Home-Cured Duck Breast Prosciutto (DPB) with Beer and Cheese pairings

So....whats the best pick up line to use on your favorite cheese monger? "Excuse me sir, I made home-cured DBP seasoned with Juniper Berries, Bay Leaves and Smoked Paprika. Can you recommend a delicious cheese to go with that?". According to Dan there were jaws dropping. But more on that later.

Since it has been too long since I have posted I figured I'd come back swinging with an amazing home charcuterie recipe complete with taste tested cheese and beer pairings.

The following recipe is adapted from Mary Janes Farm magazine (Summer 2011) and improved upon with suggestions from Ian at DiBruno's in Philadelphia.

Home-cured Duck Breast Prosciutto

1/2 or 1/4 ingredients as necessary

Ingredients:
9 C. Kosher salt
4 Duck breast halves (I used D'artagnans Magret duck- the type of duck which is used to make foie gras and has a nice fat layer- which can be found at Wegmans or DiBrunos)
4 T whole black peppercorns
4 T juniper berries
4 whole dried Bay Leaves
2 tsp. Smoked Spanish-style Paprika

Special supplies:
Non-reactive container
Spice grinder (or spice grinding implement)
Cheese cloth
String (butchers string for trussing)
refrigerator

Curing process:
Find a non-reactive container. This is ideally glass or plastic and has a cover. Basically any food-grade plastic containers or glass baking dishes. Do not use aluminium or plastic that has been used for something other than food. Ie: any Tupperware or generic brand container you have lying around will do!

Pour salt into bottom of container to cover (approx 3 Cups). Place the duck pieces on top, skin/fat side up. Pour remaining salt over everything and press down to pack. Tightly cover with a lid and refrigerate 24 hours. I gave it an extra night due to time constraints and no harm came to those babies.

After 24 hrs (or 48), take out of the fridge and rinse the duck pieces lightly to remove larger salt deposits. They will be firm to the touch. Discard the salt in container. Pat those breasties dry with a paper towel and prepare to spice em up-akin to a dry rub.

Spice rub blend:
I recommend putting the whole peppercorns, juniper berries, bay leaves, and paprika in a coffee grinder or spice grinder or even mortar and pestle them. This will ensure their freshness and you can control the texture you end up with. Ian suggested (and I agree) that the spices be ground to a course texture...just a few whirls around the grinder. This is so that you can swipe the spices off after it's finished and your palette only has the rich gaminess of the duck to contend with instead of grappling with a whole lotta pepper. No thanks.

Lay each breast on a double layer of cheese cloth. Sprinkle both sides of the duck with the course spice mixture, ensuring full coverage. Fold cheese cloth around each breast like a package and tie ends tightly. Truss or tie packages shut and leave a length of string at the top of the package for hanging from the fridge shelving.


Clear a space in the fridge (I chose bottom shelf in the back) and tie bundle up to the racks so they hang freely. Place a bowl of salt water underneath or nearby for humidity support. Replace this salt water as needed (every few days). They will just hang there turning into the most delicious thing you have ever tasted.

After two weeks (of anticipation, tummy rumbling, and smelling juniper berries when you open the fridge), remove from fridge, unwrap from cheesecloth and use the textured cloth to wipe off and discard the coarsely ground spices from the meat. They served their flavoring purpose and we no longer need them. Now you may thinly slice and savor. For future reference, these babies will keep in the freezer for several months if wrapped well and in the fridge for about a week. But lets get to the tasting part.


So you're experiencing the mouth miracle that is a highly concentrated rich duck flavor. What do you choose to divide and conquer your taste buds with?

The boys at DiBrunos recommended a french sheeps milk cheese called Ossau Iraty from the Pyrenees region. This firm rustic cheese boasts flavors of meaty earthiness and is gentle and creamy with a smooth/rich finish. We tasted it after eating DPB, before, and together. All around well paired. Dinner was good that night.


My go-to beer pairing guru Allison Shuler suggested either a brown ale or piney pale ale to complement the DPB without overwhelming it. Dan and I picked up a mixed six pack of beers to try. We split the beers and tasted them with the DBP and cheese, making comments and rating them along the way while watching the super bowl. It's possible we have no idea what we're talking about but due to the comic content, our results are below. Ratings reflect the quality of the pairing, not the quality of the beer:

Stone Levitation Ale: Amber ale

Dan: "The ale surrounds and cradles the duck with a nice complement to its saltiness" 3 stars.
Megan: "The hoppiest flavors in the beer do not overwhelm the standout flavor profile of the DPB. Juniper and bay follow with a malty mouth-feel and aftertaste" 3.5 stars.













Southern Tier Brewing: Double IPA

D: "Turns the meat buttery" 4 stars.
M: "The hops combined with the DBP spices bring out a caramelized flavor, enhancing the meat" 4 stars.

Dogfish Head "Raison d'etre": Deep mahogany ale brewed with Belgian beer sugars, green raisins and a sense of purpose.

D: "The duck is too good for the beer and the beer is too good for the duck. It is a meeting of the minds that cannot be hosted" 0 stars.
M: "The flavors are too complex to complement the duck, just too strong separately. This paired will with the cheese though" 0 stars.

Ithaca Beer: Nut Brown ale

D: "Much bolder, adds a real beefy taste-enhances the meat flavor. This makes the meaty even meatier. An ultra-maximum flavor, i would say, quite right!" 3 stars.
M: "The pairing enhances the duck but makes the beer taste stale. Although the flavors do not overwhelm, they do not excite either" 2 stars.











Stone IPA: Golden Pale ale

D: "Fruity fiesta, SO FUN" 5 stars.
M: "The citrusy hoppy nature of this beer is to tonic as the duck cured in juniper berries is to gin. Sings....I think the caramel sweetness of the beer with the gamey depth of the duck is ideal" 5 stars.












Dogfish Head: Indian Brown ale

D: "Toasty-in a nice way, an outdoors-y feel to it. Strong way to finish a great game" 3.5 stars.
M: "An appreciated darker beer pair. Complementary as well as compound. Sultry when supplemented" 4 stars.













And there you have it. Dan's criticism class is really paying off and we have two clear winners from the pale ale to the brown ales. If you make this you have to call us and have us over. We'll bring the beer.