This time I really have cooked my own goose…

Inspired by Richard Burns who cooked an amazing confit of duck for us a few weeks ago, I have been determined to add something difefrent to our Christmas menu this year and decided that a side dish of goose confit was exactly what was needed to enhance our turkey experience.

Challenge One: Where do you find a goose 4 weeks before Christmas? Easy, I thought just nip to Waitrose or one of our lovely local butchers. Wrong! Apparently no-one ever buys a goose unless it’s the week before Christmas, how mad is that? Anyway, eventually a rather lovely organic frozen goose was found in a long-lost corner of Marlow Waitrose freezer department (Well done, Katy intrepid shopper and frozen goose forager!)

Chopping up a rather reluctant and large goose was by no means an easy feat, I felt like I had done several rounds with the goose by the end of it, and I think it was definitely ahead on points. Nevertheless, I  ended up with the breast cut in to 4 portions, 2 legs, and 2 thighs. the wings really were a little meat-free to use, so I decided that they would be better used for the stock I planned to make. I looked at many sources for a good recipe and in the end came up with a hybrid of my own. Note of caution,  John Torode fans, his recipe for confit states 100g of salt, which is FOUR times what all the other recipes suggest. Be warned!

So here is the concoction I came up with : For the confit: Take the legs, thighs and breast of a goose.For the marinade:  25g of rock salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander, 4 juniper berries,4 cardamom pods and 6 garlic cloves. 1 small bunch of thyme, rosemary and sage  For cooking: 1 head of garlic sliced in half, 2 bayleaves, 10 peppercorns, 2 tins of goose fat. For the sauce: rest of the goose, 1 chopped onion,1 pint of chicken stock, 1/2 glass of dry white wine, 1 tablespoon of butter.

Method: Place the salt, cumin, coriander, juniper berries, cardamom pods and garlic cloves in to  a pestle and mortar and grind until the whole spices have been crushed. Place the goose pieces into a large tupperware container, rip up the fresh herbs and then scatter them along with the salt, garlic and spice mixture all over the goose, making sure it is well rubbed in. Place in the fridge for at least 24 hours. The next day, wipe the marinade off with some kitchen towel and place in a heavy casserole dish with a lid and add the halved garlic and the peppercorns and the goosefat. Place in a very low oven, Gas Mark 3, 140 degrees C (fan assisted), 160 degrees if not. I like my mine nearly falling off the bone, so I cooked this goose for nearly three hours, you can cook it for less if you like.  Whilst it is hot, pile it into a large kilner jar, or even a pudding basin and make sure the goose pieces are completely covered in the fat. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge, where it will stay good for several weeks.  I place any additional goose fat into jam jars to use for my roast potatoes, goose fat can be re-used many times. When you are ready to use your goose, dig out the pieces from the jar and place them in a roasting pan in a hot oven Gas Mark 6, 200 degrees C/180 fan assisted fro 30-4o minutes until the skin is looking crispy and browned. Serve with the reduction below.

Meanwhile the day before, I had placed what was left of the raw goose, including into a  roasting pan with the chopped up onions, and had roasted it on Gas Mark 4/electric 180 degrees C/160 fan assisted for 90 minutes. I then placed it in a  large saucepan, added the chicken stock and left it to simmer for 2 hours (the smell of the cooking drove Lily,  the dog mad, picture above just because she’s so lovely). I then strained it, and have frozen the stock to be reduced with white wine on the day, with a little butter whisked in to it to make a wonderful reduction that will taste amazing with the goose. You can add some cranberry sauce if you’re feeling festive.

Simples! Watch out next week for the lobster ravioli with the champagne pearls…