Dinner Party: Crispy Chinese Duck and Pancakes with Homemade Plum Sauce

There's nothing better than food you can share and this is never more true at a dinner party. A dish like this can be placed in the middle of the dining table and provides a talking point as well as interest for your guests since they will be helping themselves and creating their own plates as it were. 

Crispy skin, tender meat, touch of spice, wonderfully tangy fruity sauce along with crunchy spring onions and cucumber all wrapped up in a pancake of delight. In terms of preparation, the sauce can be made in advance since it is served chilled and will happily keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Plus, once you've dried the duck out it just sits in the oven all afternoon until you serve it - again perfect for entertaining.


Crispy Duck Pancakes with Plum Sauce
Serves 6-8

Sauce:
10-12 destoned plums
5 tbsp sugar
couple of pinches of five-spice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chilli powder
Splash of water
Zest of half an orange
Duck:
2.5kg (5lbs) duck (giblets removed)

Kettle full of boiling water

3 tbsp dry sherry

3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp clear honey

Packet of Chinese pancakes (can be bought at large supermarkets or Chinese supermarkets I recommend 3-4 per person)
To Serve:

6 spring onions, cut into thin strips

½ cucumber, peeled and cut into thin strips

Put all the sauce ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until you get a shiny pulp. You can remove the plum skins if you want but I like to leave them in. Grate in the orange zest and leave to one side to cool. If you're making it in advance, pop in the fridge once cooled until needed.

Remove any fat from the cavity of the duck. Put the duck into bowl, pour boiling water over it, then remove and dry inside and out. Mix together the sherry, honey, and soy sauce, and brush the mixture over the duck. Leave at room temperature for 4 hours or until the skin is dry. 

Put the duck, breast side down, on a wire rack in a roasting tin, and roast in a pre-heated oven at 200C (180 fan, gas mark 6) for 25 minutes or until browned. Turn over and roast for a further 1 – 1 ¼ hours. When the duck is cooked, leave it to stand for about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, stack the pancakes on a plate in a steamer, cover and steam for 10 mins. 

Shred or cut the duck into small pieces and serve with the pancakes, spring onion, cucumber and sauce.

TIP: Don't be alarmed if the duck looks burnt/dark when it comes out of the oven - that's supposed to happen! The meat will still be tender and the colouring comes from the coating!