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March 28, 2005
Rabbit Rillettes & Petite Jambon
I feel like most of my food entries revolve around the Fatted Calf, but honestly, it's a discovery worth exploring.
This past easter was brought to us by Fatted Calf.
The first thing we tried was the Rabbit Rillettes. This is a reduction of sorts -- pâté-like spread made from slow-cooked meat combined with it's fat. I think the Rabbit that we bought started out as a Confit. The meat is shredded into neat little ribbons, creating an amazing velvety texture. It came in it's own little crock, with a thick layer of fat sealing in the meaty goodness.
We couldn't wait, so we tried it. At first it tasted like chicken salad. A really good chicken salad, mind you. As the Rillettes warmed, the flavor and intensity increased. We pulled out a jar of Bubbies Pickles and ate the Rabbit on toasted whole wheat baguette. Yummy.
For our main course, we baked a Petite Jambon. This was about 2 1/2 pounds of pork, bound together with kitchen twine. Unlike traditional hams, this seemed to be a cold smoked, raw hunk of meat. We cooked it for about an hour -- first at 450 until it browned, and then reduced the heat and cooked along with the Scalloped Potatoes.
This was not a ham. It couldn't be. It wasn't as salty as a traditional ham, and had a rich, smokey flavor that was pervasive through each slice -- even the center cuts. It was tender, and hugely flavorful. Incredible.
The other items that we consumed were artichokes with a beet-mustard mayonnaise, a simple salad, Carol's amazing scalloped potatoes, Asparagus with a Blood Orange butter Sauce, and for desert a Blood Orange Upside Down Cake. The meal came together with little effort, and it was one of the best Easter meals I have had.
Later this week, we'll be trying the Fatted Calf Wild Mushroom Sausages. Can't wait.
Posted by tdotjay at March 28, 2005 4:40 PM
