Peking Duck

1 (4-1/2 to 5 lb.) duck
1 tsp. salt
8 green onions
2 pieces (1/4-inch each) sliced gingeroot
3 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 can oven-ready biscuits
1 can sm. plum sauce

Directions:

A day in advance, clean duck inside and out; dry thoroughly. Season inside with salt. Tie together stem ends of 2 green onions; place inside duck cavity with gingeroot. Bring edges of tail opening together and stitch with a length of fine wire. Attach another wire to neck as a handle.

Mix 1 qt. water with honey in large wok or small turkey roasting pan, bring to boil. When boiling, stir in cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup cold water. Continue to stir to consistency of a thin stream. Lower heat.

Holding duck by neck wire, dip into honey mixture 3-4 times to coat on all sides. Remove duck, suspend over container in cool place. Set an electric fan towards duck to help dry the skin. Let duck drip-dry overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 450°F. Place duck breast side up on flat rack in roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300°F, turn duck over. Roast 30 more minutes. Turn duck breast side up again and roast for final 30 minutes.

Remove biscuits from can, divide each biscuit in half. Bring 2 inches water to boil in bottom of steamer. Place biscuits in container above water; cover and steam 5 minutes. Thinly slice stems of remaining 6 onions into 2-inch diagonal strips. Divide sliced onion between 4 butter plates and place 1 tsp. plum sauce on each plate.

Prepare duck for serving by cutting off drumsticks and wings; place on platter in position whole duck should be. Carefully slice off all skin pieces of about 1 and 2 inches, lay them aside. Slice same size pieces of meat from bone. Place all carved meat on platter, cover with skin pieces on outside to make presentation look like a whole duck. Eat by making sandwich of onion, plum sauce, duck meat and duck skin.

Comments from Anonymous :

Beverage: dry white wine
This is a dish that should not be attempted unless you're going to dedicate a weekend to it.

User Reviews:

I would not make any changes to the recipe.

submitted by earl on December 02, 2004

Add your review of this recipe.