Raw calfs brain about to be poached.

So most people moan and scream like a zombie and act like an ass instead of having the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful creamy cut. Here I will show a recipe for brains, so order your brain fork which any self respecting offal eater should own one of these. Turn on your favorite zombie flick and get ready to eat some delicious brains.

The calves brain has been poached very gently in a traditional court boullion for about 5 minutes. then the membrane is removed and its ready to be taken to the next step towards a finished dish.

calf’s brains with porcinis and capers

In a saute pan over medium heat add a nug of butter and let it brown place the seasoned poached brain in the pan presentation side down. Add the sliced porcinis and place in the oven for 3 minutes remove from the over an flip the brain over and add the capers. Deglaze the pan with lemon juice and a splash of chicken stock, add a bit of butter and let the sauce reduce finish with parsley and serve.

To me every part of a pig is absolutely delicious. This head and some bits were dropped off to me on Friday. They came from a duroc hog from biagio a Sonoma meat co-op run by Michael. These parts were put to use quickly for a new dish for the menu Saturday.

Raw pork heart, liver and kidneys from 1 animal, before they are cleaned and trimmed for use.

These meats have been trimmed and cleaned of ventricles, membranes and fatty tissues before they were diced and marinated overnight, in a mixture of juniper, allepo chili, thyme, bay leaves, black pepper, and a splash of red wine.

Using a hot stone from Le Sanctuaire , I cooked the pork bits with red onions until they were medium rare. The hot stone cooks like a plancha and caramelizes great without any added fat. Cooking on the stone has a primeval feel to it, as well a it adds a great charred flavor to the meats.

I have tossed the meats in a bowl with rucola, mint and zinfandel vinegar,with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. And of course I seasoned it with salt and pepper.

So lets start with the term “fries” also know as “prairie oysters”, “mountain oysters” and “swinging meat” they are all the same, it just depends on which animal. The idea of serving everything an animal has to offer is a big thing, but this is probably the hardest one to get folks to tuck into. The difference between duck fries and other animal fries is that the duck testicles are an internal not an external organ, they are also know as white kidneys. Duck fries are the newest menu item at Incanto rigtht now and here is a recipe.

Duck Fries with bacon and peas
serves 4
1 lb duck fries
4 strips sliced bacon
1/2 cup fresh shelled peas
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
fresh sorrel

Rinse the duck fries and remove the excess membranes, set on a towel and pat dry. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Put the bacon in a cold saute pan and bring it to medium heat to render out some fat. Remove the bacon once it has some color and turn the heat up. Add the duck fries and saute until golden brown on both sides, add
the bacon then the butter and fresh peas. Deglaze the pan with a splash of lemon juice, then add chicken stock and let reduce until the sauce emulsifies. Season with salt and pepper, and serve on four warm plates. Finish with a large chiffonade of fresh sorrel, then serve.

Duck fries can be purchased at dartagnan

Its royal name is: Porchetta Di Testa - Translation a pigs head that is boned out then marinated for 2 days with rosemary and garlic rolled and tied then braised for 14 hours in a sous vide bag at 200 degrees to keep it all together.

Here is a photo journal of the process.

Start with one square cut berkshire pigs head.

Debone the head from the chin and work your way around the jaw up into the rest of the head until the meat is free, dont make any extra holes.

Once the skull is removed split the skull with a saw to save the brains and have a proper butchers treat of brains and egg, then roast the skull for stock.

As you can see once the skull is removed there is alot of meat to work with.

Then season both sides of the pigs head with salt, black pepper, garlic, rosemary with chili flakes and lemon zest. let it marinate for 2 days in the fridge then roll it up and tie it tight. Place it in a sous vide bag with some herbs and garlic and cook. Remove form the water and drop it in a ice bath and let it set for 2 days.

This is after it has cooled in the ice bath and let to set in the fridge for 2 days before cutting.

Remove all the gelatinous stock and fat from the pigs head in the bag, then remove the string and herbs that have attached to the meat..

This is now ready to be slice on the meat slicer and serve.

Shaved Marinated Tripe Salad with New Potatoes and Parsley

Yields 6 portions

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Honeycomb beef tripe (preferably unbleached, organic, if available)

1 batch Tripe cooking liquid (see recipe below)

5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 TBS Chilli flakes

3 ea Bears limes, zested and juiced (you may substitute lemon)

3 TBS Champagne vinegar

3 TBS Italian parsley, roughly chopped

10 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, boiled and sliced into