Cooking my Goose

[magnolia]

We're thinking of doing goose for T-giving or Christmas, which means I have to start the research now Last year we bought a duck within a chicken within a goose (or something like that) - it was fab but outrageously expensive, and as our coffers have a distinctive echo this year, it's a good time for a DIY effort, and I think I can only handle one bird.

I consider myself a late bloomer with respect to cooking...but I am improving steadily and gaining confidence with each new recipe...so recipes/techniques in the easy-to-medium range are much appreciated.

I've done a quick search on the boards, and have found several references to goose - braising by Bux, various uses for the fat, etc. .. but nothing focusing specifically on whys & wherefores of the bird itself ! If someone remembers a good thread on this, please point me in the right direction - if not - please share your experiences and cooking suggestions.

[Jonathan Day]

In sauerkraut. We did this 5 years ago and guests are still talking about it. A long, slow braise. It was served alongside a traditionally roast goose; both geese had been brined for 24 hours.

Both geese were good but the one in sauerkraut stood out. After it was cooked, all the meat came off the bones, all the fat was removed from the liquid, then meat and sauerkraut went back into the oven for an hour to re-heat, slowly.

I looked for a long time to find really good, mild Alsatian or German sauerkraut prepared with wine. I was on the point of making it myself when a friend found a supply: Manz "Omans Krautfass".

[John Whiting]

A goose, being largely self-basting and self-flavoring, is easy to roast. I follow approximately Frances Bissell's suggestions in _The Real Meat Cookbook_.

Count on a 12 lb. bird to feed four. There's less meat relative to weight and size than with a turkey or chicken.

A rack of some kind is desireable, preferably the adjustible V-support variety. Don't stuff the bird; it prevents even cooking. Just fill the cavity with a few herbs of the sort you like.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (gas mark 4). I like to cook it on the slow side. Put the goose on the rack breast up and cover loosely with foil to prevent too rapid browning. After about an hour turn the bird over, breast side down (this is where the V-rack becomes very useful) and give it another 2 to 2 1/2 hours so that the fat is draining down into the breast. (Depending on your oven, it may take longer.)

As the fat accumulates in the pan, drain it off so that it doesn't burn. It's precious!

Finally, turn the bird back to breast up and give it another half hour to brown. You can do this without the foil, depending on how brown it's getting and how brown you like it.

That's the basics. Anything else is detail.

[Andy Lynes]

Simon Hopkinson's recipe for goose stuffed with mashed potato in his book Gammon and Spinach is wonderful. It involves poring boiling water over the bird first then leaving it to dry in front of a fan for a few hours before roasting, which gives it a very crispy skin. The stuffing is great as well. The book has been published in the Pan Cooks paperback series and is well worth picking up, as are all his books.

[John Whiting]

I know there are differences of opinion on this, but I remain wary of stuffing any large bird because of the cooking time differentiation, particularly in the inner thighs. And where goose is concerned, I dislike so much of the precious fat being soaked up by whatever the stuffing happens to be.

Stuffings, I think, work best in very long slow roasts -- or better still, braises -- in which the heat has a chance to equalize and the flesh does not dry out. But we're into preference rather than right or wrong.

[Andy Lynes]

In practice, the stuffing doesn't end up tasting fatty, and you get bucket loads of the stuff pouring out of the stuffed bird during the cooking process, so that hasn't been a problem I'd associate with this recipe.

[John Whiting]

Granted, I bet the mashed potato would give Robuchon's a run for its money!

[Bux]

I think I've posted this elsewhere, but we generally braise a goose. We like stuffing it with ground pork and maybe some veal, along with its liver and some other bird livers as available, and chestnuts. The stuffing goes in raw, at room temperature, before the bird is browned. It then cooks covered in the oven for some time.

Count on a 12 lb. bird to feed four.

Either we're stingy or bad cooks, but we can easily feed eight on a ten pound goose. We don't do the typical American Thanksgiving (surprise?) with a dozen sides either. It's usually potatoes or yams, maybe mushrooms and a green such as brussel sprouts or kale. Of course the stuffing is mostly meat. There are usually canapes or hors d'oeuvres and a soup and a good dessert afterwards. Sometimes a salad and or cheese before dessert.

