This has to be the easiest and most rewarding recipe for anyone looking to try a bit of charcuterie at home. The amount of effort compared to the final result are such polar opposites that I cant believe this is not a main steam supermarket product and still sits within the artisan market. The final result is an utterly mouth watering equivalent to real proscuttio that usually takes a minimum of 12 months to make - and with this recipe you can make you own in 1-2 weeks. There is something utterly scrumptious about the wafer thin slices of this with a few capers, manchego cheese and some chilled white wine...chatting and nibbling away in the evening sun. The best bit is you can do all the hands-on prep work with the ingredients in minutes...after that you just sit back and let the cure do the work for 1-2 weeks and then its ready there and then.
You'll never walk past a duck breast in the market or supermarket or store again having tried this ; I thoroughly recommend this to anyone to try to lure them into the hypnotising world of charcuterie.
You can even adjust it to be akin to a a sweeter tasing spanish jamon by adding some sugar to the cure.I have found out that it Duck Proscuttio is an old Italian tradition that originated from the country's Jewish community for whom pork proscuttio was understandably forbidden. I love recipes like this!
You can even adjust it to be akin to a a sweeter tasing spanish jamon by adding some sugar to the cure.I have found out that it Duck Proscuttio is an old Italian tradition that originated from the country's Jewish community for whom pork proscuttio was understandably forbidden. I love recipes like this!
INGREDIENTS
- Whole duck breast(s), with the skin on
- 100g Salt (cooking salt or kosher salt) per breast
- 20g Brown sugar per breast (light brown or golden is fine - I find muscovado sugar imparts too strong a background flavour of molasses) You could use white sugar if that is all you have to hand.
- A container or dish to hold the breasts without much surrounding space (or else you just waste cure)
- Some string , or needle with thick thread, or some ingenuity to be able to hang the breast without piercing the meat.
- Fennel seeds / ground fennel (you can do this yourself by grinding under the flat of a knife or a pestle and mortar or finely chopping fennel seeds with a sharp knife.
- Orange Zest from 1 orange
- Fresh rosemary
- Star Anise (finely ground)
- Fresh Thyme (finely chopped`)
- Crushed peppercorns (pink or back)
- Crushed Juniper berries
For this you will be making a dry cure that the breasts will sit in for 24 hours.
PROCESS
1. Wash and dry the duck breast, then trim any excessive overhanging skin on the sides, and any flaps of meat on the underside of the breast. You may have some extra skin on the tail or neck end, try and keep some of these for hanging later on as you may be able the warp your string around it or through it to aid hanging.
2. Score the skin side of duck breast lightly so you cut the skin but not the meat - this is to help the cure penetrate through. Cut so you have diamonds cut across the skin.
3. Weigh your meat and record this.
4. Mix the salt and sugar and your choice of aromatic in a bowl and spread a good layer of the mix on the base of the container - ideally about 2/3rd of the mix or a good 1cm on the base of the dish or container.
5. Place the breasts skin side down and give them a good press and wiggle so the meat is in contact with the cure/mix.
6. Spread the remaining cure over the scored skin, and give the cure a good rub into the skin making sure all the skin has contact with the cure , then cover, and pop in the fridge for 24 hours.
1. Wash and dry the duck breast, then trim any excessive overhanging skin on the sides, and any flaps of meat on the underside of the breast. You may have some extra skin on the tail or neck end, try and keep some of these for hanging later on as you may be able the warp your string around it or through it to aid hanging.
2. Score the skin side of duck breast lightly so you cut the skin but not the meat - this is to help the cure penetrate through. Cut so you have diamonds cut across the skin.
3. Weigh your meat and record this.
4. Mix the salt and sugar and your choice of aromatic in a bowl and spread a good layer of the mix on the base of the container - ideally about 2/3rd of the mix or a good 1cm on the base of the dish or container.
5. Place the breasts skin side down and give them a good press and wiggle so the meat is in contact with the cure/mix.
6. Spread the remaining cure over the scored skin, and give the cure a good rub into the skin making sure all the skin has contact with the cure , then cover, and pop in the fridge for 24 hours.
24 HOURS LATER
7. Remove the breast(s) and gently wash the cure off - no need to scrub - then gently pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or kitchen roll.
8. Now tie some string tightly around it so it will hang vertically, or you can thread some string though a think part of the skin on one of the ends of the breast. Some recipes I have read have suggested wrapping in a cheesecloth or muslin. I am not a fan of this as you can't see the meat to check for any unwanted mould and address it. If you are concerned about moulds see our TIPS section.
9. Hang the breast(s) some where cool, out of direct sunlight, where there is some air movement (so not a damp cellar). You can actually hang directly in the fridge if you want and want to rig something up but the drying process will take longer.
10. You are looking for 15%-18% weight loss as a minimum. When you check your hanging meat you will see it is firming up to the touch. If you want a harder meat (harder to cut paper thin but just as lovely to eat ) then go for 20-30% weight loss. I find 30% far too hard for my liking and only good for gorgeous nuggets in a homemade soup.
Depending upon the room temperature and humidity the target weight can be achieved within 7-10 days.
Congratulations, now feel the empowerment of what you have made so quickly and enjoy!
7. Remove the breast(s) and gently wash the cure off - no need to scrub - then gently pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or kitchen roll.
8. Now tie some string tightly around it so it will hang vertically, or you can thread some string though a think part of the skin on one of the ends of the breast. Some recipes I have read have suggested wrapping in a cheesecloth or muslin. I am not a fan of this as you can't see the meat to check for any unwanted mould and address it. If you are concerned about moulds see our TIPS section.
9. Hang the breast(s) some where cool, out of direct sunlight, where there is some air movement (so not a damp cellar). You can actually hang directly in the fridge if you want and want to rig something up but the drying process will take longer.
10. You are looking for 15%-18% weight loss as a minimum. When you check your hanging meat you will see it is firming up to the touch. If you want a harder meat (harder to cut paper thin but just as lovely to eat ) then go for 20-30% weight loss. I find 30% far too hard for my liking and only good for gorgeous nuggets in a homemade soup.
Depending upon the room temperature and humidity the target weight can be achieved within 7-10 days.
Congratulations, now feel the empowerment of what you have made so quickly and enjoy!
TO SERVE
Cut paper thin slices with a sharp carving knife. It will have the softness and sweetness of a Spanish jamon and is simply divine when draped over a fresh cooked pizza. It goes brilliant with any antipasti and glass of vino too !
Cut paper thin slices with a sharp carving knife. It will have the softness and sweetness of a Spanish jamon and is simply divine when draped over a fresh cooked pizza. It goes brilliant with any antipasti and glass of vino too !