Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [118]
10. Place the chicken breasts end to end in the terrine, and cover with the remaining avocado mousse. Lay the remaining spinach leaves and then the tomatoes on top, smoothing the mousse as above, then cover with the remaining artichoke mousse.
11. Fold the overhanging plastic wrap over the top of the terrine to cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Yield: 24 slices; 12 appetizer servings
To Prepare Artichoke Bottoms (Hearts)
6 artichokes
1 pound/450 grams onions thinly sliced
2 lemons
1⁄4 cup/60 milliliters white wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
1. Cut off the top third of each artichoke. Peel the stems.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a pot just large enough to hold the artichokes comfortably. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and place a heatproof plate or a lid perforated pan on the artichokes to keep them submerged. Simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the artichokes from the cooking liquid and drain well (discard the cooking liquid).
3. Remove all the leaves from each artichoke. With a spoon, scoop out the choke (the hairy inner part) and discard. The artichoke bottoms will keep for 2 days, covered, in the refrigerator.
Yield: 6 artichoke bottoms
HEADCHEESE
Not a cheese at all, this delicacy is pieces of cooked meat from a calf’s or a pig’s head combined with the gelatinous cooking liquid. Once cooled and formed in a mold it is easily sliced and eaten at room temperature. In England this is referred to as brawn and in France as fromage de tête.
For this traditional headcheese, succulent meats are cooked till tender, then cooled and packed with fresh herbs into a terrine mold, covered with the gelatin-rich stock used to cook the meats, and chilled. Brian and I treat the meats with a basic brine and pink salt for the cured flavor and the bright pink color the salt gives the meats; because it’s added for color and flavor only, not for safety, it may be omitted. Also note that the sweet spices, nutmeg and allspice, are optional; if you prefer a more straightforward, less spicy flavor, omit them.
The headcheese can be sliced and eaten as is, with good crusty bread and some mustard. It can also be sliced and served as a first course with greens and a vinaigrette as a salad.
1 pig’s head (available at specialty butchers or by mail-order: see Sources, page 302)
4 fresh pig’s trotters or hocks (about 6 pounds/3 kilograms total)
2 gallons/8 liters All-Purpose Brine (page 60), made with the addition of 4 ounces/112 grams (10 teaspoons) pink salt (optional), chilled
1 cured pork tongue (about 1 pound/450 grams)
2 cups/500 milliliters dry white wine
1 bouquet garni (leek, bayleaf, fresh thyme, and parsley tied together with butcher’s string)
4 garlic cloves
10 black peppercorns
8 bay leaves
6 cloves
Kosher salt if needed
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
Ground allspice (optional)
1 tablespoon/15 milliliters white wine vinegar
1. Place the pig’s head and trotters in the chilled brine, weighting them down with a plate to keep them submerged, and refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove the pig’s head and trotters and rinse well; discard the brine. Place the head and trotters, along with the tongue, wine, bouquet garni, garlic, and spices in a large deep stockpot and cover with water by about 2 inches/ centimeters. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently (between 180 and 190 degrees F./82 to 87 degrees C.), skimming occasionally, for 3 hours, or until all the meats are tender. (When the jaw bone detaches easily, the head is done.)
3. Remove all the meats from the pot and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer or