This is an Easter duck recipe that’s an update of a 4th century ancient Roman from the book sweet raisin wine, defritum. As that is no longer commonly available (my husband did brew some a couple of years ago and it was very tasty) the original recipe is deconstructed to use raw raisins. Pine nuts are expensive here, so I substituted locally grown macadamias instead.
Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 140 minutes/Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 duck (about 2kg [4 ½ lbs])
3 tbsp smooth marmalade
Finely-grated zest of 1 lime
For the Raisin and Macadamia Nut Sauce:
50g (1¾ oz) raisins
300ml (1 ¼ cups) oloroso sherry
25g/1oz golden caster sugar
2 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
¾ tsp arrowroot
30g (1oz) macadamia nuts, chopped and toasted
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Method:
Begin by soaking the raisins for the sauce in the sherry over-night.
Heat oven to 200C (180C fan/400F/gas mark 6). Mix the cinnamon and allspice together with 1 tbsp flaky sea salt. Lightly score the skin of the duck all over and rub with the spice mix. Put the duck on a rack, sit in a roomy roasting tin and roast for 25 mins. Remove the duck from the oven and reduce the temperature to 140C (120C fan/275F/gas mark 1).
Continue to cook for 1 hr 30 mins, basting every 30 mins. Turn the oven back up to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, brush the duck all over with the marmalade and return to the oven for 20 mins until the skin is beautifully glazed – if it’s still too lightly coloured, leave it in a little longer. Rest for 15-20 mins before serving.
About 1 hour before the duck is due to be ready, combine the golden caster sugar and sherry vinegar in a small pan with 1 tablespoon cold water and cook over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Increase the heat and boil vigorously until the syrup turns into a deep amber-coloured caramel (CAUTION: boiling sugar is extremely hot).
Take the pan off the heat and add the red wine vinegar (take care as it will bubble quite energetically). Return the pan to the heat, add the soaked raisins and the sherry. Leave to simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Mix the arrowroot with 2 tablespoons water, stir into the sauce and simmer for 1 minute, then add the chopped nuts. Season to taste and keep warm over a low heat.
