It's a cold morning with snow flurries in the air. It may be sunny and mild in the afternoon but for now it's cold — a typical day in the transition from autumn to winter. Mallards circle the decoys.

My mother once cooked a marvelous duck a l’orange and, although it was a lifetime ago when she was single and living in New York City, she still talks about it. The dish, though I’ve never tasted it, ...