THE STORY

Cured duck eggs involve curing the rich, fatty yolks with a salt and sugar combination, which turns them into a solid form. The delicious result can be slivered or grated into salads, pasta dishes, or soups. Our own Bob Pfaff makes this delicious treat, and shares a little history on his discovery of the eggs, plus how to cure them yourself!

Years ago, Bob became friends with Tom Harada, a fascinating gentleman who was born of Japanese immigrants. Harada was an Olympic wrestler for the US in the 1936, but was later held captive in Japanese internment camps during WWII. Bob shares that he was able to travel with Tom to Japan, eat like a native, and “enjoyed life-changing culinary experiences.”

One day while enjoying a simple ramen lunch, the steaming hot bowls arrived and the waiter shaved what Bob thought looked like Parmesan cheese onto the soup. The savory and earthy flavors were unique and characteristically “umami.” Tom explained to Bob that it was in fact fermented duck egg.

Years later, as our initial pizza chef, Bob vowed to commit to sourcing as much fresh ingredients from our own estate as possible. The memory of that delicious cured duck egg stuck with him, and led to Left Coast getting our own ducks so that we could make our version of this delicacy in Tom’s honor.

For the list of ingredients and step by step instructions to cure your own duck eggs, see the recipe link below. Note: we sell our Left Coast duck eggs in the tasting room!

THE RECIPE

1. Mix the sugar, salt and bay leaf. In truffle season I add a truffle or two and finely chop it ( or run it through a food processor) You now have your curing mix

2. Spray the muffin cups with olive oil spray.

3. Line the muffin cups with a generous amount of your curing mix

4. Gently crack the egg and separate. Keep the egg whites for another use. I use my hands and move the egg back and forth to separate the yolk from the white. Yes. I occasionally break a yolk open So you’ll probably want to buy a few extra duck eggs. Place each yolk in the muffin tin that is lined with your curing mix. Cover the exposed top of the yolk with more of curing mix . Repeat until you’ve created your desired number of eggs

 5. Wrap tightly and place in refrigerator for 4-5 days.

 6. Remove from refrigerator and gently brush the curing mixture off the egg yolk The consistency of your yolk should be similar to jello. Rinse with cold water very gently and air dry

7. Wrap each yolk securely in cheese cloth and hang in an odor free environment for another 7 days. I sometimes cure mine for up to 20 days in a wine refrigerator ( about 56-58 degrees). I’m told you can also cure in several hours in a food dehydration unit.

8. Once cured place in a glass vacuum jar and refrigerate up to 30 day