Serves: 6
Total Calories: 240

1 duck (4 to 5 pounds)
8 cups water
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sesame oil

1. Have a whole duck wet-picked and dressed, with the head and neck retained and the skin kept completely intact.

2. Tie the neck tightly with string. Sew up or skewer the bottom opening. In the side of the neck below the string, cut a small slit (about 1/2-inch long and 1/8-inch deep) insert a straw and blow air under the skin, until entire duck is inflated.

3. Suspend duck over a basin, with an electric fan set nearby and let dry 1 hour.

4. Bring water to a boil. Scald duck until its skin is almost white: either by pouring boiling water over the suspended bird, or immersing the duck in water about 1 minute. Drain well dry with paper toweling.

5. Bring remaining water to a boil. Then stir in honey to dissolve. Rub diluted honey over duck skin, saturating it completely.

6. Suspend duck in a cool, airy place to dry until its skin is hard. (This will take 2 to 3 hours with an electric fan 8 to 10 hours without one.) To suspend duck: bend a heavy piece of wire (about 10 inches long) at each end to form a hook. Hook duck through the tail and hang it up. Spread the wings apart by wedging a bamboo chopstick between them. Place a pan underneath to catch the drippings.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove all but the topmost rack and suspend the duck vertically from it, using the wire hook again. Place a foil-lined drip pan underneath. Roast duck until done (about 1 1/2 hours), basting with sesame oil at 15-minute intervals. (To prevent shrinkage during roasting, place a bamboo chopstick horizontally inside the duck cavity. If the skin browns unevenly, cover overdone sections with pieces of foil.)

8. Remove duck from oven. While the skin is still sizzling and crisp, carefully cut it off with a sharp knife in 2-inch squares or in 1- by 2-inch rectangles. (Leave as little meat attached to the skin as possible.) Serve the skin at once on a warm platter, accompanied by scallions or cucumbers, a hoisin or soybean paste dip and Peking Doilies.

9. To eat, place one or two pieces of crisp skin in the middle of a Peking doily dab with about 1/4 teaspoon of the dip and top with a piece of scallion. Then roll up the doily or fold over twice. (With steamed buns, place the skin, scallion and dip between the layers of the bun.)

10. After the skin is eaten, cut the meat in 1 1/2-inch cubes and serve as a side dish at the same meal, or at another meal as leftovers. (Reserve the duck carcass for stock.)

NOTE: Peking duck must be roasted at moderate heat. If the heat is too high, the skin will shrink and stretch thin. If it's too low, the skin will not be crisp and succulent.

VARIATIONS:
* After step 4, rub the duck cavity with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon Five Spices.
* After step 6, rub the duck cavity with a mixture of 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons sherry, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon vinegar.

ACCOMPANIMENTS:
_Scallions, cut lengthwise in half in quarters, then crosswise in 3-inch sections or made into onion brushes (see HOW-TO, _Onion Brushes: To make).
_Cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut in thin strips, about 3 inches long.

The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 6
Total Calories: 240
Calories from Fat: 160

More Recipes from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook:
*Banquet Dishes
Bird's Nest Soup I
Bird's Nest Soup II
Peking Doilies
Peking Duck (Modified Version)
Peking Duck Dips
Shark's Fin Soup I
Shark's Fin Soup II
Shark's Fin in Ham Sauce
Steamed Chicken Stuffed with Bird's Nest
Winter Melon Pond
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken II
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Chicken III
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Duck I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Duck II
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Subgum I
Winter Melon Pond Soup Ingredients: Subgum II