Charcuterie

Charcuterie - a culinary specialty that originally referred to the creation of pork products such as salami, sausages and prosciutto - is true food craftsmanship, the art of turning preserved food into items of beauty and taste. Today the term encompasses a vast range of preparations, most of which involve salting, cooking, smoking and drying. In addition to providing classic recipes for sausages, terrines and pates, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn expand the definition to include anything preserved or prepared ahead such as Mediterranean olive and vegetable rillettes, duck confit, and pickles and sauerkraut. Ruhlman, coauthor of The French Laundry Cookbook, and Polcyn, an expert charcuterie instructor present 125 recipes that are both intriguing to professionals and accessible to home cooks, including salted air-dried ham; crab, scallop and saffron terrine; breakfast sausages; mortadella and soppressata; and even spicy smoked almonds.