What's Cookin' Good Lookin'

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
~Harriet van Horne

Friday, February 10, 2012

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.









Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Braisin Overtures

What better way to start of the new year than a fabulous beer pairing dinner. If you made it to this event, you know the magic of some of these recipes. If you didn't make it, I recommend you make the chicken and prune sauce immediately and drink it with an Ommegang Abbey Ale (not optional) as soon as possible. Life changing seriously.

Appetizer
Clam Chowder paired with Hoegarden and/or Ommengang Witte Beer
This recipe was basically gleaned from an old hot disher featuring Megan Mae and Miss Lilly making fish chowder with NSync. I basically used that recipe but subbed fish for clams.. amazing.

Cheese Pairing
Gorgonzola paired with Sour Cherry Ale mixed with Belgian Wit
Both these beers were homebrews of Allison and mine and combined with the cheese the flavor combo was divine. It was hard to describe the flavor of the cheese beyond saying it tasted like a sheep in your mouth.. disgusted? don't be. try it and your mind will be changed.

First Course
Chicken with Honey Prune Sauce paired with Ommegang Abbey Ale
Rub chicken legs with ¼ cup brown sugar, 8 smashed garlic cloves, 2 Tbl rosemary leaves, 2 Tbl pepper. Squeeze juice of one orange over chicken and let marinate for at least an hour. Brown chicken legs in a pan with 2 Tbls of oil. Transfer to glass baking dish. Add ½ cup of white wine or Belgian beer.
Bake at 325 for about an hour or until cooked through.
Honey Prune Sauce
Soak 1 cup of pitted prunes in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Combine prunes with: 1 cup honey
                                    ¼ cup cider vinegar
                                    1 tsp ground ginger
                                    ½ tsp crushed red pepper
Simmer over low heat for half an hour and serve over chicken.

Second Course
Hungarian Meatballs paired with DogFish Head Indian Brown Ale
Meatballs
¾ lb. ground pork
¾ lb. ground beef
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup fresh minced parsley
1 T garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 eggs
2/3 cup of  milk
Combine all ingredients. Form into meatballs (1 to 1 ½ inch). Refrigerate for about 15 minutes so they firm up. In a large oven safe pan, brown meatballs on the stovetop with a few tablespoons of oil. Remove from pan.
Sauce
1 onion chopped
¼ lb cremini mushrooms quartered
1 Tbl minced garlic
1 red pepper chopped
1 heaping Tbl paprika
¼ tsp of each cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, dried rosemary, thyme, fennel seeds, and marjoram
¼ cup parsley chopped
In pan from meatballs, add above ingredients. Cook for 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with ½ cup of white wine. Cook for a few minutes. Add 15 oz stewed tomatoes and 2 cups of chicken broth.
Bring to a boil. Return meatballs to a pan. Transfer to the oven and braise for 1 to 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and stir in ½ cup of sour cream. Serve over egg noodles.

Dessert
Bacon Rugelach paired with Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and/or a Gregor Biers Coffee Stout

for the bacon jam
1 lb of bacon
3 large chopped onions
½ cup  brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 cup strong coffee
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup bourbon
1 tsp black pepper

Brown bacon in large saucepan. Remove bacon. Add onions and caramelize in bacon drippings. Add brown sugar and cook a little more.
Return bacon to the pan along with remainder of ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 ½ hours or until reduced to about half. Blend in a food processor. Store in the fridge in a jar for up to 3 months or freeze.
Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Wheelbarrow blog.

Rugelach
8 oz  cream cheese
8 oz butter
2 cup flour
Combine above ingredients into a dough. Form into two discs. Chill overnight.

Roll each disc of dough into a 10 inch circle.
Spread with:    ½ cup jam
                        ¼ cup peanuts or walnuts
                        ¼ cup breadcrumbs
                        ¼ cup brown sugar
Slice discs into 16 wedges and roll up. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 325 degrees for about 35 minutes until browned.


Once again we had a divine time stuffing our faces with delicious food and drinking good beers produced by well known breweries, new local breweries (Shout out to ROC Brewing Co.) and local homebrewers.
Brewfe is just a blink away :)