Last night at JJ's Bar Karnack,
CANTONESE ROAST DUCK RECIPE.
INGREDIENTS
1 whole duck (about 4lbs.) with head from er'next door.
DRY MARINADE
1 tsp salt
½ tsp Chinese five-spice
¼ tsp ground toasted Sichuan peppercorns
LIQUID MARINADE
1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 tsps minced garlic
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger
3 green onions (including tops), cut into 3-inch pieces
1 star anise, broken into pieces
2 Tbs hoisin sauce
3 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs Shaoxing wine or dry sherry or Red Obelisk
2 tsps sugar
BLANCHING LIQUID
6 quarts water
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbs soy sauce
¼ cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry or white sherherazade
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
PREPARATION
Combine dry marinade ingredients in a small bowl and rub on outside of duck. Place duck in a pan. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Place a wok or wide frying pan over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic, ginger, and green onions and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 5-10 seconds. Add remaining marinade ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Let cool, then pour into a 1-cup measure.
Pour marinade into cavity of duck (if head and neck are missing, overlap neck skin and sew tightly first). Sew shut with a large needle and heavy thread or close up with thread and trussing pins or skewers.
Combine blanching liquid ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Fashion a sling made of several lengths of string tied together long enough firstly to go around the duck under the wings and then be able to lower and pull out the duck of the pot of boiling blanching liquid. Holding the duck by the sling made of string, lower it into the blanching liquid and blanch duck for 2 minutes. Lift out, drain, and pat dry.
Marinade duck for minimum of 24 hours.
Hang the duck by the string in a cool place until the skin is taut and dry, 4 hours to overnight. I'm using an electric fan to dry and the result will be even crisper skin.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place duck breast side up on a rack in a foil-lined roasting pan. Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn duck over (avoid piercing the skin in doing so). Roast for 20 minutes, basting with pan drippings. Turn duck breast side up again and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the skin is richly browned and crispy. Continue to baste occasionally with pan drippings.
Remove duck from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to a clean pan. Cut string and let juices from cavity drain into the pan. Transfer duck onto a cutting board and cut into serving-size pieces.
One of the most important parts of this recipe to constantly in-vibe in mulled wine….enjoy !……
