Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Cocoa nib, Hazelnut and Cayenne Salami


Currently our most anticipated salami at the moment, how could these flavors not be great?!? We are always trying to think of new combinations which isn't as easy as it may seem. There are tons of things one could throw into the mix but its important to show a bit of restraint and ease into new transitions. Different ingredients react in different ways. Why does dill hold its colour after months of curing and parsley turns black? Why do some nuts hold in emulsified recipes like mortadella and others seem to jump ship almost instantly when you slice it. You can assume you have all bases covered, make a big batch of something, months later take it down from the curing room and realize you didn't take one little thing into consideration and the finished product is ruined.
Introducing new ingredients is always risky and you never quite know what the final outcome will be until its ready. Certain spices react in different ways. Why does dill make a salami taste so buttery? and why is fennel so pronounced even in the smallest of quantities?
i recently made a salami using 3 citrus peels. lemon, orange and lime with cayenne and coriander. Sounds tasty but really the outcome has the same chance of turning out horrible as it does great. The quantities and the contrast of flavors can work for or against me equally and only time will tell.
Using ingredients your familiar with and ratios of meat to spices is your best bet for success. Every once in a while you introduce something new to expand your knowledge but be prepared for a product you may not be happy with. And do everyone a favour, dont serve it unless your completely satisfied.
This cocoa nib salami is a first for us, but nothing new to the charcuterie game. We decided on the quantity of nibs via rock, paper, scissors.... My suggestion was less, Branden's was more, he beat me with a scissor if i remember correctly and i will be beating him with a rock if it turns out shit.

6 comments:

PJ said...

Just curious, did you toast the hazelnuts for the cocoa nib salami?

Grant van Gameren said...

yup

Ken Bowie said...

Sounds wicked...gonna have to let us know if it was a disaster or not!

Unknown said...

When will the batch be ready? And will you let me know so I can come in for a taste?

HappyX said...

Its like a nutella salami--how can it go wrong? Please let us know the results!!!

chefmike2011 said...

how are you chef I'm getting into charcuterie and just wondering if you had some advise. It's going to be for a restaurant do you have tips on the hanging and molding process. i would love to set up a stage in your restaurant to come an observe your product and learn a thing or 2 before i start producing charcuterie.