Preparing the Duck:
Ingredients:
5 pound duck
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon star anise
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 cups water
1/4 sliced fresh ginger
1/4 cup sliced scallions
4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Madeira wine
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
Wash duck and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Heat peppercorns, fennel seed, cloves and star anise in cast iron skillet over medium heat until aromatic. Using a mortar and pestle, grind spices with cinnamon until fine powder. Coat inside of duck with three tablespoons of mixture and reserve remaining spices. Hang duck outside over a drip pan with fan blowing on it for four hours.
In a large Dutch oven, heat ten cups of water, ginger, scallions, honey, wine, vinegar and corn starch mixture until boiling. Place duck in a large strainer over a second Dutch oven size pan and ladle boiling mixture over duck. When all the mixture is gone, transfer pans and reheat water mixture and ladle over duck again. Repeat two more times. Hang duck outside with drip pan and fan for another four hours. Place in refrigerator uncovered overnight and all the next day until ready to cook.
Put duck, breast side up on a rack over baking dish. Roast in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Turn upside down and roast another 30 minutes. Turn duck again and roast for 10 more minutes. Take out of oven and remove skin. Place skin on rack and broil for another five minutes until extra crispy. Meanwhile carve meat off duck in slices and transfer to a platter. Slice skin in thin strips and serve with Chinese pancakes, pomegranate sauce, scallions and pomegranate seeds.
Pomegranate Sauce:
2 1/2 pomegranates, cut in half, seeds removed
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice mix
Mix all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring frequently. Strain mixture through fine sieve strainer, pressing on seeds with back of spoon to remove all the juice and put juice back in saucepan. Heat to boil. Meanwhile mix 2 tablespoons corn starch with 4 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Add to syrup in pan and mix until thickened.
Pancakes:
Four cups flour
2 cups boiling water
Add boiling water to flour and stir quickly until dough comes together. Knead dough until it is smooth and let rest 30 minutes. If dough is still to wet to work with add more flour as necessary, up to one cup. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out circles with 3-inch round cookie cutter. Roll each circle to about 6 inches and 1/16 inch thick. Heat non-stick skillet and drizzle with sesame seed oil. Cook pancakes in small batches until firm and lightly brown on both sides, about five minutes. Stack pancakes on plate and cover with plastic wrap to keep warm.
To serve:
Put in small bowls on table:
Pomegranate sauce
5 scallions, cleaned and sliced
Seeds from remaining 1/2 pomegranate
Put duck meat and skin on a platter
Put pancake plate on table
Take a pancake and put five slices of duck in the center. Top with one or two strips of crispy skin. Drizzle with one tablespoon pomegranate sauce. Sprinkle with scallions and fresh pomegranate seeds. Fold and enjoy!
