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In Search of Perfection

Peking Duck (Season 2, Episode 3)
TV Episode | 22 min | Documentary
In the quest for the perfect Peking duck, Heston first taste tests Peking duck from a local Chinese restaurant against a regular roast duck to see the best characteristics of each. He then travels to the city for which the dish is named, ...See moreIn the quest for the perfect Peking duck, Heston first taste tests Peking duck from a local Chinese restaurant against a regular roast duck to see the best characteristics of each. He then travels to the city for which the dish is named, Beijing, where he finds that Peking duck is not just a dish, but part of a ritualized meal using the entire duck. His trip there also focuses his thoughts on the necessary components of the finished duck itself: a crispy thin lacquer colored skin, and a tender flavorful but not fatty meat. The first decision is which type of duck to choose. An important process in a traditional method of preparation is to separate the skin from the flesh before the entire bird is dried to remove as much water as possible. In the actual cooking, Heston runs into what looks to be an insurmountable problem of getting extremely crispy skin without drying out the meat. He resorts to cooking the flesh and the skin separately. Beyond the duck skin served with steamed pancakes, other components of his perfect duck feast include poached duck breast, a duck stir fry with shitake mushrooms, and duck consommé. A final aroma of jasmine completes his Chinese inspired meal. Written by Huggo See less
Read more: Plot summary
Director
David Robertson
Editor
Bill Ogden
See all filmmakers & crew (23)
Status
Edit Released
Updated Oct 30, 2007
Release date
Oct 30, 2007 (United Kingdom)

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