FOOD NEWS
Rillette Is The Fanciest Way To Enjoy Leftover Meat Bits
By Wendy Gould
These days, shopping for groceries involves savvy price checking, using digital coupons, and shopping in bulk, but all that saving doesn't matter if you end up tossing food scraps or items that have passed their expiration. However, we can take lessons from chefs on how to make the most of our food, as they are always looking for ways to use every last scrap.
One of the fancy ways chefs use meat and fish scraps is by making rillettes, which are savory spreads wonderful for appetizers, charcuterie boards, or paired with toast, made by slowly cooking pieces of meat in well-seasoned fat until they're tender and spreadable. Rillettes are traditionally made with pork, but anything with a decent amount of natural fats works great, including duck, beef, tuna, and salmon.
When making rillette at home, cook your meat and fat low and slow at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit until it falls apart. When it's ready, tear it apart with two forks or your hands (after it's cool), mix it up with the fat — or use a stand mixer on low with a paddle — to bring everything together as a spread, and store it in a jar with a layer of fat on top.