peking good duck!

i'm not the biggest fan of american-style chinese food. and when i say "not the biggest fan," what i really mean is that i don't like it at all. it all just tastes the same to me - greasy, brown, and salty. if i wanted to feel the desperate need to drink gallons of water, i'm pretty sure i could come up with better ways. (and have, in fact.)

now, not liking chinese food wouldn't really be a problem, except for the fact that the hubby actually very much enjoys it (after all, he's a nice jewish boy from nj... whom yes, i met after moving 2.5K miles from nyc to california. my brother had a good laugh over that irony.). so, every now and then on a random weekend i suck it up and go to eliza's for some chinese food action. and why on a weekend you wonder? well, cuz that's when the restaurant makes their peking duck special, and i happen to LUV peking duck. the crispy skin, the hint of sweetness combined with the sharp twang of scallion, the wonderfully rich duck, surrounded by a pancake or a soft, warm bun...ooooh yummy, what's not to love about peking duck?

of course, the only issue with ordering peking duck is that i can't exactly gorge myself as i would like. drives me nuts. so imagine how the (rusty) gears in my head started to turn when on the weekend before christmas, the very nice guys at prather ranch mentioned they had about 50 heritage breed ducks on hand for the holiday season from a friend's farm "up north." mendocino? oregon? no idea. i suppose i should have asked, but i was busy excitedly shouting: "i'll take TWO, please!" in the throes of the strangest impulse buy i've made yet, that i completely forgot.

the prather ranch man who was helping me widened his eyes a bit, but was nice enough to oblige. i purchased a pekin and a muscovy and scurried away before he could change his mind. (i also bought 8 packages of hot dogs that day. he asked me if i was having a hot dog party. (wasn't - WAS a *corn-dog* party, and a post for another day) apparently he had ruled out the possibility that i was having a duck party. what gives??)

one the best parts of peking duck is the crispy skin. how do you make sure you get the crispiest skin possible, you wonder? by drying it out overnight in the fridge and roasting it. sounds strange, maybe, but it works like a charm every time. (this method works with roast chicken, too.) the recipe i use for peking duck is extremely simple - the only difficult part is finding the "five-spice" powder. if you do have trouble finding it "pre-mixed" you can make it yourself: 4 tbsps each whole peppercorns, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, and 12 whole star anise; grind, then mix together well. store in cool, dark place.

super easy peking duck recipe below. serves 4-6 people (or, um, 1, if you're a greedy little glutton like me. *sheepish grin*) enjoy!


Peking Duck
1 large pot 3/4 filled with boiling water
1 whole duck
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 cup molasses

Scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into 2" pieces and julienned
Hoisin sauce
Mandarin pancakes or mantou buns (available in frozen food section in Asian markets)

In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, and five-spice powder. Soak duck in boiling water. Remove when skin changes color. Sprinkle inside of duck with five-spice powder mix. Rub skin of the duck with molasses, then truss with string and place duck, uncovered, in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and roast the duck until thigh reaches 165. Let rest for 20 minutes, then carve skin and and meat. Serve with hoisin sauce, scallions, and pancakes or buns. Serves 4-6 people.