~MEAT MACHINE ! ~

Vegetarians, take cover! I received my Christmas present yesterday ~ a heavy-duty meat grinder and sausage stuffer. Now I can make charcuterie and sausages at my house and not always have to go over to my friend's. But, when we do get together, we can go crazy making meaty marvels!

Of course, I had to try it out today. I still need to get some sausage casings, so sausages were out. I decided on a French-style terrine made with beef chuck, pork back fat, shallots & garlic, Marsala, Cognac, side bacon, pistachios and freshly-ground pâté spices. The grinder worked smoothly and quickly to get the meat and fat very fine. The mixture emulsified nicely when added to the aromatics and panada. So far, so good! I did a quenelle test - good spice and saltiness. Then into the terrine it went -- with great, smacking plops to force out any air. That's fun! Pan into a bain marie and patience, patience to wait for it to slowly cook in its bath. Once out, I weigh it with several cans to compact the meat so it slices nicely. It's a little early to break it out, but I cut a slice for you to see...

I was particularly pleased with the natural gelatin it made - the flavor is earthy and authentic - it tastes like the pâtés and terrines I buy in Europe. The Marsala comes through nicely. Here in the states, more specialty stores are carrying these, but nowhere near the variety available there. The main commercial producer here is D'Artagnan. I guess I'll just be making my own :-) I'm envisioning late spring lunches with a friend or four, serving young salad greens from the garden, homemade terrine slices, some chilled pinot gris and broiled strawberries with vanilla sauce for dessert. Yeah, I can see that. Can you?

A couple of months ago, I made this Pâté Grandmère - made with pork shoulder, pork liver, cream, brandy and spices. Voilà! -

Off on my meaty adventures ... I'm thinking some fresh, smoky paprika sausage for breakfast tomorrow.