September 11 - Standing Up To The Challenge of Peking Duck

I would like to go beyond preparing the usual meat dish of beef, chicken, and pork, so I ask my husband if he would eat the dish if I decide to cook some duck. He was amenable to it and suggested that I try Peking duck (Beijing roast duck).


I ordered my whole Peking duck from a gourmet market in Hoboken, Sobsey Produce. That night, I surfed through the web to check how to prepare Peking duck. The process of air drying the duck for several hours intimidated me. It is meant to dry the duck skin like a taut parchment. And the idea of turning the duck every 30 minutes while roasting it looks messy to me.


Anyway, I gave it a try. I took my time. It was worth the wait.



Peking Duck

Ingredients
5 lbs whole Peking duck
4 tbsp lemon juice
6 tbsp honey
6 tbsp soy sauce
150 ml. rice wine (sake)
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground star anise
For serving:
Mandarin pancakes
hoisin sauce
thin, long strips of cucumber
strips of scallions, cut the white end lengthwise






Preparation

In a small pot, mix the lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, rice wine, ground cinnamon, and star anise.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Set aside.

Fill up half of a big pot with water and bring it to a boil.




Wash the duck and pat it dry.
Place the duck in a big, deep pan and slowly pour the boiling water.
This procedure is meant to loosen the fat.
Let it stay in the hot water for about 5 minutes.
Once again, pat the duck dry.

Place the duck on a rack.
Brush the marinade on the duck until fully covered.
Place the remaining marinade inside the cavity.
Let the duck stand in a cool, airy place overnight.
On the next day, drain all excess marinade from the duck and let it stand for another 6 hours until the skin is dry and tight like a taut parchment.

Cooking Time (1 hour and 45 minutes)

Grease the middle rack. Place the duck on the greased rack, breast up. Place a big pan (with an inch of water) under the rack. This pan is used to catch the drippings from the duck. Roast the duck for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully turn the duck on the other side. Roast for another 45 minutes.
Turn the duck again (breast up) and roast for another 30 minutes or until the skin is dark brown.
Set the duck aside for 10 minutes before carving.
Serve the roast duck with Mandarin pancakes, thin slices of cucumber, scallions, and hoisin sauce.