Ah, so I bet you were wondering what I did with that other duck breast. Well, I didn’t just leave it alone in the fridge to roast. I didn’t cure it the same way, either. I found a completely different recipe for duck prosciutto and experimented with that one. No, I did not confuse the two breasts hanging in my fridge at the same time (Zeke was quite confused, I might add). I liked this recipe because it called for a bunch of different spices and I got to use my mortar and pestle. I love that tool (those tools?).
This was completely different than the first recipe I made. It was a little more labor intensive because it took some time to prep all those spices. It also involved more dishes (and I don’t have a dishwasher), but it was nice to see the different things we can do to flavor this interesting animal. I loved the spices!
I was actually confused by these instructions and had to read them a few times before really understanding what to do. My fridge does not have a thermometer (though I do have numerous other thermometers – meat, two candy ones, oven, and probe with an alarm), so I just assumed it’s usually at or around 38 degrees, like it says in his instructions. I think it turned out okay.
Duck Prosciutto recipe, take 2, adapted from Paul D. Smith:
Special tools:
- Cheesecloth
- Mortar and Pestle (though you can probably crush everything using a food processor or a plastic bag and mallet)
- Kitchen scale
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients:
- One duck breast
- .7 ounces salt per pound of duck
- 1/2 bay leaf, crushed
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- 1o black peppercorns
- 1 garlic clove
- 10 juniper berries (I left these out. I would like to try them next time)
Instructions:
1. Crush all the spices (not including salt).
2. Add salt and mix well.
3. Place a square of plastic wrap on the counter
4. Place duck on the plastic, skin side up, and put half the mixture on it, rubbing it in well. Turn the duck over and do the other side.
5. Wrap up tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours.
6. Wipe cure off meat (don’t rinse it like in the last recipe!).
7. Place duck breast on a large piece of cheesecloth and wrap it around the meat, making sure it’s fully covered.
7. Tie securely and hang in the fridge for two weeks.
8. Slice thinly, freezing for 20 minutes if that makes it easier.
