Duck prosciutto is a great dry cured meat to prepare at home. We had bought a whole duck that we then broke down ourselves. We cooked one of the breasts for dinner and decided to cure one and make a prosciutto.
This process varies a little than most as we actually cook the cured breast, albeit at a very low temperature. This is done using the sous vide method and helps to improve the texture of the finished prosciutto by breaking down a little of the collagen in the flesh. This method was shown to me by a French chef working and living here in the US, and is a stroke of genius that takes this dish to another level. If you don’t have access to a circulator, then don’t worry, you will still have a great cured product.
Ingredients
Stage 1 (The Cure Mix)
250g salt
100g sugar
dried orange peel
0.5g (pinch) white pepper
1 star anise
Stage 2 (The cooking sous vide)
2 orange slices
1 star anise
1 tbspn honey
Slice the fat on the duck breast in a cross hatch (don’t slice all the way through). Cover both sides with the dry cure mix. We placed in in a vacuum bag, but plastic wrap will also work well. Place in the fridge for 24 hours until the flesh firms up.
Remove the duck from the fridge then rinse under very cold running water to remove the cure mix. Then return it to the fridge on a cooling rack. Leave uncovered for 12 to 24 hours.
Place the orange slices and star anise on top of the skin.
Drizzle with the honey.
Vacuum pack in a plastic pouch. Then place in a water bath and cook @ 140.9f (60.5c) for 24 minutes.
Remove from the water bath, allow to cool, and then dry off any excess liquid.
Once cool slice thin
The slices can be used in salads, sandwiches or to add a salty accent to pasta dishes.
Beautiful color and flavor.
Here we served the prosciutto as part of an Asian inspired dish with confit duck cakes (blog to follow in a few days).
