talked to my computer repairman, and he said that the computer fan is DC versus the refrigerator iis AC How do you rig up the computer fan to be a fairly friendly appartus tocirculate the air in the curing chamber? Thanks.

If Fermento itself is a slavoring rather than an actual starter, and addition of a lactobacillus culture would change the sugars to lactic acid, could I just use my favorite yogurt featuring gazillions of live lactobacillus cultures as the substitute?

Butchering it and then freezing the joints for about a month wouldn't be a bad idea! And that would give you plenty time to source a temperature controller for your curing chamber. Enough wet salt and a small fan from a scrap computer (for occasional air circulation and uniformity) ought to take care of basic humidity control. ← Thanks...I read that freezing for awhile is a good cautionary action against trichinosis. I'll run down the computer fan and do my homework in the interim.

I received a call last night that a friend had shot a "feral piggy" and wanted me to have it. I figured that it would provide two or three batches of sausage and maybe some meat for braising, Italian-style. When I went to pick it up this afternoon, it turns out that he shot another one just before twilight. THe first one dressed out at 45 pounds, which was what I expected. The second one, however, was a female that dressed out at 150 pounds. With that much meat to work with, I need some guidance. I have an exdtra refrigerator that could be transformed into a curing chamber---Houston is too hot to do that without such a contraption. Can anyone pease guide me to the previous posts in this thread which discuss rigging up for salame? I have plenty of Instacures #1 and #2--would butcherpacker.com be a good place to secure casings for salami and coppe? If anyone has experience dealing with wild boar, I would be happy to use your knowledge to make fresh and dry cured meats. Thanks in advance.

Dan, Bruce Aidells has a book entitled Flying Sausages which is devoted to chicken and turkey-based sausages. It provides a good basis for non-pork sausages.

I think "to a boil" or "to the boiling point" would be better. When I hear "to the boil" it belongs in the sentence, "What kind of beer are you bringing to the"shrimp" boil?"

If you are going to puree it for soup or ravioli filling, just bake it hole at 400º for about an hour. You can then slice it, scoop out the seeds, and then scoop out the soft innards. No knife dangers involved.

boffo, I think there is a requirement to list added liquids. If the packaging says "up to 12% added liquid" or similar, find another merchant. You can brine it yourself if that is your intent.

I have made cassoulet based on Dave's recipe, and the results were excellent. The first time I used lingots purchased from a Monoprix, and that version was as emmorable as a subsequent episode using RG runner cannelinis. Unfortunately the authenticity of the lingots is somewhat ofset by the current airfares from Houston. I will continue to use Rancho Gordo, but I will still schlepp a duffel bag filled with beans, etc. when I can get back to France. Hype in the food industry? Certainment! The worst now is BUrger King going to the far corneres of the globe to find burger virgins, so to speak, who would choose them over a McDonalds. Then the filming crew goes wild over the native dishes served after the commercial is ended.

That is precisely what I was trying to say without saying it plainly... Another good example is piment d'Espelette (not on the head please, as a matter of fact the topic is taboo in France). ← Agreed. Rancho Gordo's pretty good at it too. Still the naive and gullible listen. buy and believe. Who am I to talk having been a marketeer for many years albeit in high tech where your BS has to be real. ← After suffering misadventures with second-rate products, there are some who through experience have found a reliable source for what passes as a basic commodity to those living in France. I for one do not consider myself either naive or gullible. The belief comes from results.

I had no idea how good beans could taste until I got some from Rancho Gordo. ← Ditto on Rancho Gordo. I am seeing some of his (yours, if you're reading, Steve!) beans in local shops and have worried about the freshness factor...but I probably shouldn't. Which of Rancho Gordo's beans have you all used for cassoulet, folks? ← I have used the Rancho Gordo flageolets, and I have toted a few kilos of lingots from Sarlat (where they swore that lingot, not Tarbais beans, are the best), and i have used teh Rancho Gordo runner cannelinis. They were all good, but the runner cannelimis are the best beans I have ever eaten. Period.

Are you hosting a dinner party? just two of you? Any particular favorites or dislikes? (shellfish allergies, don't eat beef, 8 guests all with strange requests) Please narrow down your target audience/initial ideas. Thanks.

I used half dried garden herbs, and just ground a few handfuls of whole frozen cranberries with the meat .. so they blended but are still distinct in the mix and yes I added 1 big heaping tbl of NM red (Xtra hot) everything matched perfectly if you like a lot of excitment in your mouth then you have to try this! it is really good! ← Thanks for your quick response. I have all of those on hand and just returned from the store with the pork.

Questions about your tweaks: Did you add 1 Tbsp of NM red chile to the breakfast sausage recipe? Were the cranberries dried? Did you macerate them beforehand? Fresh or dried rosemary? Thanks for your response--pork butts are 67 cents per pound this weekend.

I have made the breakfast sausage with ginger and sage three times. The ginger is sort of a surprise when comparing to the run-of-the-mill commercial brands. I left it in bulk form and then sliced patties.I think the taste grows on you--now I wish I had made some more from the last batch of pork butt, although it is stll not as good as the Arkansas bacon that I made instead.

I've done this one both in the oven and in the slow cooker. I think I probably did it at 300 degrees in the oven, just because that's what I always do for any type of pot roast braise. I probably didn't even look at the temp listed in the recipe. This actually works very well in the slow cooker. I'm probably going to do it Thursday, to be served to guests arriving Friday night. ← I prepared the Stracoto with Porcini in a crockpot last night. Excellent results, with superb sauce and tender (not mushy) texture to the beef. I used a 5.5 pound chuck roast, browned and prepped in Le Creuset prior to transfer to crock pot where it cooked on low for six hours.