This is a side dish I’ve made so many times that I cannot honestly tell you how I thought of it or if it was inspired by another recipe. It’s my go-to side dish for my homestyle version of Duck a l’orange (which is why I put the “French” in front of fusion), but it also goes really well with glazed salmon, or as a vegetarian dish on its own.
I’ve been learning a lot about Rhones lately. Specifically New World Rhones from the West Coast here in the US. For me, that means there are a lot of good quality, local wines available. But I can’t help but feel one can only appreciate what the New World has to offer by studying from those who have been doing it the longest.
Where do our modern-day “Rhone Rangers,” like Bonny Doon and their ilk get their influence? How are Old World techniques implemented today? For that we must turn to Old World wines straight from the Motherland, France.
I am but one little woman in the whole wine world and don’t have fancy French labels at my fingertips. Luckily there are producers like Guigal Estate who import affordable French wines for regular folks and wannabe wine snobs like myself.
It’s fun to play “fancy French food” in the kitchen every once in awhile. Unfortunately, I am not classically trained and some techniques and ingredients are just beyond my reach. But when you’re cookin’ up a duck breast, you can’t help but want to make it a l’orange, right? Enter, my cheats sauce…
