The idea for curing the heart is inspired by our friend chef Chris Cosentino. He prepares a salt-cured tuna heart which he shaves over pasta, and probably numerous other preparations. Since he had the tuna version wrapped up (which is absolutely delicious and we hope he will someday divulge the recipe in printed form) we took it to venison. Our cure blends salt and sugar, an array of aromatics, and some fresh herbs. It is not that we are keeping the complete recipe close to the hip indefinitely but just for now. We will publish the full recipe in October. Besides, our cryptic approach allows for creative extrapolations. After the heart is cured, we wrap it in cheesecloth and let it dry in the refrigerator. The heart is then firm enough to grate on a rasp, replicating the beautifully grated tuna heart we experienced at Incanto. The salt-cured heart is rich and minerally. It brings a salinity to foods as well as a gaminess in a delicate manner. We are excited to see how we may use this new addition to our pantry.
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