Since we are planning a family Easter Sunday at our house next weekend, we've been in the process of menu planning, as you might be. We had decided that we would do the same thing since we have a lovely assortment of cheeses and of course, my first charcuterie that I've been dying to introduce to the world.
My first Lonzino, which is a cured pork tenderloin with juniper, rosemary, salt, pepper and fennel turned out so lovely that it shocked my whole household.
Totally supportive of my kitchen experiments and food chemist wizardry, Tsunami was all too willing and anxious to try it but deep down I think he was a tad skeptical. That's ok; I love to be underestimated and truth be told, I wasn't entirely sure either. And what's better than unexpectedly impressing someone you love with something you made? Nothing, really.
But since everything seemed to go perfectly according to the recipes in my book, I felt at least confident I had a 50/50 chance of it turning out ok. I mean, peeps have been curing meats for thousands of years, how hard can it be?
Oh joy! Not only did it turn out ok, but it was truly divine and a total culinary delight! Yipppeeee!!
I asked him to check on it one night and suddenly, during my evening swim, he comes outside and says to me, "OH. MY. Gosh... Totally f-ing amazing! Here, honey, gotta try this right now."
I swim over and he gives me the slice that he has precariously carried on his carving knife all the way outside. "Right???" he says, clearly impressed with the results.
Even though he was discreetly skeptical, it didn't stop him from assisting me with some mechanics during the curing process of my "experiment". He cleverly converted a small outdoor refrigerator we keep by the pool for beer and soda and turned it into the perfect meat curing humidor! Perfect temperature and humidity for the sausage making endeavor, which required a constant temperature of 55 degrees F and 65% humidity. (It also serves as a cheese curing fridge, but that's another culinary adventure waiting to begin :)
Tickled to death, we both have cheese, crackers and Lonzino as a little post-workout snack. And so, our menu planning for Easter had begun...
Now that we have the cured meat for the platter figured out and the assorted cheeses, we decided that of course, time to make our own crackers, as well! Thanks, Ina. Just love you to death and appreciate this addition to our Easter Sunday supper!
Here's what you need to get started:
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1¼ ups all-purpose flour
Prep:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, add the Parmesan, thyme, salt, and pepper and combine. With the mixer still on low, add the flour and combine until the mixture is in large crumbles, about 1 minute. If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon water.
Dump the dough onto a floured board, press it into a ball, and roll into a 9-inch log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 4 days.
Here's what you need to get started:
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1¼ ups all-purpose flour
Prep:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, add the Parmesan, thyme, salt, and pepper and combine. With the mixer still on low, add the flour and combine until the mixture is in large crumbles, about 1 minute. If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon water.
Dump the dough onto a floured board, press it into a ball, and roll into a 9-inch log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 4 days.
**Alternatively, I put the dough into a ziplock baggie, seal the baggie and roll the dough out flat in the bag. Refrigerate and then when ready to roll, you simply cut the ziplock bag away and cut with cookie cutters for little shapes or use a pastry cutter to make strips or squares, etc. Learned this tip from Alton Brown and it makes it pretty easy once the dough is cold and there is little to no mess to clean up!
Baking:
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the log into 3/8-inch-thick rounds with a small, sharp knife and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 22 minutes, until very lightly browned. Rotate the pan once during baking. Cool and serve at room temperature.
Serve:
You can certainly serve these any way you like, but we'll likely follow Ina's lead and create a lovely platter with fresh, seasonal fruit like mangos, red grapes, fresh pineapple, various cheeses and of course, the secret star to my little cheese plate party: my first Lonzino!
**Don't worry, if you are interested and want to try your hand at cured meats, I am working on a companion post for just that, so stay tuned!
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