by Matt Gruber
Quack quack, quack quack quack honk... Ahem, excuse me I forget sometimes not everyone can read duck - but duck is exactly what we are cooking this week. Never in my adult life did I think I'd return to duck. It was a dish served to a young me, beer can style, shotgun pellets on the side. Absolutely horrified and having an immature palate I had no idea what I was consuming. This was all just normal cabin life at the time; you know, ants in the syrup are just added protein vibes. I always tell this story and it is funny to look back on, but I figured duck was spoiled for me forever.
Flash forward to a little local butcher shop sourcing humanely raised, locally sourced, delicious duck (hold the shotgun pellets) - my mind was changed.
It's speculated that long before everyone's favorite dinner option was chicken, duck was the real star. The Chinese domesticated ducks some 4000 years ago and started the legacy of this delicious dinner option which now offers so many different directions, spins, and takes on countless dishes. Trying to not do duck à l'orange as a tired cliché of the 1960's, I wanted to still incorporate orange, but add a little rosemary and make a nice finishing sauce to add on top while keeping the duck simple with salt and pepper. To accompany this, I've also whipped up a side of Les Moulins Mahjoub hand rolled couscous with almonds and cranberry. A perfect dish for a perfect fall day.
1 Duck breast
1 knob of butter
1/2 cup Dried almonds
1/2 cup Dried cranberries
1 cup couscous
1 1/2 cup chicken stock for couscous
3/4 cup chicken stock for sauce
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 orange plus zest
2 sprigs rosemary
1 tbsp onion, minced
Sauce
Add 3/4 cup chicken stock, knob of butter, juice of one large orange plus zest, and rosemary sprigs to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once a rolling boil is reached, reduce heat and simmer until thick. (should thicken out by the end of all the cooking)
Couscous
Lightly toast almonds, cranberries, and onions prior to adding in chicken stock and bringing to a boil. Add in 1 cup couscous, slightly cover and reduce heat- wait until couscous has absorbed all the chicken stock.
Duck Breast
Start your duck breast skin side down on a cold cast iron or your favorite heavy bottom pan, heat set to medium/medium-low. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until golden crispy skin. Flip over and cook for 2 minutes, remove from pan and let rest for another 3 minutes.
Plate and enjoy!