I love pork products. I was reading a note from my friend Jenny, and she commented how they ate a lot of pig when she was a kid. I love that. None of that "the other white meat" crap. Just "I like me some pig!" Please - I love bacon, ham, sausage, pepperoni, and sweet sopressata.
But for some reason, I really struggle with prociutto. Perhaps it's because I'm in the USA and not in Italy? I have yet to taste some that doesn't have a rank flavor and a texture so delicate that it's impossible to keep it in one slice. Am I just buying the wrong brand???
I came upon an idea to have pear with prociutto, and I thought, hmmm... A nice twist away from the usual melon/prociutto combo (which I've tried before, and don't care for).
Well, I didn't have pear, but I did have honey crisp apples, and a sweet onion that needed some cooking love. I used one of those apple slicers - the round one that cores it too, and then I took each slice and cut it in half again for a thinner slice. Then I combined slices of apple wth slices of smoked gouda, and topped that with a little swath of procuitto. I think I would like this better if there was a bit of ham on it instead of the procuitto - something saltier to go with the sweet apple and rich smokey cheese. But if you are a procuitto lover, perhaps this is for you.
Next I caramelized some sweet onion - sautee on low with a little butter and a cover and keep tossing around for a bit. Perhaps for 20 - 30 minutes to really get them rich and sweet. Add a little water if the pan happens to get dry. Don't let them burn.
Then I layered the onion slices on the apple, and wrapped with procuitto. I baked them in a snuggly dish for about 25 minutes on 350. I thought perhaps if the procuitto was crispy, that I'd like it better. The answer was no. This time I was craving a bit of bacon, and perhaps a few crumbles of bleu cheese.
What sounds good to you???
