The Little Paris Kitchen: 120 Simple But Classic French Recipes

Featured Recipe from The Little Paris Kitchen: Canard à l’Orangina (Duck with fizzy orange)

Serves 4 as a main

When I was invited to a dinner hosted by Chef Jean-François Piège, he described how his previous elaborate style of cooking at the Hôtel de Crillon had evolved into something a lot more simple and homely at his current restaurant in the Hôtel Thoumieux. He told an amusing story of how his wife wanted duck à l’orange for Sunday supper and all he could find at his local corner shop was Orangina, so he used it to make a sauce for the duck. I’m not sure exactly how he made his canard à l’Orangina, but here’s my version. A simple watercress or wild arugula salad works well with this dish.

For the Marinade:

• finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt

To Make the Marinade

Mix together the orange zest and juice with the olive oil, cumin, and salt.

The Duck

• 4 duck legs
• 7 tbsp orange soda
• 2 tbsp Cointreau
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 4 oranges, cut into segments

Rub the marinade over the duck legs and leave to marinate for a minimum of an hour (or in the fridge overnight).

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the duck legs with the marinade into a roasting pan and cook for 1 hour or until tender. Halfway through cooking, baste the duck with some of the pan juices.

Fifteen minutes before serving, pour the orange soda and Cointreau into a large frying pan, place on a high heat, and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in the salt and vinegar before adding the orange segments. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve the duck legs hot, with the orange segments and sauce.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Resting time: 1 hour–overnight

Cooking time: 1 hour