Crispy Chinese Duck With Peaches Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Prick the duck skin all over with a fork - don't go too deep or you'll puncture the meat instead and lose all the juices during cooking. Push the whole peach up into the duck's cavity, neatly tuck in any excess fat and tie the legs together with string. Using a pestle and mortar, grind together the Chinese five-spice, Sichuan pepper and sea salt. Rub all over the duck and sit, breast-side down, on a rack in a roasting tin. Roast for 3 hrs.
• Meanwhile, put the peaches, cut-side up, in a snug-ish ovenproof dish. Mix the honey, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and hoisin with 3 tbsp water. Pour over the peaches, then scatter over the sesame seeds.
• Lift the duck out of the oven and drain off any fat in the tin. Turn up the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and flip the duck over so it is now breast-side up. Roast for 30 mins more, with the peaches on the shelf below, until the duck is brown and crispy and the peaches are tender. Serve with jasmine rice and shredded spring onions.

Steps:

• To make the marinade: Place the star anise, grated ginger, rice wine, peppercorns, salt, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce, into a bowl, and stir to combine.
• Add the duck breasts to the marinade, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat a wok or pan over a high heat, and add the groundnut oil. Remove the duck from the marinade and place the duck into the hot wok or pan, skin-side down, and fry until the skin is brown and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the duck to a sheet pan, skin-side up, and roast in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on how well done you would like your duck to be. While the duck is in the oven, prepare the apricot and plum sauce
• To make the sauce: Pour the water into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add the plums, apricots, sugar, honey, cinnamon, star anise, and cook until the mixture has reduced to a sticky sauce. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the lime juice.
• To serve, place a duck breast onto a plate, pour over the sauce and serve with a salad.

Steps:

• Heat one third of the butter in a saucepan and saute the shallots with the honey and about half the five spice powder until softened and caramelized, about 7 minutes.
• Add the vinegar and cook until evaporated.
• Pour in the port and Madeira and boil until the liquid is syrupy and has reduced by 2/3.
• Add the stock and boil for about 15 minutes or until reduced by half, then strain through a fine sieve, rubbing gently with the back of a ladle.
• Season this sauce and set aside.
• To glaze the peaches, sprinkle with the remainder of the five spice powder and the icing sugar.
• Heat another third of the butter in a non stick frying pan and gently saute the peaches, colouring them all over.
• Take care not to overcook them.
• Set aside and reserve the pan juices in a warm place.
• Preheat oven to 425*F.
• Score the fatty skin of the duck breasts; this ensures that the skin will become crispy when cooked.
• Without using any oil, heat a non stick frying pan until quite hot.
• Add the duck breasts, skin side down and cook for about 3 minutes, colouring all over.
• Cover the breasts with butter paper or buttered greaseproof paper and cook in the oven for about 7 to 8 minutes, turning once or twice.
• REmove and allow to rest for 3 minutes before slicing each breast into 8 slices.
• While the duck is resting, cook the spinach in a little water and the remaining butter for about 1 minute, or until wilted.
• Drain well and swquuese outlightly in a clean tea towel or kitchen paper towels.
• Place spinache mound in the centre of each warmed plate and arrange the sliced duck over and around each to make a pyramid shape.
• Cut eat peach half in four and arrange on and around the duck.
• Trickle over the reserved pan juices.
• Return the sauce to the boil, check the seasoning and spoon it over and around the meat.
• Garnish with Candied orange peel slivers if desired.