Peking Duck

Hey, there's a duck in my freezer.  I need to do something with that.

Surprisingly, in this culturally sensitive time, most recipes still call this Peking Duck.  There are a few variations of the name, some using the current spelling of Beijing and others calling it Chinese Crispy Duck.  I'm going with the Bible's version.  It's from the 1970s, but I picked it mainly because it's easy.  Two days, but easier than most recipes I found and I only had to buy the sauce.

All Peking duck recipes come with the recipe for the pancakes, which are basically flour tortillas.  If the recipe you're using doesn't, move along.  I found it interesting that you make them in pairs and separate them as you go.  Kind of like doing laminated dough but eating each layer separately.  They come out thinner that way and twice as fast.

This does take two days, so you can't simply decide in the morning that you want Peking Duck.  The point of the first day is to prime and season the skin, so the slow-roasting process can crisp it and render off the excess fat.  It's why Chinese markets and restaurants often run out of it.  There's so much timing involved, they only make what they know they can sell.

I'm assuming the calorie count in the Bible's breakdown includes the 4 pancakes per serving and sauce, because it's close to 1,200.  I've been losing weight on lockdown, so this isn't really an issue for me, but that's a lot.  It's really amazing how fast you lose weight when you don't eat out and don't buy snacks to have in the house.

As for all that rendered fat, yes it's sherry-maple flavored, but it's still a flavoring fat.  There's a lot of it, too.  I ended up with about a cup.  I saved it for sautéing veggies or flavoring beans.  Ooh, put it on potatoes instead of butter.  (It is going to be a long time before I buy potatoes again.)

There were more ducks in the freezer at the market for a good price.  Even during these times, there are some things people just don't want to buy.  Thinking of getting another one for the heck of it.

*1 duck, about 5 lbs, defrosted
5 qts boiling water
1 Tb kosher salt
*1 Tb dry or cooking sherry
*1/4 C maple (or maple-flavored) syrup
1/2 C hoisin sauce
*4 green onions, sliced in 2" pieces
*cilantro for garnish

1.  The morning of Day 1, start to prepare the duck.  Unwrap thawed duck and remove giblets.  Place on a rack in a large roasting pan or the sink and slowly pour boiling water over all sides.  Skin will start to look white.  Drain thoroughly.  Transfer rack to a shallow baking dish and scrub sink clean.

2.  Pat skin and body cavity dry with paper towels.  Rub cavity with salt and sherry.  Refrigerate, breast side down, uncovered.  Sorry, the fridge is going to smell like raw duck for a couple of days.

3.  The evening of Day 1, get the duck back out and brush on all sides with maple syrup.  Put it back in the fridge, again uncovered.  The idea is for the fridge fan to dry it out so the skin can get crispy.

4.  5 hours before serving, you finally put it in the oven.  Roast at a mere 175º, using the convection fan if you have one, for 1-1/2 hours.  Turn oven up to 325º, turn duck breast-side down, and roast another 1-1/2 hours.  This second roast is when I made the pancakes.  Turn duck right-side up and continue to cook until skin is crispy, up to 1-1/2 hours.  Peking duck is more about the skin than the meat, which is going to be slightly overdone.  Pull from oven and allow to rest until cool enough to slice into 1" strips.

As for the pan, you could use foil on the bottom if you're not concerned about saving the fat.  I used glass instead of metal so I could soak off all that burned maple syrup.  Two days of soaking and the occasional scrub took care of it.

Thin Pancakes
2-1/4 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 C boiling water
vegetable oil

1.  Combine flour and salt.  Gradually add boiling water, blending with a fork, until mixture is pea-sized.  Warning, it smells pretty gross.  Knead on a lightly floured surface into a soft, smooth dough, about 5 minutes.

2.  Shape into a log and cut 16 slices.  I used a scale to double-check by weight.  Roll each slice into a ball and cover with a damp cloth.  These tend to dry out.

3.  Work with the balls two at a time.  Flatten each into a circle 3" in diameter.  Brush tops with oil, then place oiled sides together.  Roll into an 8" diameter circle on a lightly floured surface.  Turn pancakes over several times while rolling to keep them even.

4.  In an ungreased 8" skillet over medium heat, cook pancakes about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.  Remove to a plate and peel apart layers as soon as they're cool enough to touch.  Cover with a towel or foil while you work on the next pair, so they don't dry out.  If you need to reheat them, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave until soft, about 30 seconds.

5.  To assemble Peking duck, place a dab of sauce on a pancake.  Add several slices of green onion, a few slices of duck, and maybe some cilantro leaves.  Fold up and eat by hand.

Difficulty rating  :-0