[Stone]

Render the fat. Schmear the fat on a piece of toast (any bread will do). Discard carcass.

[magnolia]

This is excellent ! Thanks to all of you. I may do this yet...

JD - is your source in London? I can't find anything about Manz or 'Omans Krautfass' on the 'net, and I know *no* German so I'm not sure how to re-jig the name to get what I want..

'

[mixmaster b]

Last year, our friend did a goose that was wonderful: brined, stuffed with a saurkraut concoction, and basted with some sort of Pernod mixture. I would be concered about messing up the goose fat with the Pernod, but the goose was delicious. The saurkraut was a great flavor with it--I am intrigued by JD (London)'s dish. Any chance of getting a recipe?

I roasted a goose a few years ago after seeing Matha Stewart's "goose 101" article. The recipe on the site is the same:

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?ty...true&resultNo=2

I was happy with the results, but I have become a fan of brining in recent years and would definitely brine it if I did it again. Also, she suggests trimming the excess fat, but there are no instructions about rendering it. I think tossing it out would equal permanent banning from e-gullet! I was a bit at a loss about what to do with all the fat (I did do some sauteed potatoes)--that might be the subject for another thread!

My experience is that there is very little meat on a goose. The goose we did and the one we ate last year were served along with turkeys and lots of sides, but there were only a few bites for each guest (large gatherings of 16-20 people, don't remember the size of the geese). If you are cooking for a crowd, you might consider a small turkey, turkey breast, or ham (or any other main dish, for that matter), as goose for a big bunch will be hard on the coffers! Also, what is Thankgiving with no leftovers!

[MatthewB]

Well, I roasted a whole turkey for the first time this Thanksgiving. And it turned out quite well.

So, my confidence is up a bit.

I'm considering roast goose (probably just for me & my SO) for a Christmas dinner.

What are the essentials of which I should be aware regarding roast goose?

[guajolote]

this recipe looks good

[Carolyn Tillie]

Get the December Saveur - the roast goose on the cover will definitely increase goose sales this winter! (I'm ready to buy one...)

[MatthewB]

Get the December Saveur - the roast goose on the cover will definitely increase goose sales this winter! (I'm ready to buy one...)

Very cool.

Thanks, Carolyn.

I'll stop by the bookstore later today.

[jackal10]

A goose will only feed about two people.

It has liberates an awful lot of wonderful fat when you cook it.

Cook it, breast side down, on a trivet in your largest roasting pan. Put half an inch of water in the pan to stop the fat burning. Medium oven for a couple of hours. You will need to bail it out half way through cooking.

I'd cook the stuffing seperately, but anoint it with some of the fat, and add the liver, chopped. There is a good German stuffing with cubes of potato.

[Jon Tseng]

Did a goose on Sat (part ii of Thanksgiving - the turkey was the previous week). Random thoughts:

10lb goose didn't actually go that far - had nine people but would have been better for around six, IMHO. Unlike a turkey of a similar weight not as much breast meat to divvy up.

Yes a lot of fat - poured it off into a bottle this evening; a little over a pint. All good - saves buying the canned stuff next time I confit!

Cooking was pretty simple - none of this faffing aorund putting on the side of thirteen minutes and then standing it on one leg for the next eighteen. 90 mins breast side down at 160c (ie pretty low), then 60-90 mins breast side up at the same temp. Then 15 mins blast at the end on high to crisp up the skin. Actually the meat was a bit overdone on this method - one thing about goose is its harder to tell when done. Recipe was from the Cooks Illustrated book. Definitely less hassle than doing a turkey of similar size

Oh, also dipped in boiling water for a minute then left to dry (ok, a bit short on time so got housemate to blow-dry it with a hairdrier - made for very funny pics). The whole peking duck thing - apparently supposed to help the skin crisp up. Skin was actually pretty good!

Bird also pretty rammed with stuffing.

cheerio

J

Edited December 1, 2003 by Jon Tseng (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Make sure you have the traditional Bavarian side dishes with your goose, including Brotknödel (Bread Dumplings) instead of stuffing, and braised red cabbage and apples. Yummm...

[woodburner]

Well, I roasted a whole turkey for the first time this Thanksgiving.  And it turned out quite well.

