Gala Goose Recipes

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck from cavity, pull off any loose fat, and cut off first two wing joints, if still attached; reserve all. Wash goose, pat dry, tie legs together, prick skin all over, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Put loose fat in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and render about 3 tablespoons of liquid fat. Remove and discard remaining fat (or save for another use). Add giblets, wing pieces, neck, and chopped vegetables to pan. Saute until vegetables are browned, 7 to 8 minutes, turning frequently. Sprinkle on flour, adjust heat to medium, and continue cooking until flour is lightly browned, 6 to 7 minutes, stirring often.
• Pour chicken stock and white wine into a French oven large enough to hold the goose, and bring to a boil. Place goose breast side down on a rack covered with parchment paper and lower into stock. Add browned giblets and vegetables, parsley, apple peelings, cloves, bay leaf, and thyme. Pour in enough water to almost fill the pot, and bring to a simmer. Whisk 1 cup of the simmering liquid into the saute pan used in step two and deglaze pan. Scrape the thickened liquid back into the roasting pan. Cover pan and cook very gently, regulating heat if necessary, to keep it just simmering.
• After an hour, turn goose over, being careful not to break the skin. (Wearing rubber gloves is helpful when doing this.) Poach goose for about one more hour, or until meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Turn off heat, and finish immediately, later in the day or the next day. Recipe may be done ahead to this point. To finish later or the next day, let cool briefly uncovered, then cover pan and set in refrigerator. When ready to resume preparation, remove layer of congealed fat from liquid. Lift out goose, and bring liquid to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, then reheat goose in stock for about 10 minutes while preheating oven. Proceed with recipe.
• To finish immediately, heat oven to 450 degrees. Remove goose from liquid, drain, and place on a rack breast side up in a shallow roasting pan. Coat goose with 3 tablespoons reserved goose fat. Roast until skin is brown and crispy, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, skim grease from poaching liquid and strain liquid to remove pieces of goose, vegetables, and seasonings. Discard pieces of goose, seasonings, and parchment paper. Puree vegetables in an electric blender or food processor, adding a little of the strained liquid if necessary. Add vegetables back to pan along with half of the strained liquid, about 6 cups. Boil quickly to reduce liquid by about half.
• Add porcini and their strained soaking liquid, cherries, Armagnac, and red-currant jelly. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and keep warm until needed.

Steps:

• Remove the giblets and the neck from the cavity of the goose. Pull off any loose fat, and cut off the first two wing joints, if still attached, and reserve. Wash the goose, tie the legs together, prick the bird all over with a sharp fork, and season with salt and the juice of a lemon.
• Put the loose goose fat in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and render about 3 tablespoons of fat. Remove and discard the remaining fat (or use later). Add to the pan the giblets, wing pieces, and neck, and the carrots, onions, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are browned, about 5 minutes, turning frequently. Sprinkle on the flour, adjust the heat to medium, and continue stirring until the flour is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• Pour the chicken broth and the white wine into a roasting pan large enough to hold the goose and able to be used on the stovetop, and bring to a boil. Lower the goose into the pan, breast side down, and strew the pieces of browned goose, the cooked vegetables, the parsley, the apple peelings, and the bay leaf all around. Pour in enough water to cover the goose by about two-thirds, and bring to a simmer. Whisk a cup of this liquid into the sauté pan that had the vegetables and the goose parts, then scrape the seasoned liquid back into the roasting pan. Cover the pan, and cook very gently, regulating heat to keep it just at a simmer.
• After an hour, turn the goose over, by inserting a set of prongs into the cavity of the chicken, being careful not to break the skin. Wearing a pair of rubber gloves makes this relatively easy. Poach the goose about 2 more hours, or until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Turn off the heat, cool, cover the pan, and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, remove the layer of fat from the liquid. Gently lift out the goose, and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, then reheat the goose in the stock for about 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 450 degrees.
• Remove the goose from the liquid, drain, and place on a rack, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Roast until the skin is brown and crispy, about 30 minutes. Take the goose out of the oven, and let it stand for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• While the goose is resting, skim the grease from the pan liquid and strain to remove the pieces of goose, the vegetables, and the seasonings. Purée the vegetables in a blender or food processor, and put them back into the pan with the juices. Boil quickly to reduce the liquid by half, and put in a gravy bowl. Serve the goose on a bed of sautéed red cabbage with chestnuts (see page 304), with the sauce on the side.

Steps:

• Calculate the cooking time: cook for 10 mins at 240C/fan 220C/gas 9, then reduce to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and cook for 20 mins per kg for medium-rare, 32 mins per kg for more well done, plus 30 mins resting.
• If the goose is ready-trussed, then loosen the string and pull out the legs and wings a little - this helps the bird cook better.
• Check the inside of the bird and remove any giblets or pads of fat. Using the tip of a sharp knife, lightly score the breast and leg skin in a criss-cross. This helps the fat to render down more quickly during roasting.
• Grate the zest from 4 lemons and 3 limes. Mix with 2 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder and pepper, to taste.
• Season the cavity of the goose generously with salt, then rub the citrus mix well into the skin and sprinkle some inside the cavity.
• Stuff the zested fruit and a small handful of parsley, thyme and sage sprigs inside the bird and set aside for at least 15 mins. Can be done up to a day ahead and kept refrigerated.
• Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9.
• If you want to give the bird a nice golden skin, brown in a large frying pan (or a heavy-based roasting tin), using a couple of tbsp olive oil. Holding the bird by the legs (you may like to use an oven glove), press it down on the breasts to brown.
• Once browned, place the bird in the roasting tin. Drizzle with 3 tbsp clear honey and sprinkle with 1 tbsp thyme leaves.
• Roast for the calculated time, turning the heat down after 10 mins to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Cover the goose with foil if it is starting to brown too much.
• Every 30 mins or so, baste the bird with the pan juices, then pour off the fat through a sieve into a large heatproof bowl. You will end up with at least a litre of luscious fat - save this for the potatoes and other veg.
• At the end of the cooking time, leave to rest for at least 30 mins, covered loosely with foil. The bird will not go cold, but will be moist and much easier to carve.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the goose cavity with salt and pepper. Place the apple, orange and lemon in the cavity. Place goose breast side up on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan. Prick skin well with a fork. Pour water into pan. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 2-1/4 to 3 hours or until a thermometer reads 180°. If necessary, drain fat from pan as it accumulates. Cover goose with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before carving. Discard fruit.

Steps:

• Combine the first 4 ingredients. Marinate the goose for 2 to 3 hours (at a minimum) in this mixture.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Quarter the onion and cut celery stalk into 3 pieces. Place into cavity of goose. Sprinkle goose with salt and place into roasting pan, breast side down. Pour marinade over goose.
• Cover and bake for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until tender. Baste several times with marinade. Turn and roast, breast side up, for the last 15 minutes.