Quick Peking Duck Recipes

PEKING DUCK BREAST

Steps:

• Combine 2 tablespoons of the Shaoxing wine with the soy sauce, salt and 1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder in a medium bowl. Add the duck breasts and massage the marinade into them. Place the breasts, side by side, on a plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for 12 to 36 hours; the skin will dry out and look leathery.
• Mix together the remaining 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, pinch five-spice powder and the hoisin sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof pan over medium-low heat.
• Remove the duck from the refrigerator and score the skin in a cross-hatch pattern. Place the duck in the pan, skin-side down, and gently render fat; the skin will turn a rich golden brown as it cooks. When the duck stops emitting fat, after 8 to 10 minutes, flip the breasts skin-side is up and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the breasts reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees F for medium; they should be pink and firm in the center.
• Immediately remove the duck to a plate or carving board. Using a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of the hoisin mixture onto the skin. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
• To serve, slice the breasts at an angle, about 1/4-inch thick, and fan out on a plate. Top with sliced scallions.

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 DUCK

Steps:

• Fasten neck skin of duckling to back with skewers. Fold wings across back with tips touching. Mix garlic, wine, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Place garlic mixture and 2 green onions in body cavity of duckling. Bring edges of tail opening together with skewers; tie tightly with heavy string. Insert needle of bicycle pump between skin and fat; pump air under skin until duckling is 1 1/2 times larger. (Do not let air escape. For crisp skin, it is necessary to separate skin from fat to release grease.)
• Heat water and honey to boiling in wok; add vinegar. Tie 40-inch piece of heavy string to duckling legs. Hold duckling over wok. Pour water mixture over duckling for about 3 minutes. Hang duckling in refrigerator to dry at least 12 hours, placing pan under duckling to catch juices, but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Place duckling, breast side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh muscle and does not touch bone. Roast uncovered 30 minutes. Turn duckling; roast 30 minutes longer.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Turn duckling; roast about 20 minutes longer or until 180°F (drumstick meat will feel very soft). Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut green onion tops into 3-inch pieces; cut 3/4-inch slits in each end. Chill in iced water about 10 minutes or until ends curl.
• 5. Remove skin and meat from bones; cut skin and meat into about 1 1/2-inch pieces. Arrange skin and meat on platter. Serve with steamed rolls or mandarin pancakes if desired. Brush hoisin sauce on opened roll or pancake with green onion brush. Place green onion brush, skin and meat on roll or pancake; roll up.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Place all the honey syrup ingredients in a large pan with 1.2 litres water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, rinse the duck well, blot it completely dry with kitchen paper, then put it on a rack in a roasting tin. Using a ladle, pour the syrup over the duck several times until the skin is completely coated on all sides. Leave the duck to dry out, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. When the duck has dried, the skin should feel like parchment paper.
• Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Sit the duck breast-side up on the rack in the roasting tin. Add 150ml water to the tin to prevent the fat from spattering, then roast in the oven for 15 mins. Reduce the heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and continue to roast for 1 hr 10 mins.
• Remove the duck from the oven and let it sit for at least 10 mins before you carve it. Using a cleaver or a sharp knife, cut the skin and meat into pieces and arrange them on a warm serving platter. Or, if you prefer, shred the meat using two forks.
• Serve at once with the pancakes, spring onions and a bowl of hoisin sauce.

