Peking-spiced Duck and Mandarin Crêpes

• Préparation : 90 minutes
• Cuisson : 285 minutes
• Portions : 8 to 10

Ingrédients

Glaze
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 whole cloves
• 4 star anise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 5 mL (1 tsp) fennel seeds
• 5 mL (1 tsp) black peppercorns
• 5 mL (1 tsp) salt
• 1 cup (250 mL) sugar
• Juice of 10 clementines
Duck
• 2 whole Brome Lake Ducks
• 4 clementines, sliced into rounds
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
Crêpes
• 2 cups flour
• ½ cup (120 mL) boiling water
• ½ cup (120 mL) cold water
• Toasted sesame oil
To Serve
• 1 cup (250 mL) hoisin sauce
• 4 green onions, minced
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 English cucumber, julienned

Préparation

Glaze instructions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and carefully pass through a sieve, conserving all the liquid. Set aside.

Duck instructions:

3. Preheat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C), preferably in convection mode.

4. Remove the packaging, remove the giblets from the ducks and pat the skin dry with paper towel.

5. Using a sharp knife, trim the excess fat from the neck and place the ducks on a grill in a baking dish.

6. Put the clementines, garlic and bay leaves inside the cavity of the ducks.

7. With a brush, coat the ducks with a thin layer of the glaze.

8. Cook in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes (depending on your oven), until the ducks are a deep golden brown.

9. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 250 °F (120 °C).

10. Brush the ducks again with a bit more of the glaze and cover with aluminum foil.

11. Continue cooking for 3 hrs 30 minutes, brushing them with the glaze two more times.

12. Remove the ducks from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes.

Crêpe instructions:

13. Put the flour in a bowl.

14. Slowly pour the boiling water into the flour while stirring with a spoon.

15. Repeat this process with the cold water and then let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

16. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead it for about 5 minutes, until a uniform texture is achieved. The less the dough is worked, the softer the crêpes will be.

17. Cover with a clean, slightly damp towel for 30 minutes.

18. Lightly roll out the dough into a cylindrical shape about 5 cm in diameter and then cut it into 20 equal pieces.

19. Using a bit more flour and a rolling pin, roll out the discs as much as possible to create 20 crêpes. The crêpes must be very thin, almost as thin as paper.

20. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

21. Add a little bit of toasted sesame oil and cook the crêpes one at a time.

22. Put the cooked crêpes in a clean towel, then in a plastic bag to keep them moist.

To serve:

23. Before serving, finely slice the duck breasts and legs (keep the skin, it adds a lot of flavour). Pour what’s left of the glaze over the meat.

24. Mix the hoisin sauce with the green onions and water.

25. Create mini-sandwiches with the duck, crêpes, hoisin sauce and julienned cucumber, then serve.

Recipe developed by Julie Zyromski
Photo credit : Chloé Crane-Leroux

Trucs et astuces

Recommended by Julie Zyromski, this equally original and sophisticated dish will impress everyone at your holiday dinner parties.  On the menu: roast duck, boasting the rich aromas of spices and mandarin.