pork week.

lots and lots of pork.
pork cheek.
pork sausage.
PORK BELLY.
pork tenderloin.

and sauerkraut.

we celebrated the animal this week by using assorted cooking methods and using all parts of the animal to produce a charcroute (or sauerkraut, meat platter). the cheek was braised in hock stock until fork tender. the pork sausage was made from fatback and pork butt, ground, then stuffed. the belly was cured overnight and then braised until tender ( i shed a tear, it was so freaking good). the tenderloin was brined overnight and then quickly pan-seared and finished in the oven.

sauerkraut was supposed to be the star here, but lets get real. pork belly is where it's at.

yesterday was our blackbox challenge.

lamb loin!

i ended up marinating mine with an assortment of herbs, garlic and red wine, grilling then roasting a tomato, sauteing fiddleheads, fennel and mushrooms in butter and sake, and making an herb infused cous cous (i infused oil with thyme and tossed the cous cous in it). i then made a sauce with the marinade and some beef stock, which i then hit with a little cream and butter.

oh snap.

one more week!!!