Knowing I can do air dried charcuterie safely in the refrigerator with the assistance of Banquet Bags® I obviously wanted to try something as soon as possible. Of course, the biggest trouble with air dried products is that they take months, if not years, to mature. There had to be something quick and simple to try to see these bags at work. It turns out there is.
Duck prosciutto, while technically not a true prosciutto, is salt cured and air dried. And the bonus is that it is quick and easy to make.
I bought a pair of breast halves from the local supermarket. Bred from white pekin stock, the breasts from commercial producer “Luv-a-Duck” were quite lean and small. I’m now in search of a local source of ducks, preferably a breed with larger breast muscle..
The method couldn’t be simpler.
With a sharp knife score the skin side of the breast with a very sharp knife. The cuts should go through the skin and well into the fat until you almost reach the meat. Turn the breast 90° and score again to form a diamond pattern. For the small breasts I ground 6 juniper berries, a teaspoon of peppercorns and a small sprig of rosemary with a mortar and pestle and rubbed the results into the prepared breasts on both sides.
Cut two pieces of plastic cling film (Saran wrap for American readers) big enough to wrap each duck breast. Make a bed of plain salt in the middle about 5mm (¼ inch) thick and a little bigger than the duck. Sit a slab of duck in the middle and cover with more salt. The idea is to encase each breast in salt before bundling up the cling film to keep the package secure. With both breasts done they can be returned to the fridge to cure for about 24 hours (less for small thin breast pieces).
The next day unwrap the parcels and carefully wash all of the salt from the duck breasts. They will be firmer in texture and darker in colour than they were when fresh due to moisture loss. Dry them with some paper towel and dust lightly with white pepper. The breasts can then be wrapped in cheesecloth and hung to dry, or in my case sealed inside a Banquet Charcuterie Bag. Before you hang the breasts in the fridge or aging chamber it’s a good idea to make a note of their weight.
The prosciutto will be ready to eat in about 3 weeks or when they have lost approximately 30% of the original weight.
As with real prosciutto, this is best served sliced as thinly as possible. Why should people miss out on the joy of prosciutto just because they don’t eat pork?