Western-Style Peking Duck Recipe

4 lb (to 5lb) duckling

1/2 t Each ground ginger and

-cinnamon 1/4 t Each ground nutmeg &

-white pepper 1/8 t Ground cloves

3 T Soy sauce

5 Whole green onions

1 T Honey

1/2 c Plum sauce

-fresh cilantro 24 Mandarin pancakes (recipe

-follows) Rinse duck inside and out and pat dry; cut off tail and discard; reserve giblets for another use. Mix together ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and cloves. Sprinkle 1/2 t of spice mixture inside duck. Stir 1 T of the soy into remaining spice mixture, then rub evenly over exterior of bird. Cut one of the green onions in half and tuck inside cavity of duck. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until next day. Set duck, breast side up, on a rack over 1 1/2 to 2 inches boiling water. Cover and steam for one hour, adding more water, if necessary, as it evaporates. Cool duck so it firms slightly, then drain and discard juices and green onion from cavity. Set duck, breast side up, on a rack in a baking pan and prick skin all over with a fork. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Blend remaining 2 T soy with honey and brush on duck. Turn oven temperature to 500 degrees. Bake for 5 minutes or until skin becomes richly browned; do not allow skin to char. While duck is roasting, cut remaingin green onions and tops in 1 1/2 inch pieces, then cut lengthwise in thin strips. Serve green onions and plum sauce in separate bowls. When duck is roasted, slice off skin and cut into roughly 2 inch square pieces. Slice meat into bite-size pieces. Reserve bones for duck soup. Arrange skin and duck pieces on a serving plate and garnish with cilantro. To eat, put a small piece of skin and meat on a mandarin pancake. Top with a few green onion slivers and a dab of plum sauce, then fold pancake around duck and eat with your hands.