Chef Paul: I got goosed on New Year’s Eve!
January 04 2011
Or rather, I cooked a goose on New Year’s Eve. My family and I enjoyed a wonderful evening at a friend’s cottage where I was able to prepare a wonderful roast goose. Not your typical cottage fare. Believe it or not, none of us had ever had goose before.
I know.
Here’s a professional chef who’s never had goose. In my defense, goose is not something you cook up very often in restaurant kitchens let alone at home.
I started by brining the goose for 24 hours. I made a bread based prune stuffing because prunes are a traditional accompaniment for goose. Then, I roasted the goose for about 2 ½ hours at 350F until golden. For the “gravy”, a bit of red wine, some homemade chicken stock and homemade cherry jelly reduced and thickened slightly with flour. I served the goose with Brussels sprouts, roasted root vegetables, wild rice and apples.
The result…FANTASTIC!!! I can’t wait to have another occasion to cook goose. The meat was very similar to duck so the trick is to just cook it enough so that it doesn’t dry out. Everyone loved it including my 2 ½ year old daughter…well she liked the wild rice and brussels sprouts anyhow. Maybe I’ll cook my goose for St Valentine’s Day?
