An objective outlet for traditional and whimsical French cookery enthusiasm from a disciplined culinary professional.
Referrals to anyone with adequate funds and the progressive food savvy desire to help open a specialized French style delicatessen and butcher shop in Washington, DC are welcomed.
On the intrawebs and in print:
Kitsch & Classics 
Your work is fantastic! I’ve been doing charcuterie and curing meats for about 5 years now, started out with pancetta, having trained in tuscany, and now am completely consumed with mortadella, seafood terrines, salami cotto… you name it!
It is inspiring to have happened onto your blog, I was googling “pacojet mortadella” -I’m taking a CDC position up in Seattle, and they have a very equipped kitchen, it will be my first opportunity to start playing with the PJ -no more burning out robocoupes.
Keep up the exquisite work! I look forward to more posts!
What a great blog — thanks for being here…
you are a motherfucking badass
Do you do catering? How can you be contacted?
I am currently too busy to do any catering personally, but perhaps through the restaurant. Julien@voltrange.com
Hi, can you offer some direction as far as pate en croute dough. I have been using a pate brisee and am wonder if you have a preferred recipe?
Thank you
Use a short crust. 50% fat (either butter or lard)
500g high gluten flour (Bread flour or King Aurthur special)
250g fat (butter or lard)
3 eggs
100g water
10g salt
Mix the flour, salt and fat until like wet sand. Add the water and eggs and mix by hand until it comes together. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Do not overwork the dough or it will be elastic.
Hello, sir. A charcuterie beginner question, with apologies : is there a best way to grind farce? Having a difficult time choosing among strategies, whether hand-cranked or electric or matching knives dual-wielded; none of these are currently in the kitchen arsenal. Sustained effort is no issue, and funds are finite, but pleasurable results are keenly hoped.
Any advice is much appreciated, as is your wonderfully distracting site.
Consider the aluminum Kitchen-Aid attachment for the stand-up mixer. It allows you to grind and mix the forcemeat with one unit.
http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/25196-edgecraft-stainless-meat-grinder-attachment.aspx
Invest in a stand up mixer as well. Its worth it.
Gratefully acknowledged. To the adventure! A thousand thanks.
I have loved your blog since I stumbled on it more than six years ago(Long time listener, much?) ; Not a chef by any stretch of the imagine, but I daresay a pretty decent home cook. Your words are great, and always said with educated heart and soul and they certainly inspire. Don’t stop.