Wild Turkey Farms & Chef Charles had been planning the Charcuterie class for weeks. We had it set up for January 30th & what happened we had about 6 inches of snow on Friday night/Saturday morning. We decided on Friday (1/29) evening to postphone the class. Trust me it was a hard decision to make. We had to put every one's safety first but we were truly disappointed.
Not to worry we talk with Chef Charles and decide to reschedule the class for February 13th & what happens........you guessed it. It started snowing on Friday night. The snow was light and fortunately DOT crews were on the ball (Go DOT!!) So we were able to have class...finally!
So what is charcuterie?
This definition was taken from epicurious.com
charcuterie[shahr-KOO-tuhr-ee, shar-koo-tuhr-EE]
Taken from the term cuiseur de chair , meaning "cooker of meat," charcuterie has been considered a French culinary art at least since the 15th century. It refers to the products, particularly (but not limited to) pork specialties such as PÂTÉS, RILLETTES, GALANTINES, CRÉPINETTES, etc., which are made and sold in a delicatessen-style shop, also called a charcuterie
Chef Charles is a Master Charcuterie Chef. We met him at the Davidson Farmer's Market last summer. He buys meats & vegetables from the local vendors and makes delicious creations. We are partial to his pates & salamis. Last summer he also made a roasted red pepper & eggplant dip...yummy!
Check him out at the Davidson Farmer's Market or his website:
The class started with Chef Charles showing everyone the facility and then the fun began. A whole hog was provided by Wild Turkey Farms for the class. Chef Charles had already processed one-half and demonstarted to the class the cuts on the other half. Class participation was encouraged. You could do as little or as much as you liked.
After all the cuts had been made, each student was given a recipe. They were to gather the ingredients for the recipes & prepare them. They were trained how to use the sausage grinder & the sausage stuffer. Not to mention the kry-o-vac machine for the finished product.
Chef Charles & his assistant Brandon prepared a gourmet lunch. This was one of the highlights of the day. It was very nice to sit around and chat with everyone. We had a very diverse group- we had several areas represented- Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Nantucket, Atlanta & France (Chef Charles). We had many different occupations & most of the group had done abroad travelling which included some type of a cooking class while they were there.
A good time was had by all! We can not wait to plan our next class. So if you missed this one stayed tune.......
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