When two brilliant bloggers launched their initiative ”Charcutaapalooza” to celebrate Michael Ruhlmans excellent book Charcuterie it was the perfect kick in the pants for me. I decided to join in as much as I am able to.
The whole idea is that people from all over the world attempts to complete one recipe a month from this most excellent and exhaustive book. Since I have long owned the book and never managed to pluck up enough courage to try anything I thought it would be a nice chance to finally get some experience of Charcuterie under my belt. All the more natural since there is already plenty of evidence under my belt of the eating of such things.
First up is the Duck Prosciutto and at first glance the recipe seems almost childishly easy. Simply salt the duck breast, rinse. Pat dry and hang for a week. What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out, not a lot.
Salting the duck.
Wrapping the duck in muslin. Then hanging the duck. Off the shelf in the hallway of my apartment.
The moment of truth.
First use of the duck. In an open lasagna with ricotta and mushrooms and almond pesto.
This really made me believe that I could handle making my own charcuterie. The duck turned out succulent and very flavorsome. The fat was fatty and a little chewy (a bit to fatty for my wife) but still perfect to use in salads, with a risotto or with some olive oil and gherkins with a nice sourdough.
Etiketter:Anka, Charcutapalooza, Charcuterie