Peking duck pt 1

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
5 pounds Duck
¼ cup Honey
2 To 4 Tablespoons Water
6 To 12 Scallions
12 Whole Mandarin Pancakes
Mandarin Pancakes
2 cups All-purpose flour
¾ cup Boiling Water
2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
½ teaspoon Peanut Oil
Sauce For Peking Duck 1
¼ cup Brown Bean Sauce; Mashed
1 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
Combine All Ingredients
Sauce For Peking Duck 2
¼ cup Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
Combine All Together.

Directions

Preparation: 1. Remove excess fat from the cavity of the duck. rinse the duck well inside and out under cold running water. 2. Skewer or sew the duck closed leaving only one small hole. 3. Insert the tube of a bicycle pump into the cavity of the duck and pump until the duck is visibly enlarged. 4. Remove the pump tube from the duck and place the duck in a sink. 5. Pour boiling water over the skin of the duck, top and bottom. Pat the skin dry with paper towels. 6. Combine the honey with 2 to 4 tablespoons water to make a syrup. 7. Pour or brush this mixture over the skin of the duck. 8. Hang the duck up by its tail to dry for at least six hours but preferably overnight in a cool, dry, breezy place. (An unheated room with a fan directed on the duck would serve well.) 9. At the end of this time, the skin should be dry to the touch. 10. Cut the white parts of the scallions into 2" pieces. 11. Shred one or both ends with a sharp knife and place in ice water. In about one hour, the shredded part of the scallions will have opened up to make a bushy tip.

Cooking: 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 2. Place the duck breast side up on a rack in roasting pan. Put the duck in the oven, reduce the heat to 350 degrees, and cook for 1¼ hours or until done. 3. The duck should be turned over every 15 minutes. (with towel to protect hands) That will insure even browning. 4. The goal is a rich, even chestnut brown skin. If some of the skin appears to be browning too rapidly, cover that section with aluminum foil. 5. After an hour or so, the skin of the duck should be dry and hard to the touch. If it is not, briefly turn the temperature back up to 450 degrees for a finishing blast of dry heat. 6. Remove the duck from the oven. If you wish to be completely authentic, simply remove the skin from the duck, serving the skin and saving the meat for another meal.

Or, if you prefer, carve the skin and the meat together into 1 ½ square pieces. 7. The duck carcass is traditionally used to make a soup. 8. To eat the duck, take a pancake and place a piece of the skin in its center. Take one of the scallion brushes and brush on one of the sauces. Wrap the pancake around the duck skin and the scallion and eat the package with your fingers.

Mandarin Pancakes 1. Place the flour in a bowl. Make a well in the flour and gradually add the boiling water, stirring briskly with a chopstick or a fork. 2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead 5 to 10 minutes or until it is smooth and fairly elastic. 3. Roll the dough into a ball. Cover it with a damp tea towel and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes. 4. Roll the dough into a long uniform cylinder. 5. Carefully cut the roll into 16 to 24 uniform pieces depending on whether you want approximately 5 inch or 7 inch pancakes. 6. Roll each of these sections into a ball and then flatten with the heel of your hand. 7. Brush the tops of these flattened balls lightly with sesame oil. 8. Place one oiled pancake on top of the second with oiled sides together.

9. Repeat this process with the remaining pancakes making certain that each pair is carefully matched in size. 10. Using a thin rolling pin or an old broom handle, roll each pair of now bonded pancakes out as thinly and as evenly as possible. 11. To insure that each pancake is rolled to the same thinness and remains the same size as its partner, turn the bonded pancake over and roll the other side from time to time. 12. Keep the finished pancakes covered with a damp cloth.

Cooking: 1. Heat a skillet over medium heat.

continued in part 2

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