This is the Giffords version of Chinese crispy duck with pancakes, and it’s rather moreish. The brining is very important here – it flavours the duck and allows the skin to get lovely and crisp. Serve with a pile of crêpes, the refreshing rémoulade and sweet plum sauce.
SERVES 6
1 x 2kg duck
100ml honey
sea salt and white pepper
For the brine
1 litre apple juice
100g black treacle
100g dark brown sugar
150g salt
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 star anise
For the crêpes 200g plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
470ml whole milk
For the plum sauce
200g plums, stones removed
60g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the rémoulade
1 celeriac
100g mayonnaise (see page 139 for homemade)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard squeeze of lemon juice
Method
Put all the ingredients for the brine into a stainless-steel saucepan and bring to the boil, then pour into a deep bowl or plastic tub large enough to hold the duck and leave to cool. Once the brine is cold, immerse the duck in it and leave in the fridge for 1-2 days, turning over every so often. Preheat the oven to 140°C. Remove the duck from the brine, pat dry with kitchen paper and sit on a wire rack in a deep roasting tray. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 3 hours. Meanwhile, make the batter for the crêpes. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Whisk together the eggs and milk, then slowly whisk into the flour until you have a thin batter. Leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. For the plum sauce, put all the ingredients and 100ml water in a stainless-steel saucepan and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until the plums are soft. Mash to a rough purée with a fork.
For the rémoulade, peel the celeriac, then either grate it or use a knife or mandolin to cut it into very thin strips. Place in a colander, salt lightly and mix well, then leave to drain for 15 minutes. Use your hands to squeeze out as much moisture as possible, then tip the celeriac into a bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, both mustards and the lemon juice. The rémoulade should have quite a punch to it!
When the duck has had 3 hours, remove it and increase the oven temperature to 210°C. Take off the foil and baste the duck with the cooking juices in the tray. Pour the rest of the juices from the roasting tray into a small saucepan and set aside. Season the duck with a sprinkle of salt, then return to the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, until wonderfully crisp.
Add the honey to the roasting juices in the saucepan and simmer for 10-15 minutes until reduced to a syrupy glaze. Now bash out as many pancakes as you can from the batter.
Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook each pancake briefly on both sides over medium heat. Paint the duck with the honey glaze, then jam a couple of forks into it, ready to shred the crisp skin and tender meat. Serve with a stack of the crêpes, the rémoulade and the plum sauce…
Time to get messy!
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Recipe taken from The Giffords Circus Cookbook, published by Quadrille with photography by David Loftus
