Bottega - Michael Chiarello [14]
After 21 more days, when the refrigerator part of the curing is complete, rub the prosciutto once more with grappa and hang in a cool, dry place. Use it within 30 to 40 days. Once you’ve cut it open, cover it in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
CHEF’S NOTE: To tie a butcher’s knot, start with a 2-foot length of kitchen twine. Bring it around the duck (which is sitting on your work surface so the tips point left and right) so the back length of twine and the front length are about even when you pull them taut above the duck. Hold the back length of twine still, while looping the front length of twine around it. With the front length of twine, form a loop and thread the same length through this loop from behind. When you’ve tightened this knot, continue holding the front length of twine with one hand while pulling taut the back length of string through the knot. Once again, bring the front length of twine around the back length and form another loop; pull the front length of twine through this loop from the back and tighten to hold the knot in place.
Roasted Lemons
MAKES 8 ROASTED LEMON HALVES
I love lemons, but the wines I serve aren’t always helped by the acidity. Grilling and roasting lemons mellows their flavor and lets you serve both lemons and wine without any fighting.
4 lemons, halved
1 teaspoon sea salt, preferably gray salt, or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Heat a grill pan over high heat, prepare a hot wood or charcoal fire, or preheat a gas grill on high. Toss the lemon halves in a bowl with the salt, pepper, and olive oil. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grill the lemons all the way around just long enough to get clear grill marks, 30 seconds per side. Transfer them to a baking sheet and roast in the oven until softened, about 10 minutes.
These are best served the same day they are made. Store in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours.
Preserved Meyer Lemons
MAKES 4 TO 8 CUPS, DEPENDING ON SIZE OF LEMONS
I use this intensely flavorful lemon in almost every menu: to stuff a fish, with sautéed spinach, in gremolata. I even mince it to line the rim of a cocktail glass as a twistier twist for a martini. Packed in salt, these lemons must rest in your pantry or refrigerator for at least a month before you open the jar.
CURING SALT
4 cups kosher salt, plus more if needed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
12 lemons, preferably Meyer
FOR THE CURING SALT: In a large bowl, combine the 4 cups salt, the sugar, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, juniper berries, and fennel seeds. Stir to blend.
Score the lemons from top to bottom by cutting through the rind to the flesh. (Don’t cut all the way through the lemons.) Pack the salt mixture into the cuts in each lemon and place the salted lemons into a large jar, until the jar is full. Pack the remaining salt mixture in the jar so the space around the lemons is taken up by salt. (If you run out of curing salt, just pour in extra kosher salt until the jar is full and every lemon is submerged in salt.) Seal the jar and store in a cool, dark place or in your refrigerator for 30 to 40 days.
When you’re ready to cook with a preserved lemon, pull it from the jar, scoop out and discard the flesh, and use just the rind. Once you open the jar, store it in your refrigerator.
Crème Fraîche
MAKES ABOUT 13/4 CUPS
You can buy tubs of crème fraîche in high-end groceries, but it’s the easiest thing in the world to make. It’s just a matter of combining cream and buttermilk and letting them sit on your countertop at room temperature for up to 24 hours. That’s all there is to it. Live cultures in the buttermilk react with the cream, creating a light, thin version of sour cream that’s delicious and heat-stable.
I make this in a large, clean glass jar. After pouring in the cream and buttermilk,