FLOWER POT KITCHEN: PEKING DUCK CRISPY PANCAKES AND FIVE SPICED PLUM SAUCE

5 Nov 2014

PEKING DUCK CRISPY PANCAKES AND FIVE SPICED PLUM SAUCE

Gorgeous juicy crispy aromatic spiced duck pancakes with five spiced plum sauce, spring onions and cool cuecumber batons, every mouthful a moorish joy.

A really simple dish to prepare for friends and family that is loved by everyone, from fridge to table in one and half hours this is a dish that cooks itself so you can enjoy time with your friends.

Ingredeints

(serves 6)

1 whole duck

2 tbsp five spice powder

Salt and pepper

1 tsp coconut oil

1 cuecumber

6 spring onions

24 pre-made pancakes

Plum Sauce

6 ripe plums

1 tsp five spice powder

1 tsp grated ginger

1 orange zest and juice

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 star anise

Pre heat your oven to 170 degrees, cut the duck completley in half (spatchcock), pat the skin dry then rub the whole duck with the five spice powder getting in all the nooks and crannies and season well with salt and pepper. Place the duck on a rack placed on top of a roasting tin, skin side up, pour a cup of water into the tin and cook for 30 minutes, then crank up the heat to 200 degrees for the last 15-25 minutes to finish crisping up the skin. Remove from the oven and cover loosely with tin foil to help keep the heat in while the duck rests for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile while the duck is roasting de-stone the plums, roughly chop, place in a saucepan along with the orange juice, zest, grated ginger, sugar, star anise and five spice, simmer for approx 30 minutes until thick and pulpy, when you can draw a spoon through the sauce and see the bottom of the pan your plum sauce is ready.

To serve warm the pancakes in a bamboo steamer and serve wrapped in a tea towel or tortilla warmer to keep warm along with the whole duck on a tear and share board with forks to shred along with the cucumber and spring onion batons and the gorgeous plum sauce. Enjoy...

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.