Each mistress sooner or later faces the need to set the table for a considerable number of people. Anniversary of husband, graduation of daughter or son, Christmas or New Year - but you never know why! And you always want the dishes to be not only tasty, but also beautiful, so that the feast will please the guests, and the husband could be proud that he has such a skilled wife.
Interesting
Almost a month before the proposed celebration, a menu is written, kilometer lists of products to be purchased are compiled, dishes are thought out, table design, desserts decorated ... In a word, the hassle is full of mouth. And, of course, a rare holiday does without meat. And here, too, I want to surprise the guests with something, so the patties, chopped in breadcrumbs and pork in French are swept away immediately, as usual and slightly fed up dishes.
An ideal option that can impress friends and relatives and become the crown dish of the table is a baked duck. You just need to choose a copy of this tasty and satisfying bird that is suitable for weight and find a worthy recipe that details how to pickle a duck. After all, usually just the marinade contains the secret of tenderness and exquisite taste of any meat. Consider that you have already reached the address! Today we’ll just talk about how to deliciously pickle a duck.
Choose a bird
Naturally, you must first buy it. Here we will allow ourselves to give some practical advice, thanks to which you can calmly choose the best duck on the market, and not a single trader can deceive you by passing off a specimen who died of old age two weeks ago as a fat little duckling. First, a bird should weigh about 2–2.5 kilograms.
This gives a guarantee that she is young, which means that she is deprived of a characteristic duck smell, which not everyone likes. Secondly, ducks, it turns out, are egg-type and meat. You need the second - such a bird has more tender and tasty meat. Thirdly, in the context of duck meat should be saturated dark red. Following these simple recommendations, you will certainly get such a duck, which will be easy and pleasant to cook, and to regale it with it - even more so.
Important process
Now - directly on how to pickle a duck for baking. There are an infinite number of recipes, but for the celebration, of course, you need the most original. We suggest figuring out how to pickle a Peking duck. This is one of the most famous dishes of Chinese cuisine, one might say, the visit card of the Middle Kingdom. It is served with tortillas, two sauces and turnip onions, and, as a rule, guests unanimously recognize the queen of the bird prepared in this way.
Interesting option
So, how to pickle a Peking duck. For this, in addition to the duck itself, you will need: sugar - 2 tbsp. l., soy sauce - 5 tbsp. l., honey - 1 tbsp. l., sunflower or olive oil - 1 tbsp. l., hot water. It should be noted that the bird is pickled according to this recipe for a long time, so you need to do it in advance. So, the duck (of course, gutted and prepared) should be washed thoroughly under hot water. Grate a little with salt, not forgetting that soy sauce is also salty. Mix sugar in a bowl, 4 tbsp. l soy sauce and add a small amount of boiling water to them - so that the mixture is enough to rub the duck.
Coat the bird thoroughly with marinade and put it on a bottle or jar. Substitute a deep dish under it or put the whole structure in a saucepan - this is necessary in order to stack excess sauce. Now you can forget about the duck for the next 12 hours (or better at night) - it should be soaked in the mixture and dry a little, so that when baked, a deliciously crispy crust forms.
If the bird does not fit in the refrigerator, you can take it to the balcony. However, this is not all the secrets of how to pickle a duck for the oven. After the required time, mix liquid honey with the remaining spoonful of soy sauce and vegetable oil. If your honey is thick, you should melt it in a water bath. Again, rub the duck thoroughly with the mixture and this time leave it for forty minutes or an hour. That's all! Now you know how to pickle a Peking duck, and easily cope with this task. Next, it’s small: preheat the oven to 180 degrees, place the bird on the wire rack, and under it set a baking sheet on which the juice will drain. Let the duck bake in this form for about half an hour.
After it should be turned over and baked for another 15-20 minutes. Then again put on the back, increase the temperature to 220 degrees and finally bake to a golden crust. It takes about 15 minutes. When serving, it is cut into neat slices so that each of them will certainly have a crisp. Two sauces rely on such a duck: one is ketchup mixed with squeezed garlic and mustard, the second is soy sauce mixed with garlic. Believe me, guests will lick their fingers and will certainly ask how to pickle a Chinese-style duck. And to reveal this secret to them or to leave it with you is up to you!
Simple recipe
If you have a catastrophic lack of time, there is a simpler option on how to pickle a duck for the oven. You will need 2-3 tbsp. l acute mustard, 2-3 tbsp. l liquid honey, salt and pepper to taste. The bird should be washed, dried with a paper towel and rub well inside and out with salt and pepper. Then mix mustard and honey in equal proportions and coat the duck on all sides with the marinade.
After that, you can immediately send it to the oven. Lay the bird on a baking sheet with the back down, and before putting it to bake, add a glass of water. From time to time you need to look into the oven and water the duck with the resulting juice. A bird cooked according to such a recipe turns out to be juicy, tender, aromatic and, importantly, the time costs are minimal. Serve it whole, with fresh vegetables on the side dish. Guests will certainly appreciate your efforts and make a hundred compliments to the baked beauty and your ability to cook delicious dishes.
Conclusion
We hope the recipes come in handy. Bon appetit, and let the holiday be bright and memorable!