Ingredients:
One 7-pound duck, freshly killed preferred, including head, wings, and feet
¼ cup salt
1 quart boiling water, to scald duck
For the coating:
3 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons Chinese white rice vinegar or distilled vinegar
3 tablespoons maltose or honey
12 Peking Duck Pancakes
For the sauce:
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Shao-Hsing wine or sherry
6 scallions, white parts only, cut into 2-inch pieces, edges cut to make fringes
Special equipment:
1 air pump
1 chopstick, cut to 7-inch length
Directions:
Oven: Preheat to 450°F
Prepare the duck. Clean, remove all membranes and fat, and rinse inside and outside with cold running water. Sprinkle the outside of the duck with salt and rub in well. Rinse all salt off. Allow the water to drain. Tie off the neck of the duck with string and insert the nozzle of the air pump into the neck opening. Inflate with the pump until the skin separates from the flesh. Remove the pump nozzle. With a cleaver, remove the first 2 joints of each of the duck's wings and feet. Insert the 7-inch chopstick under the wings through the back to lift them away from the body. To scald the duck, holding the duck with one hand, use the other hand to ladle 4 cups boiling water onto the skin. The entire outside must be scalded. It is advisable to hang the duck on a hook over a sink to ease this step. The skin will darken and tighten when scalded. Allow 30 minutes for the skin to dry. (On humid days this may take longer). To coat the duck, in a wok mix together 3 cups boiling water, the vinegar, and the maltose, and bring to a boil. Ladle the coating mixture over the hanging duck, making certain the skin is coated completely and thoroughly. Allow 10 to 12 hours of drying time. (You may use a fan blowing air onto the duck to reduce the drying time by half). As the duck dries, make the pancakes. To roast the duck, heat the oven to 450°F for 30 minutes. Place a large roasting pan containing at least 1½ inches of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Place the duck directly on the oven rack over the roasting pan, not in the roasting pan. The pan serves only to catch the fat drippings as the duck roasts. Roast the duck, breast side down, for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 425°F. Turn the duck over and allow the other side to roast 10 minutes. If the duck begins to burn, reduce the temperature to 400°F. Allow the duck to roast evenly for 35 to 45 minutes, turning frequently to ensure the head and tail do not burn. The duck is ready when the skin is a deep brown color and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 7 minutes. Combine the sauce ingredients, except for the scallions, in a small bowl and set aside. To serve, make certain the pancakes are hot and ready for serving. Slice the duck skin carefully away from the meat in irregular scallops about 2½ inches long. Serve the duck skin slices in pancakes. Brush each pancake with 1½ teaspoons of the sauce mixture with a fringed scallion brush. Then lay the brush down, cover with 2 slices of skin, and wrap by overlapping the pancakes over the skin, then folding up one end. Serve.
