PEKING DUCK

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4 TO 6)

Duck: 1 whole duck (approx. 2Kg.)
Liquid honey / water
Peking crêpes: 250 gr. Flour
100 ml. Water / oil
50 ml. Hoi sin sauce
Others:
250 gr. Cucumber, in julienne slices
50 gr. Leek, in julienne slices
30 gr. Garlic chopped
20 gr. Sugar

PREPARATION

Duck:
Wash the duck skin with cold water and cut through the second wing joint. Make a 4cm. hole under the left side wing to the inside of the duck's abdominal cavity. Insert a duck holder and blow up until completely swollen, then place another duck holder on the other side of the duck by way of plug to prevent any liquid from escaping. Boil water with liquid honey (1 part of honey to 10 of water) and pour the mixture over the duck. Hang the duck from the hook and, with the help of a fan, leave to dry for 24 hours until the skin is dry. Before roasting the duck, insert 200ml. water in the cavity through the hole beneath the wing to help the duck cook from the inside. Roast the duck in a wood-fired oven (using the wood of a fruit tree) at 250ºC – the temperature will depend on the amount of wood in the oven – for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until it is tender well browned. Peking crêpes: Mix the flour and the boiling water and knead to form a dough. Roll out until 2mm. thick. Cut into 12cm. rounds and brush with oil. Fry on both sides in a frying-pan with no oil.

TO SERVE

Carve the duck, beginning with the crisp skin on the breast; then cut the breast into bite-sized pieces and move on to the leg and so on until the whole duck has been carved (it should be possible to carve 90 to 100 slices from the duck). Serve the very finely sliced duck with the Peking crêpes and accompany with the cucumber and leek, chopped garlic and sugar. Sprinkle with Hoi Sin sauce.