They've charmed and wooed us with supper clubs, duck bacon and prosciutto. We've slathered mustard on mortadella hot dogs and fought over who go the last bit of wild boar chorizo. I've drooled over the weekly e-mails announcing what would be at the market that week and immediately started planning the meals for the next week based on the list.
But, I've never been so proud of these talented men (Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due, Larry Kocurek of Kocurek Family Charctuerie and Ben Runkle of Salt & Time) than I was at their Charcuterie & Wine pairing panel at the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival. Their combined passion and mutual admiration was apparent as they shared their philosophies on how to honor the animals from which they make their products.
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| Cheek to Cheek terrine and country pate from Kocurek Family Charcuterie |
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| Proscuitto and coffee rubbed Lomo from Salt &Time |
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| Ham hock terrine & rabbit rillettes from Dai Due |
Even The Marquise, Caroline de Roussy de Sales of France gave her nod of approval to the charcuterie saying it was as lovely as what you might find in the French countryside. Impressive.
I typically buy a package or two of items from one or the other of the charcuterie booths each week. Dai Due's country pate will be on our Easter dinner table, and I recently bought some delicious pancetta from Salt & Time at their newish booth at the Barton Creek Farmers market and used it to make a tasty zucchini and pancetta pizza.
And, now we have the chance to support one of our charcutier's in a different way. Salt & Time's master butcher Bryan Butler has been accepted to compete in the Cochon 555 butcher competition. Bryan is one of only 20 butchers in the country invited to compete. This is a big deal.
You can imagine that as a new business Salt & Time doesn't have the budget for unexpected trips so they are asking us, their adoring fans and admirers, to help Bryan represent us at this prestigious event.
Join us at a Happy Hour at the Hotel St. Cecilia (112 Academy Dr.) on Wednesday, May 4th from 5:00-8:00 pm. Tasty food will be provided by Salt & Time and Bakesale Austin. Suggestd donation is $20. You can RSVP on their Facebook event.
I hope to see you there. We can toast Salt & Time and Bryan with salumi!
