Comments on: Duck Prosciutto

By: linda

linda — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Two fresh Muscovy breasts are gleaming in my refrigerator awaiting their salty rubdown. They are entirely indebted to you, Ruhlman, for this glorious icing on their fate. It’s as though my fridge is their purgatory and they’re about to be transported to paradiso once i coat their fat little bodies in a fine mixture of murray river pink salt, garden juniper berries, decadent smoked halen mon, and a few secret spices of my own. I shall report back…

By: Max

Max — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I would appreciate some advice. I’m curing two Magret breasts, each about 300 gm. They have now been hanging for a week with very little change in weight. One is 10 gm. less than when I began the other is only down 3 gm. Too late I realize that I used way more cheese cloth than called for. This must be preventing the moisture from leaving the meat. On the other hand, they both smell wonderful, just like prosciutto from a deli. They feel firm when pressed and have a little flex but feel very far from raw. Do I remove the extra cheese cloth allowing them to dry more quickly? Do I leave well enough alone and allow them to dry at the present rate? Do I cut them down and serve as is? Your recommendation would be much appreciated.

By: gabe

gabe — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Hey Mike, I just wanted to drop a note that due to your post I gave duck prosciutto a shot. It was very good. On my second attempt I served it at a dinner wrapped around Purple Cherokee Heirlooms and Daikon sprouts and it was transcendent. The salt and fat and chewy texture of the prosciutto, the sweetness and firmness of the tomato (this variety has very low acidity) and the crunch and mild spice of the sprouts matched perfectly. Simple, elegant, delicious.

By: Phillip Foss

Phillip Foss — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I didn’t realize how long ago this was posted on your blog, but I finally got around to doing something with it in my restaurant… see it here: http://thepickledtongue.com/?p=3845

By: Andrew Pember

Andrew Pember — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

After a week of waiting I finally revealed the contents in the cheesecloth, sliced it open, and had a piece. The colour, texture, and taste to me seems absolutely perfect. This is my second project out of Charcuterie, and so far I have been really impressed. The first time I made Peameal Bacon (which is the unsmoked version of Canadian Bacon, which dosent actually exist here in Canada.) Thanks alot Ruhlman! Cant wait to bring this into the restaurant and see how it holds up with the other cooks!!

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I have followed this a few times, but I just finished my first personal variation on your basic instructions: I added orange zest, sage, and quatre epices to the dry mix. and i have to say the final result is sensational! thank you so much for the inspiration!

By: NYCook

NYCook — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Timely post as I just finished curing duck breast for the restaurant. Slightly diffrent process but same result, more delicious fatty goodness.

By: Lee

Lee — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I used the recipe in charcuterie (love the book by the way, great stuff)after eating this in a local restaurant. Just tried my own duck prosciutto, the texture is fantastic but it’s quite a bit too salty. It would probably be ok if eaten on some bread with olive oil which I’ll be doing as soon as I have some decent bread but is there anything I can do to reduce the saltiness? Does anyone know if this is likely to have been caused by not rinsing well enough before hanging or just the way it is?

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Great suggestions for cooking duck prosciutto. I'll have to try that. I love that it will only have to hang for a week. I usually use Volpi's diced prosciutto (volpini)http://www.volpifoods.com to enhance my dishes and give it that extra italian kick. I'll have to get that Charcuterie book too.

By: Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener

Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Michael, is there an optimum temperature range to hang the magret? I don’t suppose too hot is good…. or what was the temperature in your kitchen when you did this?

It looks fabulous, and fabulously easy. Do you know if it was a mallard breast or a barbary?

By: Calvin C

Calvin C — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Love this website.

We also have a method to make something resembling the dry cured duck breast mentioned here. Instead in China we dry cure duck leg quarters. You can purchase these pre-packaged preserved duck legs at almost all Chinese grocery stores.

We don’t eat these legs raw though, instead we usually steam them in the rice cooker when we are cooking rice. The smell of the legs is exactly like proscuitto, and tastes very similar.

By: stephen

stephen — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Great site! I’ve been cooking for 15 years and am just now getting around to curing meat. I’m used to fast production,technique focused cuisine.. heaps of local crisp veggies, lean ala minute meats and seafood, good olive oil and citrus. tons of acid.
Brine, spice and fat is good too. I like how you have the confit below with leaves and onions. Not lentils and aioli. good stuff.

By: CookingSchoolConfidential.com

CookingSchoolConfidential.com — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

The color of that is beautiful, just beautiful. These days, we are doing nothing but chicken, chicken, and more chicken at school (I’m a culinary school student), but ducks will be coming soon.

I can hardly wait.

Cheers!

By: allen

allen — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I live in the Northwest and would like to make a nice batch of the tasty looking prosciutto but can not find a place that sells duck. Where the heck do you buy it? I’m ready to head to a local pond and lure them in with some stale bread.

By: Josh Venne

Josh Venne — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Hello Mr. Ruhlman,

My name is Josh Venne and I am currently in Pardus’ Asias class at the CIA. I brought in some Duck Prosciutto that I made and we evaluated it together. It was my first time making it and I wasn’t sure of the results. Pardus and some other chefs said it was very good. I basically followed your recipe in Charcuterie. I added some spices and dusted it with brown sugar, chili pepper and black pepper. They were really large Magrets from Hudson Valley Foie Gras, so I cured them for about 48 hours. It hung for around 11 days and came out nice, especially after I sliced it down in the meat room.

Just wanted to say thank you and chime in as Pardus advised me to. (When is he wrong?) By the way, I am really anxious to buy Ratios.

By: veron

veron — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I wonder if that was what my grandma was doing during the days that are dry and cool…she would hang a couple of ducks under tall ceilings of our kitchen… I was a picky eater when I was young and I would refuse to even taste it…

By: Sven 34M

Sven 34M — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

Looks gross.

By: luis

luis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I am troubled by some of this and then I am not. Having befriended some ducks at Lake Patricia and observed their behaviours….
very very similar to puppies or dogs… It all seems to come down to some sort of social contract between the keepers and the animals.
We will love you and raise you right and then we will eat you! This is the part I find troublesome… I could get home at the most ungodly hour of the night and out of the corner of my eye see the ducks sleeping with one eye open wagging their tails very happy to see me!
There is a larger question here and is one I just don’t understand. Also I understand I am not supposed to… Son of a bitch!!!!!!!!!!

By: Russ H

Russ H — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

I have had this Several times now, at Lolita. When people ask me about Michael Symon’s restaurants, this is always the thing I come to…I always recommend the Cured Meats sampler.

PS: When you tour for your new book, come to Detroit. It’s only a couple hours away…

By: ruhlman

ruhlman — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 06:00:00 +0000

you won’t die of botulism if you cure a whole muscle, only danger is with sausages and that is controled with nitrite/nitrate.

all duck breasts ok to use

quarter cup of salt is plenty of salt for five pound belly. if you’re worried can dredge in salt or in the basic dry cure in the book.

salinity in water in dry cure fridge is to prevent growth of mold on the water. wine frige should work but haven’t tried it.