So, my confidence is up a bit.

I'm considering roast goose (probably just for me & my SO) for a Christmas dinner.

What are the essentials of which I should be aware regarding roast goose?

I normally roast one for a Holiday party at our home, along with a few hams and baked lasagne. I make an apple/sauerkraut dressing cooked on the side, that seems to go well with the goose.

Like others have said, pay close attention to the fat.

Almost forgot, me, I baste and baste, and baste some more.

woodburner aka "the Masterbaster"

Edited December 2, 2003 by woodburner (log)

[FoodMan]

The Saveur cover and recipe look very good. Also check the current issue of Bon Appetit is has a funny article by David Leite accompanied by a very tasty sounding recipe for roast goose. I might try that myself this year.

Elie

[Susan in FL]

Also check the current issue of Bon Appetit is has a funny article by David Leite accompanied by a very tasty sounding recipe for roast goose. I might try that myself this year.

The Mustard and Garlic Roast Goose? I cooked that for Thanksgiving. It was delicious. The cooking method is perfect.

Ours was about 12 pounds, for the two of us, and we used up the leftovers tonight. I LOVE having the "other" leftovers, the broth from the carcasse, all that wonderful fat, and the liver for a yummy pate'.

[David Leite]

Susan in FL,

Glad you liked the goose. The funny thing is now that I know how to make a goose, after having tested so many, I have NO desire to have one for Chirstmas, yet all my guest are demanding it!

Happy Holidays,

[Huevos del Toro]

I roasted two geese for Thanksgiving of ’94. I used the Cooks Illustrated version – Roast Goose with Prune And Apple Stuffing And Red Wine Giblet Gravy from the Nov/Dec ’94 issue. These are the notes I made in my recipe book:

I cooked two geese for the Thanksgiving holiday of '94 and they turned out absolutely delicious, garnering rave reviews from all the dinner guests. The dressing was accepted with grudging admiration after numerous crude remarks concerning the fate of those who were brave enough to eat prunes along with such a large meal. To say the least, they ate their words!

I was fortunate enough to have access to the apartment next to mine because it was empty and the manager let me use the kitchen. Otherwise I’d have had a problem trying to do two geese at the same time.

I recommend this recipe and technique because it’s the only one I’ve tried. I assume it’s available on their web site but it’s a subscription site so no freebies there! But Sur La Table has permission to reprint it!

[Anna N]

...

It has liberates an awful lot of wonderful fat when you cook it.

....

Which is why I positively HAVE to cook a goose each year... so we have goose fat ready for our annual Danish Lunch in February. I cook the fat slowly with chopped onions, apples, peppercorns and it becomes the spread for many Danish open-face sandwiches.

[Susan in FL]

Glad you liked the goose. The funny thing is now that I know how to make a goose, after having tested so many, I have NO desire to have one for Chirstmas, yet all my guest are demanding it!

Thanks for your reply, David. What a cool thing that the author of one of my favorite recipes is here, at eGullet. I love this place! I suppose if I taste-tested enough of something, I could temporarily lose my desire for it... I can think of a few foods with which I would like to have that problem!

I roasted two geese for Thanksgiving of ’94. I used the Cooks Illustrated version – Roast Goose with Prune And Apple Stuffing And Red Wine Giblet Gravy from the Nov/Dec ’94 issue.

Another one of my favorite goose recipes was Roast Goose with Chestnuts, Prunes and Armagnac. I'm not sure of the source; it was given to me by an online food friend from another board. There must be something about goose and prunes.

Which is why I positively HAVE to cook a goose each year... so we have goose fat ready for our annual Danish Lunch in February. I cook the fat slowly with chopped onions, apples, peppercorns and it becomes the spread for many Danish open-face sandwiches.

Anna, are you Danish? Our friends from Denmark, so dear to us that we usually refer to them as our Danish family, have goose every Christmas. And Danish open-face sandwiches, oh my... We have learned a whole new meaning of sandwiches from them. One of the most delicious open-face sandwiches that Lise made for us had raw egg yolk and anchovies. Please let me know if you've had anything like that!

Whenever our supply of goose fat gets low, it's time for another goose. That happens more than once a year.