With the duck breasts finished cooking and the couscous almost ready to serve, chef Charlie Palmer prepares to plate this fabulous dish.
- To add just a bit more flavor to the already flavorful couscous, he adds the chives to the pan and blends them in thoroughly (figure A).
- Meanwhile, host Jeanne Benedict dresses some pea shoots with olive oil, salt and pepper (figure B). In addition to adding flavor to the duck, the pea shoots also give the dish extra color and texture.
- Now it's time to remove the cooked duck breasts and cipollini onions from the oven (figure C). Cooked to a rich golden brown, the duck now has a crisp, succulent skin.
- The first item added to the plate is the couscous, which Palmer spoons in a single mound in the center of the plate (figure D). This amount consists of about 2 or 3 spoonfuls (using a serving spoon).
- Next, Palmer creates bias cuts along the length of each breast, slicing about a third of the way through (figure E). Once the breasts are sliced, he places them atop the mound of couscous on each plate (figure F).
- And the final finishing touches? Pomegranate molasses, a small portion of olive-oil-coated pea shoots and the flavorful cipollini onions.
Palmer explains that pomegranate molasses is actually reduced pomegranate juice and will add a fruity, somewhat astringent flavor to the dish; it will also cut any remaining fatty taste. To add the molasses to the plate, he simply drizzles a thin circle around the outside of the duck breast and couscous, then across the center of the breast (figure G). Finally, he takes just a small portion of the pea shoots and places a bit on the top of each duck breast, then finishes each plate with four cipollini onions, spacing them evenly apart (figure H).
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