Last year we had Turkey with Whisky for Christmas dinner. That proved to be rather heavy going, so this year we took inspiration from the view outside my office window:

The result: the classic French dish, Canard à l'orange (duck with oranges).

One of the most important things about this recipe is the addition of liqueurs to the sauce. You will also need a couple of match sticks.

Traditional liqueurs include Cointreau and Grand Marnier, but there are others. Make very sure you get the right one:

Cointreau?

Try the liqueur before committing to it. One sip is not enough to give you a feeling for what it's going to taste like in the sauce. Err on the side of plenty.

Note how the Cointreau no longer seems to be quite right. Maybe Kirsch?

As with the Cointreau, make sure you really have the right drink before committing it to your sauce. It's a good plan to have a few spare bottles in case you run out.

Chop the orange peel with a sharp knife, making sure to take the pith out of the oranges.

A word of warning: this dish makes knives sharper!

Some people consider it a good idea to baste the duck with liqueur as it roasts. Be generous: the duck will thank you.

Finally! The duck is in the best of form.

If you have any liqueur left over, it will go well with the duck at the table.

Canard à l'orange is a filling dish. You may not be very hungry the following morning, but you should treat yourself to a cup or two of black coffee. You'll also find that the matches will come in handy to improve your vision.

There are a few more photos that didn't make it to this page. Here is the complete set of photos.

And the recipe?

Oh, were you looking for the recipe for canard à l'orange? It's here.