Kitchen Diary

These worked out beautifully, far better than I had hoped for.
The rilettes matured underneath a layer of sumptious, creamy duck fat, the flavour of the fennel penetrating but not dominating the pork.
We served the rilettes with crackers, home pickled cucumbers, a fresh parsley and lemon salad and red onions, quick pickled in apple and wine [...]

Fatty pork butt slow braised with a bouquet garni made from leek, celery and bay; then mixed with the paddle attachment of the food processor with some the braising liquid until the fibres start to break down. Pushed into a ramekin and sealed with duck fat.
What’s not to love? These classic pork rilettes are on [...]

My first foray into the art of charcuterie, duck prosciutto. This, apparently, is about as easy as it gets, a perfect beginner’s project - or so I am hoping. Duck breast gets salted for 24 hours, then spiced, wrapped in cheesecloth and hang up to dry in a cool, dark space. Our basement fits the [...]

Day three since three large heads of white cabbage got packed into a Chinese kimchi pot, bruised, covered with salt water and left to their own devices. Lacto-acid fermentation all the way. Kimchi pots have a water lip at the top, allowing fermentation gases to escape but keeping oxygen out.
Texture: crunchy.
Smell: 5/10.
There’s definitely something happening [...]