Did Someone Order Duck?
When we were growing up, my mom did a ton of cooking...mostly Italian, but also tried her hand at exotic cuisines on occasion. In particular, she prepared a Peking duck once a year for as long as I can remember. Naturally, I figured, if she could do it, perhaps (like the whole "green thumb dad" concept), I may also be able to do so.
Jason LOVES duck. As soon as we saw it in the aisles of Harris Teeter in Wilmington, he had to buy it. He asked me to make a Peking duck for him and after much cajoling, I finally agreed. As he placed the duck into the cart he says, "This will either be a phenomenal success, or an epic failure." Now if that doesn't inspire trust and confidence...
On Tuesday evening, after much internet searching, I began my Peking duck project. First things first, I hung the duck (using a vent in the ceiling, some kitchen twine, and two hangers - just call me MacGyver) for 10+ hours to dry it out. You might think this would be an easy target for Tommy, but that would overlook the fact that he is undoubtedly part chicken. At 5:00 AM, when I walked downstairs after feeding Reagan, I caught Tommy hovering by the garage door, growling at the duck. Real tough, right?!
Next, I mixed honey, sherry, vinegar and water on high heat. I added scallions, ginger, and a cornstarch slurry. I used this boiling mixture to give the duck a "bath."
After spooning the boiling mixture over the duck for 10 minutes, I hung him back up to dry for an additional 6 hours.
Finally, I put the duck on a rack in a roasting pan with approximately 1 and 1/2 inches of water in the bottom and roasted it for 1 hour and 10 minutes (flipping twice) at 350-degrees.
Jason LOVES duck. As soon as we saw it in the aisles of Harris Teeter in Wilmington, he had to buy it. He asked me to make a Peking duck for him and after much cajoling, I finally agreed. As he placed the duck into the cart he says, "This will either be a phenomenal success, or an epic failure." Now if that doesn't inspire trust and confidence...
On Tuesday evening, after much internet searching, I began my Peking duck project. First things first, I hung the duck (using a vent in the ceiling, some kitchen twine, and two hangers - just call me MacGyver) for 10+ hours to dry it out. You might think this would be an easy target for Tommy, but that would overlook the fact that he is undoubtedly part chicken. At 5:00 AM, when I walked downstairs after feeding Reagan, I caught Tommy hovering by the garage door, growling at the duck. Real tough, right?!Next, I mixed honey, sherry, vinegar and water on high heat. I added scallions, ginger, and a cornstarch slurry. I used this boiling mixture to give the duck a "bath."
Bathing the duck
After spooning the boiling mixture over the duck for 10 minutes, I hung him back up to dry for an additional 6 hours.
See how the color changes...
Finally, I put the duck on a rack in a roasting pan with approximately 1 and 1/2 inches of water in the bottom and roasted it for 1 hour and 10 minutes (flipping twice) at 350-degrees.
All that fat makes for some crispy skin!
Served with Asian noodles because we didn't have the Mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce:(
Overall the duck was a success. Lessons learned: 1) A 6-pound duck yields approximately 1 pound of meat; 2) If you don't own a super sharp carving knife, don't even attempt this dish; 3) It's totally worth paying a restaurant the $$$ to get someone else to do all this work for you!
18+ hours of prep/cooking - 6 minutes and 38 seconds of eating
You are a good wife to doing this!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so easy! I mean, I know it takes a long time, but relatively little effort. You'll have to give me the "official" recipe :)
ReplyDeleteCornstarch slurry...sounds fancy. Good job. I feel bad for the duck though, haha! Mom would be proud!
ReplyDelete