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4
Medium
By Richard Whittington and Martin Webb
Published 1995
The Chinese are the masters of duck roasting. While they do all sorts of things which are beyond all but the specialists, like inflating the skin away from the flesh prior to cooking, we can emulate some of their techniques to achieve a beautifully glossy and crisp-skinned finish.
Bring a big pan of water to the boil. Put a butcher’s hook through the neck end of the duck. Add the vinegar to the water, then plunge the duck into it and blanch for 60 seconds. Remove and hang up to dry in a cool airy place, preferably overnight. An electric fan blowing cold air speeds the process.
When the duck is almost dry, warm the maltose over a pan of simmering water. Add the gi