Peking Dust Ii Recipes

PEKING DUCK WITH HONEY AND FIVE-SPICE GLAZE

Steps:

• Combine honey, soy sauce, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
• In a large saucepan, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Meanwhile, remove giblets and neck from duck cavity and discard (or reserve for another use). Cut off excess fat from cavity and neck area, then cut off tail. (This helps balance the duck vertically over the beer can.)
• Using your fingers, carefully separate the skin from the breast meat through the bottom of the breasts and work your fingers upward to separate the skin from the meat (be careful not to tear skin). Next, separate the skin from the backbone through the neck and working your way down until you reach the legs. (Scissors are helpful, but be careful to avoid piercing the skin.) Transfer duck to a rack set in the sink.
• Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour half of the boiling water evenly over top of the duck. Flip duck and pour the remaining water evenly all over second side. Tilt duck to drain all water from the cavity, then pat dry with paper towels.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder with 1 teaspoon salt, the black pepper and 1 tablespoon of the glaze. Rub the mixture inside the cavity. Stand duck vertically by inserting beer can into cavity and place in a roasting pan or on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Using a pastry brush, brush the remaining glaze all over the duck and sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Place duck in the refrigerator, uncovered, until the skin feels dry and leathery, 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 450 degrees with rack in bottom third of oven. Remove duck from refrigerator, and add 1 1/2 cups water to the pan. Wrap wing tips and tips of drumsticks with foil to prevent burning, then loosely tent duck with foil. Roast for 15 minutes. Decrease temperature to 350 degrees and roast, tented with foil, until skin is mahogany and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes more, adding more water to the pan if needed.
• Leaving duck on the can, transfer duck vertically to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve the crispy skin from the back and legs of the duck, and slice into strips.
• Carefully remove duck from the beer can and return to cutting board. Carve off the breasts and legs; thinly slice the breasts and shred dark meat.
• Carefully strain pan juices into a small bowl and pour off all the fat. In another small bowl, whisk together the hoisin, sesame oil and up to 1/4 cup of the pan juices to form sauce.
• To serve, spread 1 tablespoon prepared sauce on each tortilla. Top each with some scallions, cucumbers, duck meat and crispy skin. Roll up and enjoy warm.

PEKING DUST II

Steps:

• 1. Shell chestnuts. Place in cold water and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes then drain. 2. Add milk and vanilla extract to chestnuts and heat (but do not boil). Simmer, covered, until chestnuts are tender (20 to 30 minutes). Drain, discarding milk. 3. Mash chestnuts together with butter, sugar and brandy. (The mixture should have the consistency of mashed potatoes. If it doesn't, add some heavy cream.) 4. Meanwhile heat the oven to 275 degrees. Beat egg white with cream of tartar until stiff, but not dry. 5. Fold in salt, then sugar, then remaining vanilla extract. Transfer egg mixture to a pastry tube. 6. Line a baking sheet with foil. Squeeze egg mixture out of tube in the shape of a nest. Bake until golden (40 to 50 minutes). Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Then transfer to a serving platter. 7. Meanwhile transfer the chestnut mixture to the pastry tube. Then squeeze it out in thin threads over the baked egg nest to form a mound on top. 8. Whip heavy cream (see HOW-TO, _Cream: To whip). Then sweeten it with powdered sugar. Arrange as a topping over chestnut mound. Garnish with maraschino cherries and serve. VARIATION: * For the brandy, substitute rum.The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Rinse the duck inside and out, and pat dry. Cut off tail and discard. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, white pepper and cloves. Sprinkle one teaspoon of the mixture into the cavity of the duck. Stir one tablespoon of the soy sauce into the remaining spice mixture and rub evenly over the entire outside of the bird. Cut one of the green onions in half and tuck inside the cavity. Cover and refrigerate the bird for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Place duck breast side up on a rack in a big enough wok or pot and steam for an hour adding a little more water, if necessary, as it evaporates. Lift duck with two large spoons, and drain juices and green onion.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place duck breast side up in a roasting pan and prick skin all over using a fork.
• Roast for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. While the duck is roasting, mix together the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and honey. After 30 minutes, brush the honey mixture onto the duck and return it to the oven. Turn the heat up to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Roast for 5 minutes, or until the skin is richly browned. Do not allow the skin to char.
• Prepare the duck sauce by mixing the plum jam with the sugar, vinegar and chutney in a small serving bowl. Chop remaining green onions and place them into a separate bowl. Place whole duck onto a serving platter and garnish with orange slices and fresh parsley. Use plum sauce and onions for dipping.

PEKING DUST

Steps:

• Make a slit on the flat side of each chestnut.
• Place in boiling water and simmer for 40-45 minutes.
• Drain them and allow them to cool.
• Shell them making sure to get all of the 'meat' and you need to remove ALL of the skin.
• Grind them into a fine powder.
• Stir in salt and sugar.
• Whip your cream to your desired thickness and fold in your caster sugar and vanilla, if using this.
• To Serve:
• Either form the chestnut mixture into one large mound or form smaller mounds in individual serving bowls. Top with the whipped cream mixture.

PEKING DUST: GLAZED FRUIT

Steps:

• 1. Shell and blanch almonds. Peel oranges and separate into segments. Rub a serving platter generously with peanut oil. 2. Combine sugar, water and light corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring, over medium heat. 3. Dip nuts and fruit, one piece at a time, into the syrup to coat. Place on the oiled serving platter to cool and harden. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Cut off duck wings at second joint, remove excess fat and skin, rinse and dry well. Insert a chopstick through the neck opening and force along the wing bone under the skin until it protrudes slightly at the second joint. Push other end along other wing so that you end up with a duck that has its arms straight out like a crucifix. Tie a string onto the middle of the stick so you can hold the duck and hang it up. Bring 6 cups of water to boil in a wok, over medium heat. Add maltose or honey and stir to dissolve. Stir in the sherry, vinegar and cornstarch slurry.
• When liquid returns to a boil, dip the duck into liquid and spoon liquid over duck. Repeat until duck is thoroughly moistened. Repeat dunking once more. Hang duck by the string in a cool airy place with a bowl underneath to catch drips. Leave for 4 to 6 hours until skin is dry and taught. Put roasting pan on lower oven rack and fill with 2 to 3 inches of water. Oil the upper rack above pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the chopstick and string. Put duck on oiled rack in center of oven breast side up and cook for 30 minutes. Turn duck breast side down for 45 minutes, then turn breast side up for 30 minutes or until skin is dark brown. While duck is roasting, make scallion brushes. Trim roots, and cut off most of green part, leaving 3-inch pieces. Make several 1-inch lengthwise slits in each end of scallion, and put in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes, drain and refrigerate. Mix hoisin with sesame oil and 1 tablespoon water, in a small serving bowl. Carve the duck, separate meat and skin. Place on a serving platter and surround with the scallion brushes. Serve the sauce with the duck.