An introduction to charcuterie
Don’t know the difference between foie gras pâté and pâté en croute? This handy guide shows you what’s on the menu at Atout.
Terrine of Duck Foie Gras
Just like wine, duck foie gras terrine tastes better with time as its flavours mature when properly preserved. Here, the liver is lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg and sweet wine before slowly being cooked and pressed into a terrine before serving. Spread it on warm, toasted brioche to give it a little crunch.
Pâté en Croûte
The type of meat doesn’t really matter in a pâté en croûte — it can be made with rabbit, pork, duck, or even foie gras — as long as the crust is cooked properly, and the filling is tasty and moist. This dish is a signature at Atout, and Chef Heuberger plans to participate in the 2019 Pâté-Croûte World Championship with this recipe.
Cod Fish Rillettes
Codfish mixed with fresh herbs from atout herb garden, the produce from Michelle of @urbanjunglefolks where they provide a communal space where urbanites can learn how to live a healthy & sustainable lifestyle. Codfish are carefully prepared and cooked with vegetable stock. A light and fresh rillette perfect with breads as a snack.
Toulouse Pork Sausage
This simple, satisfying sausage is made with antibiotic and hormone-free Canadian pork, seasoned with sea salt, black peppercorns and a little bit of nutmeg, cayenne and cumin. A careful combination of pork belly and pork neck is required to achieve the right balance of fat and meat, best eaten with a side of salad and mashed potato.
Duck Rillettes
Chef Heuberger’s personal favourite of his charcuterie repertoire is duck rillettes, which uses a whole duck with zero waste. After the duck is deboned, its meat is cured with sea salt and peppercorns while its bones are used to make stock. The cured meat is then slow-cooked with vegetables and rendered duck fat for three to four hours before it becomes a rillette.
Pig Head Terrine
If you’re feeling a little adventurous, try the pig head terrine — made with the snout, jowls, ears, and any other meat found on a pig’s head. After deboning, the meat is brined in herbs and spices for 48 hours and cooked in vegetable stock. The fat is skimmed so the result is actually a rather healthy dish that’s high in collagen, served with a light vinaigrette.
Smoked Duck Breast
Smoked to perfection. Tender and flavourful.
Beef Tongue
Cooking beef tongue can be a delicate process. If not done well, the muscle either ends up very tough, or very stringy. But when cooked just right, its texture is soft and gelatinous. At Atout, the tongue is brined for 48 hours in herbs and spices, then cooked for at least five hours in vegetable stock. After the inedible skin is removed, the remaining meat is sliced and served with pickles, mustard and horseradish.
Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Pâté
You may already be well acquainted with chicken liver pate, but at Atout, this basic spread is done a little differently. The chicken liver is blended with equal parts foie gras to give it an even richer flavour, along with fresh orange juice, eggs, and butter. The concoction is sealed into jars and baked before being sold as takeaway or served with toasted baguette.