Experiments in Charcuterie - Part 3: Duck Tasting & Goat Prosciutto Day 1

The duck is ready! And goodness is it amazing!

Surprisingly delicious (okay, not a surprise)

I overdid it on the white pepper a bit, but overall it's excellent stuff. I particularly like it wrapped around melon, on cucumbers, and in the omelets I'm eating as I write this. All in all, VERY worth my time, I'll absolutely be doing it again.

Given my success with the duck prosciutto, I've decided to continue my experimentation but didn't really want to invest a lot into the various ingredients required for working with larger cuts of meat. Thankfully A neighbor was kind enough to gift me with a few 'extras' after seeing my earlier charcuterie posts. What did he gift me, you ask?

Experiments in Charcuterie - Part 2: Duck Prosciutto Recipe

A lot has happened on the charcuterie front since my last post. I'm about to begin the process of making my first violino di capra (whole leg goat prosciutto held like a violin when thinly sliced). But today I owe you an explanation of where I'm at in the process of the duck prosciutto and a how to so you can make your own. Don't worry, it's easier (and faster!) than you think.



The final product (I hope)

Experiments in Charcuterie - Part 1: Dreaming

My birthday is coming up. No I won't tell you exactly when, but we'll say it's soon.

My birthday is coming up, and money is a little tight right now. No, I won't tell you how tight, but suffice it to say it'll be a bit before we're back at Costco.

My birthday is coming up, and I want for my birthday dinner is prosciutto. And yes, it is delicious stuff. Too bad it's awfully pricey.

My birthday is coming up, and I just so happen to have excess duck breast in the freezer. And a 50 lb bag of food-grade sea salt I got for $15 at the feed store.



Photo courtesy of OneVanillaBean

And yes, my chef neighbor and I are going to try to make our own duck prosciutto. Never had duck prosciutto? You're seriously missing out. High protein, low carb, and as delicately delightful as any foie you've ever put in your mouth (almost).

So here it goes, based on the weight and thickness of the breasts, we're guestimating about 2 weeks from now to finished product. I'll post updates as we go. Tonight we're just defrosting in the freezer. I can't wait!

Introducing Smye's Fitness - Homemade Kettlebells

 Prep: 15 minutes                                Build Time: 1 hour                         Cure: 24 hours

I know this blog is typically a space reserved for the breaking of digital bread and the celebration of good food. Don't worry, this will still be the case 90% of the time. But at the end of the day, this blog is really about maintaining a healthy lifestyle after (or even before) bariatric surgery. To that end, I wanted to share with you a few of the things I learn along the way in terms of physical conditioning beyond diet.

Before I begin, let me be clear that I do not believe one needs any formal equipment to develop and maintain a high level of fitness - I'm all about natural movements and the joy of using your own body in work & play. However, I also recognize the desire among many of us for something a little more formal. I am not a physiologist, nor am I a fitness expert in the true sense of the word - nor will I pretend to be. I will not be offering workout tips or WODs here, just a tip or two each month that have made my life easier and more affordable.

25 Pound Kettlebell - $4.00 and 1 hour

Now the fun part. We've all seen kettlebells in the gym, maybe we've even used them a time or two. They're typically big hunks of iron with handles - tools that allow us to tap into that primal 'URGH!' of weight-training and are actually pretty fun in the process. The trouble is that they're expensive - $1.50/lb for the poorly made ones and well over $4.00/lb for anything high quality. Until now.