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Roast duck with plum sauce

Roast duck with plum sauce

What to drink
2009 Riposte The Sabre Pinot Noir, Adelaide Hills, A$30
Pairing duck and pinot is an absolute no-brainer, and nobody should strain their brain while all the effort is happening on the field. The inclusion of cinnamon in the duck’s marinade adds a touch of spice that pairs nonchalantly with the spiciness of Tim Knappstein’s The Sabre Pinot Noir. Tim’s family once owned Leasingham wines in the Clare Valley before he broke away on his own to create the Knappstein brand. As a fencing man, his final riposte comes from his Adel-aide Hills vineyard, which offers the perfect cool-growing conditions for this succulent and stylish pinot, the ideal accompaniment to this roast duck dish.

Roast duck with plum sauce

Serves 6
1   (about 2kg) duck
3 tbsp   brown sugar
1 tsp   ground cinnamon
Plum sauce
500 g   plums, stones removed and roughly chopped
5 tbsp   brown sugar
1   cinnamon stick
Juice   and zest of 1 orange
To serve:   boiled basmati rice


1 Preheat oven to 200°C.
2 Place duck on a roasting tray and score the skin with the tip of a sharp knife.
3 Rub the sugar and cinnamon all over the skin, season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper then place in a roasting tray and cook in oven for 30 minutes.
4 Turn the oven down to 50°C and continue to cook for 1½ hours, basting occasionally with the fat that has come off the duck. When the duck is cooked and the skin is golden brown, remove from the oven.
5 While the duck is cooking, make the plum sauce. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes until plums are soft and sauce has thickened.
6 Serve duck with boiled basmati rice and plum sauce on the side.

This recipe is from the October/November 2011 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.

RECIPE Andy Harris PHOTOGRAPHY William Meppem STYLING Hannah Meppem and Sabine Schmitz DRINK SUGGESTION Peter Bourne


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