The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

Neil Perry's twice-roasted Peking duck with mango

Neil Perry turns to the season's luscious fruits to give summer meals a tangy, textured lift.

Flash flesh: Twice-roasted Peking duck with mango.
Flash flesh: Twice-roasted Peking duck with mango.William Meppem

Twice-roasted Peking duck with mango
2 x 1.8-2kg roasted Peking ducks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
2 mangoes (not too ripe)
2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
Serves 4


PLACE ONE DUCK on a chopping board
and remove fat deposits in the cavity. Cut neck off and remove the first two wing joints. Season inside and out with sea salt. Repeat with second duck.

PREHEAT OVEN to 200ºC.
In a bamboo steamer, steam ducks over boiling water for 45 minutes, making sure not to boil the saucepan dry. (If you have two stacking bamboo steamers or one large one, you can cook both ducks at once; otherwise, cook one at time. If using two stacking steamers, halfway through the steaming process, place the top one on the bottom.)

WHEN COOL enough to handle, place one duck on a board and remove legs. Cut backbone out and cut the two breasts down the middle, leaving the breastplate in place. Repeat with the other duck.

Advertisement

BRUSH THE 4 breast pieces with 1 tsp olive oil and season with sea salt. Place in a roasting tin, skin-side down, cook for 15 minutes, then turn. Pour out excess liquid and cook for a further 15-20 minutes. When the duck is cooked and the skin is crisp, remove from oven.

IN THE MEANTIME, remove skin from the mangoes and slice off cheeks. In a small non-stick pan, heat a little extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and add mango cheeks, round side down. Cook for about 3 minutes, then turn to the flat side and cook another 2 minutes.

PLACE a mango cheek on each of 4 plates. Cut a duck leg in half and place next to the mango. Remove breast from the breastplate and slice lengthways into thick slices; arrange neatly over the leg. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, and serve with a fresh green salad.

Cherries and butterscotch pudding
400g fresh cherries, pitted
3 tbsp of demerara sugar
2 tbsp of kirsch
720ml milk
4 large egg yolks
90g dark-brown sugar
30g cornflour
35g unsalted butter
21⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄2 cup whipped cream, if desired
Serves 4


PLACE the cherries in a bowl, sprinkle over demerara sugar and kirsch, and macerate for an hour.
Bring 600ml of milk nearly to a boil in a suitable saucepan.

Advertisement

IN A MIXING BOWL, whisk together the remaining 120ml milk, the egg yolks, brown sugar and cornflour until nice and smooth.

POUR 100ml of the hot milk onto the egg yolk mixture and whisk vigorously. Pour the warmed yolk mixture into the pan of hot milk and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes over medium heat, whisking continually. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.

STRAIN the mix through a fine sieve into a bowl. Pour into 4 martini glasses, cover each with plastic wrap on the surface to stop a skin from forming, and chill for at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight).

TO SERVE, remove wrap, top with macerated cherries and juices, and finish with a dollop
of whipped cream on top, if desired.

The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement