Lately, I’ve been caught up in the hubbub around the twitter #Charcutepalooza hash-tag. Don’t give a rat’s about Twitter? Don’t know what a hash-tag is? Well, that’s not really the important part. What’s important is that Charcutepalooza is about cooking our way through the book: Charcuterie. Started by two great gals–Cathy Barrow & Kim Foster, this contest/cooking experience is taking my small corner of the net by storm. Basically each month our two Dames de Porc set a challenge from the cookbook. The first challenge, which I missed the deadline for posting, but will post here ANYWAY…was Duck Prosciutto. The second challenge which will follow shortly is using salt cures of such things as Guanciale and Bacon.

So for this week’s Gastrocast I brought my air-dried duck “hams” or breasts down from their spot in the cold room and put them to use. I had begun curing the duck breasts during Duckfest. Be sure to have a listen to the show, but follow along with the recipe & photos here!

For those who don’t know, Duck Proscuitto is salted & air-dried duck breast. It makes a rich, dense meat which is great for a range of uses. I chose to riff off of the classic composed salad made from spinach & bacon…a perfect winter lunch meal any day.

Salade Compose with Duck Bacon

Serves 4

Croutons–stale bread, cut into cubes & fried in a little duck fat
Lardons–slices of the Duck Proscuitto…as many as you feel rich enough to part with
Leaves–a mix of salad greens, winter greens, spinach or whatever is seasonal. About 8oz
Beans–I chose Cannelinni beans because I grow them, but also because I had a can of them on hand.
Oranges–1 or 2 satsumas or your favorite sweet variety. Cut the segments in half.  If I’d had a Blood Orange or two I would have used them.
Duck fat–what renders from the Duck Proscuitto is enough for flavor, plus a splash of vegetable oil.
Medium Red Onion–thinly sliced.
Julienne of 1 Deliccata Squash

Vinaigrette

Large Tablespoon of whole grain mustard.
Salt & Pepper to Taste.
2T White Wine Vinegar
2T Vegetable Oil
4T Walnut Oil

Mix the vinaigrette together and put it into a sauce pan to warm over very gentle heat. Add the sliced red onion and the beans to war m through. Meanwhile slowly fry the thinly sliced duck breast prosciutto until it is brown and the fat has rendered slightly. Set aside. Add some vegetable oil if there isn’t enough oil, and gently brown the bread cubes to make croutons. Set aside. In the oil brown the squash matchsticks until caramelized. Drain and keep warm. Wash the salad greens and in a wide shallow bowl add to the halved orange segments. Toss. Now, add the warmed through beans, onions and dressing.  Toss again to mix through. Place a mound of the greens, etc on each plate. Drizzle with some of the leftover, hot duck fat. Dress the salad with the croutons, the squash matchsticks and the duck bacon.

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