The origins of this recipe can be traced back to the Italian chef Scappi (1570). A similar recipe also appears in an eighteenth-century Cape cookbook.
Ingredients Serves: 4
1 duck
2 unripe plums, chopped
1 cup (250ml) coarse sea salt
1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp (5ml) black peppercorns and 2 whole cloves, wrapped in a muslin bag
1 onion, chopped
1 cup (250ml) must syrup (available from wine farms and farm stalls)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup (125ml) red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp (15ml) chopped fresh root ginger
¼ cup (60ml) verjuice
1 tsp (5ml) cold butter
½ cup (125ml) Cape gooseberries / dried cherries
Method
Prick the skin of the duck with a fork and cover with the salt. Refrigerate overnight.
Wipe off the salt with a clean, wet cloth.
Preheat the oven to 120°C (250°F).
Grease the oven rack and place the salted duck on the rack.
Scatter the chopped onion in a drip tray and place it underneath the duck.
Roast the duck for 6 hours. Turn the heat up to 160°C (325°F) and roast for a further 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside.
Place the onions from the drip tray, the must syrup, vinegar, verjuice, gooseberries or dried cherries, plums, spice bag, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and cook until thick.
Discard the spice bag and beat in the cold butter.
Carve the duck and serve with sauce.
