Beijing Duck
(Time Life Books)

PREPARE AHEAD: 1. Wash the duck under cold water, then pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Tie one end of a 20-inch length of white cord around the neck skin. If the skin has been cut away, loop the cord under the wings. Suspend the bird from the string in a cool, airy place for 3 hours to dry the skin, or train a fan on it for 2 hours.
2. In a 12-inch wok, combine 6 cups water, 1/4 cup honey, ginger root and cut scallions, and bring to a boil over high heat. Holding the duck by its string, lower it into the boiling liquid. With string in one hand and a spoon in the other, turn the duck from side to side until all of it's skin is moistened with the liquid. Remove the duck (discarding the liquid) and hang it again in the cool place, setting a bowl beneath it to catch any drippings; the duck will dry in 1 hour with the fan trained upon it or 2 to 3 hours without it.
3. Make the sauce by combining hoisin sauce, water, sesame-seed oil and sugar in a small pan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to its lowest point and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. Pour into a small bowel, cool and reserve until ready to use.
4. To make scallion brushes, cut scallion on end, make four intersecting cuts 1 inch deep into its stalk. Repeat at other end. Place scallions in ice water and refrigerate until cut parts curl into brushlike fans.

TO COOK: Preheat oven to 375º. Untie the duck and cut off any loose neck skin. Place duck, breast side up, on a rack and set in a roasting pan just large enough to hold the bird. Pour 1 inch of water into the pan and roast the duck in the middle of the oven for one hour. Then lower heat to 300º, turn duck on its breast and roast for 30 minutes longer. Now raise the heat to 375º, return the duck to its original position and roast for a final half hour. Transfer the duck to a carving board.
With a small, sharp knife and your fingers, remove the crisp skin from the breast, sides and back of duck. Cut skin into 2-by-3-inches rectangles and arrange them in a single layer on a heated platter. Cut the wings and drumsticks from the duck, and cut all the meat away from breast and carcass. Slice meat into pieces 2 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inches wide, and arrange them with the wings and drumsticks on another heated platter.
To serve, place the platters of duck, the heated pancakes, the bowl of sauce, and the scallion brushes in the center of the table. Traditionally, each guest spreads a pancake flat on his plate, dips a scallion in the sauce and brushes the pancake with it. The scallion is places in the middle of the pancake with a piece of duck skin and a piece of meat on top. The pancake is folded over the scallion and duck, and tucked under. One end of the package is then folded over about 1 inch to enclose the filling, and the whole roll into a cylinder that can be picked up with the fingers and eaten. As a main cource, Beijing duck will serve 6. As part of a Chinese meal, it will serve 8 to 12. If you plan to serve more then 6 increase the number of pancakes and scallion brushes.