WHAT’S COOKING: Rotisserie duck with rhubarb and cherries
When I spied a whole duck at my old Woolies branch in the Cape Town CBD, I knew it was headed for the rotisserie.
I spotted a whole duck at my local Woolies branch in Cape Town's CBD, eager to cook it on the rotisserie. Many chefs insist that duck must be served medium rare, but I disagree. Medium rare is fine, but a perfectly medium rare duck is a delight to the taste buds. Duck can be cooked well done too, like in the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Denmark, and Romania. In France, techniques allow for well-done duck as well, such as confit legs.
However, unlike a chicken, you cannot simply cook a whole duck after seasoning. It requires numerous pricks to allow fat to drip into a tray below. This prevents a messy oven. At the Gardens Centre branch of Woolies, I also found fresh rhubarb and cherries, which became a sweet-and-sour sauce. The sauce includes chicken stock, Frangelico, Port, and shiraz conserve.
For the duck, I used only salt as seasoning, as duck doesn't need much. I pricked the duck thoroughly with a skewer, focusing on fatty parts. After salting the skin, I placed the duck on a rotisserie rod and cooked it in a 180°C oven or air fryer for an hour. If the skin isn't crisp enough, return it to the oven at 200°C for 5 minutes. Rest the bird for 15 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, make the rhubarb-cherry relish and serve it alongside the duck.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
