Peking Duck
Go throughout Beijing and you will find lots of Ducks hanging. Peking Duck is one of my favorite foods - and here is the recipe: read it all first and gather the ingredients
Ingredients:
4 lb. Whole Duck, either fresh or completely thawed
2 pints Water
3 Tbs. Honey
1 Lemon, cut in 1/4” slices
3 Tbs. Dark soy sauce
5 oz. Rice wine or dry sherry
10 Green onions (scallions)
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
Chinese pancakes
Directions:
1. If duck was frozen, make sure it is completely thawed. Rinse duck inside and out. Pat dry.
2. Make honey sauce. Combine water, honey, lemon slices, soy sauce, and rice wine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep sauce hot.
3. Take a meat hook and put through the neck part of the duck. Hold the meat hook, and dip the duck into the hot honey sauce. Let drip a few minutes, and dunk the duck again. Then over a baking dish, spoon the rest of the hot honey sauce over the duck, making sure to cover the duck completely. Continue to baste the duck until you’ve used all the liquid in the pan.
4. Hang the duck in a cool, dry well-ventilated place with a bowl beneath to catch any drips. Let the duck dry for five hours or overnight. Note: If you don't have a place with great air circulation, dry the duck in an unheated room with a fan blowing on it.
5. After drying the duck, the skin will be very tight and dry to the touch. Remove the hook. Place the duck, breast side up on an oiled rack, so air can flow around the duck while it’s cooking. Place the rack in a roasting pan that has 2-3 inches of water in it, so the fat can drip into the water and not splatter in your oven or on the duck.
6. Place the pan in a 475 degree F oven and roast for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F and continue roasting for another 1 hour, 10 minutes more. If you like, turn the breast meat side down about 30 minutes into roasting. When done, remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes.
7. While the duck is cooking, make scallion brushes. Trim off the roots and the top green part, leaving about a 4 inch piece. Make 1 inch lengthwise slits into the white end of each to create a brush. Put in ice water for 20 minutes. Drain, then refrigerate.
8. Carve the duck and separate the meat and the skin. To serve, use the scallions to brush hoisin sauce on the pancakes. Add duck skin, meat and scallion. Fold one end over and roll up.