For those of you not in the know, there is a fabulous food blog event taking place as we speak. I refer to Charcutepalooza: A Year in Meat, hosted by Cathy Barrow and Kim Foster. These two bloggers have come up with the inspirational idea to cure, smoke and salt their way through Michael Ruhlman’s bestselling cookbook Charcuterie along with the participating food blogging community. I am a huge fan of charcuterie as well as the precepts of using sustainable and humanely raised meat, so it was without hesitation that I joined in the Charcutepalooza party.
The first challenge of the year was to make homemade duck prosciutto. I have long wished to make my own prosciutto, and what better way to get my feet wet (or hands salty) than with duck breasts. The only difficult aspect of the preparation was waiting 7 days for them to cure. During this time I learned two valuable things: Duck prosciutto is extremely easy to make, and that patience is a virtue – at least when it comes to curing meat.
There are many ways to enjoy duck prosciutto, the simplest quite often the best. In this case I prepared a tartine, or a French open-face sandwich. The prosciutto is paired with melting reblochon cheese and layered over mixed greens. At once rustic and fresh, this recipe is a great way to kick off Charcutepalooza’s Year of Meat.
Duck Prosciutto and Reblochon Tartine
Reblochon is a soft cow milk cheese from the Savoie region of the French alps. It may be substituted with Saint Nectaire or Camembert. Try using a variety of greens and herbs. I used what I had on hand: flat leaf parsley, mizuna and radicchio.
Makes 4
2 slices of french country bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick, halved
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups mixed greens, such as lambs lettuce, frisée, green herbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 wedges Reblochon or Saint Nectaire cheese
4 sprigs rosemary
4 slices duck prosciutto
Preheat oven broiler. Lightly brush bread with olive oil. Arrange on baking tray and broil, turning once, until lightly golden. Remove from oven, but don’t turn off the heat.
Place greens in a bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper; toss.
Place wedges of cheese in a small baking pan. Top each wedge with a rosemary sprig. Broil until cheese begins to soften and bubble, 1-2 minutes. Remove from oven.
Arrange bread slices on a plate or platter. Top with greens. Place a cheese wedge on the greens. Lay a slice of prosciutto over the greens and cheese. Sprinkle with pepper and drizzle with a few drops of olive oil. Serve immediately.
That is so lovely! I am honestly not familiar with either cheese, so will have to seek them out…And thanks for linking to my recipe, Linda 🙂
Thank you, Winnie. Reblochon and Saint Nectaire are both soft French cheeses from the Savoie and Rhone regions. They pair very well with duck, another local specialty.
Prettier than I could ever have imagined duck prosciutto. You say “tartine” but I’m also reminded of those exquisite sandwiches in Denmark.
Yes, they’re smørrebrød with a French accent.
Beautiful photos and great sounding recipe! I’d love to participate in the charcutepalooza but am in the midst of exploring being mostly-vegetarian. I made proscuitto from the leg of a pig when I was in school, which was great fun. Big advantage right off the bat with duck breast is they won’t take as much room in the fridge!!! I’ve added this to my list of must-try’s since I’m still eating some meat. Did you find the Reblochon and Saint Nectaire here locally?
Yes, it’s local. WF sometimes carries them. Otherwise you have an excuse for an excursion to the Cheeseboard.
I’ve been hearing murmurs about Charcutepalooza all over. Such a great idea! I’m also a big fan of charcuterie. On the fence about committing but very tempted! I can’t believe the duck prosciutto only took 7 days to cure!
You should join, Kimberley. You only need to participate as frequently as you wish.
I committed! I’m really excited, this is an entirely new arena for me.
That’s great!
This sounds / looks insanely good – you’ve inspired me to get curing! I’ve been looking for a good charcuterie book, so thanks for the recommendation.
Join in!
Love it. You did an amazing job.
Thanks, Garrett!
Your prosciutto is beautiful! My son and I just salted our duck breasts and are lookng forward to a tasty delight in about a week. Love your tartine too!
Thanks, Steph. You will love your duck prosciutto!