Raspberry-Orange Duck Breast with Orange, Basil and Golden Raisin Couscous

When we go to St. Barth's is about the only time I cook duck breast--it happens to be there in the store just begging to be paired with something sweet. This is what I came up with this year. I saved the excess sauce and made duck breast sandwiches the next day, adding a lot of mustard to the sauce and adding mache and slices of leyden (a yummy cheese with cumin). 

Serves 4

Ingredients

For duck and sauce

• 3 large (1/2 pound-ish) duck breasts
• 3 T butter
• Zest of 1/2 orange
• Orange juice
• 1 package fresh raspberries
• Raspberry jam
• Salt and pepper to taste

For couscous

• 1 cup couscous cooked according to package directions. (this includes some butter).
• Add in 1/2 cup golden raisins to couscous before adding water
• Zest of 1/2 an orange
• 3-4 T julienned basil leaves
• Salt to taste

Preparation

Duck

Pat each breast dry, then liberally salt and pepper. In a 10" - 12" frying pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Try to choose a pan that is just big enough to fit the duck in. Otherwise, you will burn the butter, and the sauce won't work as well. Add duck and begin browning, fat side down. Brown each side on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Turn off heat, remove ducks to a plate, and cover with tin foil to allow them to continue cooking. 

Sauce

Turn heat back on. Deglaze pan by adding a liberal splash of orange juice (around 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup). Add in 2 T raspberry jam, and 1/2 of the orange's zest. And reduce till it coats a spoon nicely. Adjust seasonings to taste, salt, pepper, orange, raspberry. Add fresh raspberries and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. 

Couscous

Cook according to package directions, but add in raisins and orange zest before adding water. Fluff, then mix in basil. Salt according to taste, then add some of the duck sauce to enhance the flavor. 

Assembly

Slice up the duck, it should be medium rare now. Place the couscous on the plate, and fan out sliced duck over the top. Spoon over sauce, but keep a good amount in reserve, so that it doesn't all go to the couscous. Keep sauce on the table with spoons for people to help themselves to more.