Raindrops on Kittens and Whiskey in Hip Flasks...

Some of my favorite things in and about the kitchen, to list: slow cooking, preserving, duck fat, traditional methods, ageing meat, pic-nics with fine food, sweet spices (vanilla, cinnamon) in savory cooking, pork fat, pork meat, salt, picking meat from bones, grinding spices, rich snacks, hand mixing, and tasting and tasting and tasting. If only it were possible to combine all of these things into some kind of super food/experience. I'm thinking it would be wickedly delicious. I'm thinking of rillettes.

Rillettes evolved as a way to preserve meat by salting it, cooking it until it falls apart, shredding it, and then mixing it with either its own fat or some other rendered animal fat. And that's pretty much how it is still done today. Made properly, rillettes keep for ages; they have a cap of fat that seals them like jar of jam. As with all charcuterie, some people have absolutely mastered the process. However, unlike, say, sausage making, this little bit of food preservation is accessible to everyone.

Be sure to start your rillettes at least a week ahead of your pic-nic (did I mention you are going on a pic-nic?), as they benefit greatly from a bit of time in the fridge.



Pork Rillettes

750 g pork shoulder, cut into cubes
2 chicken wings
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 shallot, peeled
1 bay leaf
175 ml chicken stock
100 ml white wine
1 tsp quatre épices (see below)
1 cup duck fat

Place the pork into a large dish with a tight-fitting lid. Set the wings on top, and drop the garlic, bay, and shallots, whole, around the sides. Pour the wine and stock over. Sprinkle the whole lot with the tsp of quatre épices and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Cook, covered, in a moderately heated oven for 2- 4 hours – until the meat is falling apart. The key is to not allow the liquid to come to a rapid boil; rather it should “tick” slowly as this will prevent the rendering pork fat from combining with the stock.

Strain the contents of the pot, keeping the liquid and the solids in separate bowls. Allow the meat to cool until you can handle it. Pick the meat from the chicken wings and discard the bones, along with the bay leaf. Using your fingers or a couple of forks, shred the meat and cooked vegetables. You should end up with a fine-grained texture, not a paste.

Using a ladle, transfer to the meat all of the fat that has risen to the top of the reserved cooking liquid. This will (hopefully) be quite a bit. Mix this into the meat, tasting and adjusting seasoning – adding more salt, pepper, and quatre épices as needed. Remember, cold food (you'll eat this cold) needs a bit more seasoning than hot food, so add a pinch more of each than you think necessary.

Sterilize some small ceramic pots or jars or glasses. Divide the warm meat evenly, packing it down and attempting to prevent air bubbles; leave at least 1-2 centimeters of space at the top of each one. Smooth the top and cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. When they have cooled, melt the 1 cup of duck fat (just melt, don't heat it beyond that). Pour the duck fat over the top of the meat until it is about ½ a centimeter thick, taking care that no meat protrudes from the fat. Return to the refrigerator and store for at least one week before serving. Wrap them with foil or cling wrap the morning after making them, so they don't take on that “fridge smell.”

Any unopened rillettes will keep for weeks, if not longer.

Be sure to pack pickles, some apple cider, and a giant loaf of sourdough bread in your basket.

Quatre Épices

This traditional spice mixture is widely used in France in potted meats and terrines. Classically, it is made up of four spices: pepper, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. This is the version I use, perhaps it should be called Cinq Épices.

1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
2 Tbsp black peppercorns
½ nutmeg, grated
3 allspice berries (pimento)

Grind ingredients in a spice mill or mortar and pestle.