And so it begins...

I've started my latest project, charcuterie. Tonight, while Emily was working, I hiked 3/4 of a mile to Drewes Bros to pick up a duck, 5 lbs of unrendered duck fat, and a 4-5 lb oxtail.

My plans for the Duck are:

Duck Prosciutto - I've salted the duck breasts, which I will cure for 24 hrs and hang in a cool place for a week or two. With luck I'll have duck prosciutto at the end of the process.

Duck Confit - I'll apply a milder cure to the legs, cook them in duck fat, and store them in the fat.

The rest - I'm planning on making a broth out of the carcass, maybe reduce it to a sauce or glacée. And, the extra skin &c will be rendered into duck fat.

The oxtail, a separate project, will be braised in red wine, using a recipe from the Zuni cookbook. We'll probably eat it Monday as it needs to rest a bit after being cooked. We've had good luck with short ribs in red wine - I look forward to seeing how the oxtails turn out.