After putting up a mascarpone made from the quart of cream left in the fridge Sunday (1 pint from Shaw Farm, one pint from Highlawn Farm... you know who you are) and brining another gorgeous piece of pork belly using Alton's red pepper recipe amped up with mesquite honey and more peppers, I went to bed and dreamed about being an officer of a submariner crew under the command of a filthy rich eccentric who was most notable for his obsession with Nemo and his machines. In the dream, a bill collector met with an unfortunate accident and was buried with her car in a gravel pit, and I woke up just as the captain was about to unveil his latest craft.

I doubt the three are connected.

The cheese is, I think, destined to form the base of another iteration of the pear and mascarpone tart. The tart will probably follow me wherever I go this weekend because there is only so much tasty that one man can handle.

By sometime next week, I will likely have a selection of three savory bacons, each prepared using a slightly different method. Currently working are the modified red pepper brine and Ruhlman's garlic and cracked pepper dredge, both of which will probably be lightly baked to finish. I'm also contemplating running a version of the River Cottage dry cure, and this will be air dried in the cold closet. I'll have approximately 1.5 lbs of each when they're finished, and I'm certain that will exceed our need (and capacity). Now is your chance to sample.


As always, I will be conducting quality control (read: eating bacon) before any of it goes out, so you are assured of deliciousness. With the exception of the air-dried, the bacon will keep for 2 weeks refrigerated or 2-3 months frozen, and it will freeze well since I start with well-marbled bellie [sic]. The air dried will be more salty and as a result, significantly more robust.