Summer Pork

We slow-roasted pre-salted pork shoulder at 250º for 7 hours on a bed of fennel. The pan had vermouth, chicken stock, and a splash of vinegar with a few cloves of garlic and a dried chili. Cooked collard greens in the reduced roasting liquid, and served on top of pinto beans.

We opened a bottle of 2006 RRV Kosta Browne that was singing.

This was crazy good. It's a take on Tacos Al Pastor, but we used ground cherries to make a salsa with a chile de arbol, roasted garlic oil, and cilantro. Then we used Ancho chiles and red onion to flavor the lard we cooked our leftover pulled pork in. Amanda made a fresh cheese and we also added some quick pickled carrots. Corn tortillas hot off the press. Wow.

Served with a glass of Mezcal + lime + a splash of Cointreau. Finished with a bottle of cold beer.

Simple Rhubarb Tart

I don't remember the best rhubarb I've ever tasted. It's not one of those "vegetables" where you say, "now this is a stalk of rhubarb". But give it a healthy dowsing of sugar and throw it into an all-butter tart shell and it finally feels like Spring.

My temptation is to hit it with vanilla, fresh ginger, Cointreau, and some orange blossom water. Or maybe I'd make a crumble with pistachios and cardamom and splash the rhubarb with rosé.

Well—I'm saving those ideas for another bunch. This first one's going to go soft in some crumbly pastry in a hot oven and drizzled with thick jersey cream.