Cantonese Roast Duck Food

ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Wash and dry duckling.
• Combine remaining ingredients and brush inside and out over duckling; let stand for 1 hour, turning occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roast for 2 hours, turning and basting with drippings occasionally.

CHINATOWN STEAMED AND ROASTED DUCK

Steps:

• Duck is notoriously a fatty bird, to diminish the fat and produce a crispy skin, begin by trimming the excess fat from the neck and body. Rinse the duck, inside and out, and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Combine the Chinese five-spice, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the duck, inside and out. Salt and five-spice powder makes a fragrant dry marinade, which draws some of the moisture from the duck so that the spices penetrate. Stuff the duck cavity with the aromatics: the ginger, garlic, green onions, and tangerine peel. Fold the wing tips back under the duck and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Poke the duck breast a few times, piercing the skin.
• Place a roasting pan on the stovetop over 2 burners and fill with 2-inches of water, turn the heat to medium. Set a V-rack insert inside the pan and lay the duck on the rack, breast-side up. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Steam the duck for 45 minutes, checking the water level periodically. Steaming the duck first melts away some of the fat and shrinks the skin.
• In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, honey, and soy sauce over low heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until thick. The duck will be lacquered with the sweet glaze, which caramelizes during roasting, making the skin crisp and brown.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Take the foil off the duck, remove the rack with the duck, and pour out the water and all the fat that has rendered out (this is great to use in other dishes like fried rice.) Put the rack with the duck back inside the roasting pan. Baste the duck with the vinegar mixture, until all the skin is completely coated in the glaze. Stick the whole thing in the oven. Roast the duck for 1 hour, basting periodically with any remaining glaze to set in a deep mahogany color. Tent the breast with some foil if it gets too dark. The legs will wiggle easily when it's done. Carve and serve.

ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the soy sauce, wine, brown sugar, five-spice powder, scallions, and ginger in a bowl; stir until the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle the salt all over the duck and inside the cavity. Rub half the marinade into the cavity.
• Prick the duck skin all over with a sharp fork, skewer, or thin-bladed knife; try not to hit the meat (the fat layer is usually about 1/4 inch thick). Place the duck, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Roast the duck for 15 minutes, prick the exposed skin again, then roast for another 15 minutes. Brush with half the remaining marinade and then turn it breast side up. Prick again, brush with the remaining marinade, then roast until the meat is done, about another 20 minutes; all juices, including those from the interior, should run clear, and the leg bone should wiggle a little in its socket. When the bird is done, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh will read about 180°F.
• Carve the duck and serve, passing the hoisin at the table.
• Vietnamese Roast Duck
• Sharper and less complex, but interesting. Omit the wine, five-spice powder, and scallions. Add 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced, double the soy sauce, and mince the ginger. Whisk the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic together to make the marinade. Proceed as directed.

CANTONESE ROAST DUCK

Steps:

• Cut off duck's wing tips and 2nd joints.
• Combine bean sauce through anise and rub the inside of the duck with the mixture.
• Sew the neck and tail openings securely.
• Bring 6 cups water to a boil.
• Place duck on a rack in your sink and pour 3 cups boiling water over the breast; turn over and pour on the rest of the boiling water so that all parts of the duck have been exposed to boiling water.
• Pat the duck dry.
• Combine vinegar and honey with 1 cup water; heat, stirring to blend smoothly; brush duck all over with the mixture.
• Slip a loop of string around the duck's neck and hang in a dry place overnight.
• Pre-heat oven to 450°F.
• Put the duck back-side-down on a rack in a roasting pan and roast at 450°F 6-10 minutes until golden brown.
• Turn with a towel (NOT a fork).
• Roast 8-10 minutes longer, making sure the duck does not burn.
• Reduce heat to 350°F and turn the duck onto its back once more, tent with foil and roast 20 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 300°F; roast 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 250°F; roast until tender (if used, a meat thermometer stuck in thickest part of thigh should register almost 180°F).
• Now increase heat to 450°F, remove foil and roast 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and serve hot.