Homemade Gluten-free Peking Duck

Learn how to make a fabulous Peking Duck, completely gluten-free! This is a very special meal that is great fun to make! Learn to make Peking Duck to rival any Chinese chef!

When is the last time you blew up your entrée with a bicycle pump? Or hung it in your garage overnight? Sounds pretty weird, but these are the beginning steps to preparing delicious Peking Duck. Peking Duck is a special meal you may have enjoyed in a Chinese restaurant. To accompany our feature this month on Sichuan Cuisine, we thought it would be fun to teach a class on the preparation of this delightful and unusual dish. There are several steps to this dish, none of them difficult, just time consuming. Start the preparation a day before you plan to serve.

Essential Equipment
You will need a few specific pieces of kitchen equipment to make your Peking Duck. If you find that you need a kitchen product, please visit the Glutenfreeda shopping mall. You will find everything you need, except the bicycle pump, through our affiliate, Cooking.com.

You will need:

• Bicycle pump (optional)
• Butcher's string
• Poultry sewing needle
• Wok or large deep skillet
• Roasting pan
• Crepe pan
• Small paring knife
• Choosing a fresh duck

Getting Started

Choosing a fresh duck

As with all cooking, it is always best to use the freshest ingredients possible. A fresh unfrozen duck is preferable but you can use a frozen duck if that is all that is available. We used a frozen duck with satisfactory results. If you have a relationship with your butcher, he may be able to order a fresh duck for you. Whether the duck is fresh or has been frozen, remove any innards packaged inside the duck, wash it with cold water and dry. Select a 4-5 pound duck.

*If you purchase a frozen duck, be sure nothing has been added to the duck. Ducks sometimes come with a flavoring packet. These are sealed in plastic and can be removed with no contamination.

	Step 1: Separating the skin from the meat There are two methods to loosen the skin from the meat. The more unusual method is with a bicycle pump, no kidding. Although this admittedly sounds strange, it is fun and effective. Insert a clean pin from the pump just under the skin of the breast. Pump up the duck, forcing air between the skin and meat. Repeat this process in several places into the breasts, legs and thighs until the skin is separated. It is not necessary to pump up the back side. The other method is to slip your fingers between the breast skin and the meat. Move your fingers around the entire breast, completely separating the skin from the meat. Make small cuts at the tops of the legs and insert your fingers completely around the legs and thighs until the skin comes away from the meat.

Step 2: Hanging the duck Hanging the duck is an important step that will ensure the skin of the finished duck will be crispy. To secure the duck for hanging, we used a needle threaded with butcher's string and inserted it through the tail on either side of the spine. Tie a sevure knot and leave plenty of string to hang the duck. Hang the duck in a cool, dry place. The temperature should be below 40 degrees F. Be creative, we hung our duck from a pull-down weight machine in our garage. Place a plate below the duck to catch any drippings. Let the duck hang over night. If you can't find a cool, dry place to hang your duck, you can dry it in the refrigerator; prop the duck up so that air can circulate around it.

Step 3: Glazing the duck

For the glaze:

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2" piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 12 green onions, cut off green parts from white ends; reserve white ends
• 3 cups water
• 5 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons rice wine
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients except the cornstarch and water mixture in a wok or a large deep pan and bring to a boil. Blend the cornstarch mixture and add to wok. Stir and boil until mixture thickens and will coat the back of a spoon. Turn off heat. Holding onto the string, lower the duck into the glaze, rolling around to coat completely. Raise the duck and lower to coat again. When the duck stops dripping, return it to the garage to hang again. The duck should hang at least two more hours.

Step 4: Roasting the duck
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the duck, breast side up in a roasting pan and add 1" of water to the pan. The water will keep the duck moist as it roasts. Roast the duck for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Halfway through the roasting time, turn the pan around to brown evenly. When the duck is done it will be a beautiful brown molasses color.

Step 5: Make the crepes
Instead of the pancakes traditionally served with Peking Duck, we've substituted gluten-free crepes. The crepes are light and thin and a perfect accompaniment with the duck.

Crepe Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup gf flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Pinch of salt

Combine gf flour, milk, lukewarm water, eggs, 2 Tablespoons butter and salt in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the batter into a pitcher or a container with a pouring lip. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.

Place a non-stick or seasoned crepe pan over medium-heat. Coat the pan with a little unsalted butter. Stir the batter and pour about 2 Tablespoons into the pan, lifting it off the heat and tilting the pan so the batter forms an even, thin layer. Cook until the top is set and the underside is golden. Turn the crepe over, using your fingers or spatula and cook until the second side is lightly browned. Remove the crepe to wax paper and continue to cook the rest of the crepes. Keep the crepes warm until ready to serve.

Step 6: Preparing the Garnishes Ingredients: 12 green onions, the reserved white ends 1 cucumber 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper First prepare the green onions. With a sharp paring knife, cut off the root ends of the green onions. Make several cuts 1" lengthwise from the white end. Put the green onions on ice water and set aside. The ends of the green onions will curl as they soak up water. Next score the cucumber lengthwise and then cut into thin rounds. Finally, slice the peppers into 1/8" julienne.

Step 7: Make the sauce
The main ingredient for the sauce in hoisin sauce. If you can't find a gluten-free brand, use our recipe to make your own. Homemade hoisin sauce will keep for several weeks, even months in the refrigerator.

Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup soy bean paste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Dipping Sauce for Duck
Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon water

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar. The sauce should be the consistency of thin ketchup. If it is too thick, add a little water.

	Step 8: Removing and preparing the duck skin and meat Start by cutting the leg and thigh away from the body in one piece by slicing through the joint. Peel off the skin from the leg and slice it into thin strips. Repeat with other leg and thigh. Remove the breast skin in one piece. It should come away easily by sliding your fingers under the skin to separate it. Cut the breast skin in half lengthwise to make two pieces. Slice each piece of breast skin in thin strips. Remove the meat from the breast bone and from the legs and thighs and cut into thin strips.

To serve on a plate, make a circle of the cucumbers around the outside of a large serving plate. Make an X pattern on top of the cucumbers using one red and one yellow pepper strip. Spoon a puddle of sauce in the center of the plate and top with strips of duck meat. Lay several strips of crispy duck skin across the meat. Serve with warm crepes and green onion brushes on the side. To eat on a crepe, place a small amount of sauce on a crepe and add one or two cucumbers, pepper strips, meat, skin and a green onion, fold and enjoy!

- Glutenfreeda