Another Christmas tradition I am working on is making a roast duck for the holiday dinner. I stick to my duck a l'orange recipe that I have tested 6-7 times and love. The best part of the recipe is the delicious orange gravy. It involves making a caramel, adding orange juice and duck drippings. It is really delicious with a sweet and sour component. My family does not mind this recipe being tested again and again at all!
I am a mom of young children and have been living away from my extended family for a year and a half. This helps me explore the holiday traditions I would like to set for my family. Since my husband is French there is an influence and a culture that I also like to honor. For the past two Christmases I have made a Buche de Noel. (or Christmas log) This is a pretty easy recipe to follow and the cake is very tasty. This year, I got fancy by making the white chocolate holly leaves. I simply melted the chocolate, added green food coloring and then played with painting the chocolate onto parchment paper. I painted a tear drop shape of chocolate and then added details with the tip of a knife. Finally, red M&Ms finished it off. I hope my Buche skills continue to improve with time. It is hard to make a log look too beautiful, but my details helped it out.