QUICK PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Halve duck breast horizontally. Then cut with the grain in thin slivers. Mix 1 tablespoon soy sauce with honey, five-spice powder and pepper, toss with duck, and set aside.
• Heat sesame oil in small saucepan, add garlic, cook briefly, then stir in vinegar, jam, chili flakes and remaining soy sauce. Cook 2 minutes over medium heat to blend, then strain through a sieve, mashing the garlic. Set sauce aside.
• Place pancakes on a heat-proof plate. Cover with foil. Set them on top of pan of simmering water to warm.
• Heat sunflower or peanut oil in wok or skillet. Drain duck in sieve to remove excess marinade, add to wok, and stir-fry over high heat 2 to 3 minutes, until browned. Remove from heat.
• Spread warm pancakes with sauce mixture. Top with strips of duck, scallion and cucumber, sprinkle with cilantro, and roll up. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, and serve.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• For the duck: Prick the duck all over with a small knife or fork. Carefully pour hot water over the duck to rinse. Discard the hot water. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and dry all over by patting it with paper towels. Sprinkle the duck with salt and pepper and leave it in the roasting pan until ready to cook.
• In a small bowl, mix together the honey, 6 tablespoons water, five-spice, soy sauce and brown sugar. Brush the duck all over, inside and out. Let dry for about 10 minutes and then brush again. Repeat this process until you have used all but 4 to 5 tablespoons of the glaze (reserve this glaze). Ideally, let the glaze marinate on the duck overnight, leaving it uncovered in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the duck in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Flip the duck over, baste with the reserved glaze and cook until the skin is crisp and golden brown, another 45 minutes. Make sure you check halfway through that it is not getting too dark. If it is getting too dark before half the cook time is up, turn your heat down and lower the rack in the oven. When the duck is cooked, remove from the oven and let rest while you make your sauce.
• For the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and set aside. Next, heat a pan or wok over medium heat and add the hoisin, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce. When the sauce starts to bubble slightly, add the cornstarch mixture and stir well to thicken. Set aside and let cool. Carve and slice some duck. Place a teaspoon of the sauce in the center of each pancake, add a couple slices of duck, garnish with the scallions and cucumbers and serve immediately.

PEKING DUCK

Steps:

• Wash& dry the duck inside and out.
• Rub salt into the cavity.
• Put Duck on a large plate spoon the vodka over the duck& rub all over, turn the duck and make sure you rub the vodka all over the bird Leave it for 4 hours.
• Dissolve the honey in the water and rub all over the duck.
• Do not miss any area Truss the bird and tie a cord around it's neck and hang it in front of an electric fan Leave it to dry for at least 4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375f.
• Place the ginger inside the duck.
• Place duck on a rack in a pan with water in it.
• The duck must be well above the water.
• Cook for 30 minutes then turn heat down to 300F degrees and continue roasting for about 1 hour.
• Turn heat up to 375f and continue roasting until skin is crisp and brown all over.

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 DUCK (FRUGAL GOURMET)

Steps:

• Remove giblets from inside the duck. Remove the excess fat that hangs about the tail.
• Rub 1 T salt into tho skin and let the duck dry for 1 hour.
• Saute' the orange peel, the 2 chopped green onions, and garlic in the peanut oil for a moment.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon hoisin and the soy sauce. Simmer for a moment, and add the chicken broth. Allow mixture to cool.
• Wipe the duck dry with paper towels.
• Using poultry lacing needles, firmly lace up the neck and tie it closed with twine.
• Begin lacing up the rear end leaving enough space to fill the cavity with sauce.
• After pouring sauce into cavity, finish lacing up the bird, making sure the sauce does not leak out either end! This is very important, it needs to be airtight for the next fun step.
• Now, using the basketball needle and a tire pump, insert the needle into the neck of the bird, just under the skin and on the body side of the string used for the upper neck. Place a 2nd piece of string around the neck just above the point of the needle insertion so that you can tie the neck tightly after pumping the bird like a balloon. Now, slowly and carefully pump up the bird until the skin separates from the meat, remove the needle and quickly tie off the bird (two people for this step really helps).
• The success of the dish depends on the bird being air tight.
• In a large kettle bring 6 quarts water to boil. Add the honey. Make a sling out of one piece of fabric and use it to lower the duck onto the honey water. Roll it gently for a few moments. Don't lose the duck!
• Now remove the duck from the water, and bring the wings around to the back of the bird, and slip a long piece of fabric under the wings.
• Hang the duck so that it swings freely from the sling, in a cool place (we put it in the shower) and aim a fan at it for 3 - 4 hours.
• Play games (Chinese Checkers, Mah Jong, etc) with the family.
• Remove the bird from its roost, and place it gently in a greased roasting rack. Roast for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F.
• Turn the oven to 350 degrees F until you have roasted the duck for a TOTAL TIME of 18 minutes per pound. (Include the first 30 minutes in your time).
• Place a pan of water under the duck to catch the drippings (without smoke - hence the water).
• Remove from oven and allow to rest for a moment.
• Drain the juice and serve in separate bowl.
• The skin is the highlight of the recipe, but the entire duck is amazing!