I'd been shopping in the freezer section of our basement when I spotted the frozen duck. Not a clue as to how long it had been there, but its time had come. As it was thawing, I decided that I'd try it in the Crock Pot. Why not?
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know that if I was making REAL Peking Duck, I'd be hanging the duck to dry for extended periods of time. Please keep in mind that I'm using a Crock Pot. That's how traditional a Chinese cook I am. I'm also all about simplicity, so my technique results in the ILLUSION of Peking Duck.
Ingredients:
1 whole duck (fresh or thawed--mine weighed about 4.5 pounds)
fresh ginger (about a 2-inch chunk, peeled)
5-6 pieces of star anise
1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese five spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a dash of freshly grated nutmeg
honey
low-sodium soy sauce
6 scallions (for cooking, 3 more for serving)
Hoisin sauce for serving
crepes for serving (They're crepes...and not made in the Crock Pot...you're on your own)
Technique:
I was worried about the quantity of fat that would be rendered from the duck, so, after CONSIDERABLE research on The Google, I opted for the much-touted "foil ball" approach. This involved making 6 balls of crumpled aluminum foil--about the size of a jumbo chicken egg, if that egg was round (larger than a golf ball, smaller than a tennis ball--almost squash ball-sized, for you sports nuts). The foil balls went into the CP first, followed by the 6 scallions. Here's a gratuitous shot of my balls:
The ginger pieces and star anise were tucked into the duck (both the outside and inside were patted dry with paper towels first). The five-spice, nutmeg and cinnamon were mixed and rubbed over the duck's skin. The duck was placed on top of the scallions and foil balls in the CP. Honey was drizzled over the duck, followed by a drizzling of soy sauce. It looked like this before I turned on the CP:
I cooked the duck on high for 4 hours. This gave me time to learn to make crepes. I may be using a Crock Pot, but it ain't Peking Duck unless there are crepes! After 4 hours, I removed the duck from the CP and finished it off on a cookie sheet in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes. This crisped up the skin nicely. I gently removed the skin and put it on a platter. (it's a fast and easy process--and the serving of the skin is traditional, too!) I whacked up the duck and served it along with the aforementioned crepes, scallions (cut into thin strips) and cucumber strips. The hoisin sauce was the condiment that was spread on the crepes before wrapping the duck, onions and cukes. Sure, I could have made my own plum sauce, but this is about 'relative' simplicity, right? Steamed rice and garlic spinach rounded out dinner.
For some reason, Bonanza came to mind. Why? THE most memorable line, of course, from that long-gone show..."Mr. Hoss, you get out of Hop Sing kitchen!" Somehow, I doubt that the Cartwrights dined on Peking Duck at the Ponderosa. I could be wrong. I have been before.
Assessment:
Despite the prep time of 7 minutes (not including thawing), 4 hours is a long time to wait when you're hungry for Peking Duck. On the other hand, it didn't take 2 days. Besides, I learned how to make crepes! The duck was perfectly done in the cooking. The spices really did give the illusion of Peking Duck--it was Peking-ish. It was a tasty dish--not a bad choice for a Saturday. The crispy skin was quite a treat, too. More importantly, I learned the secret of the foil balls...AND was able to work in a Bonanza quote on a blog about Crock Pottery!
No comments:
Post a Comment