Raymonds Roast Goose Food

RAYMOND'S ROAST GOOSE

Steps:

• Take the goose out of the fridge 2 hrs before roasting. Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Chop 1 bay leaf and the leaves from 2 thyme sprigs together. Mix with the garlic, 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt and 2 pinches of white pepper, then rub into the flesh of the goose legs.
• Heat the goose fat in a large flameproof roasting tin on a medium heat. Add the wings, neck and excess carcass and cook for 5 mins until lightly golden. Do not colour the bones too much, or the resulting jus will taste bitter. Add the onion, carrot and celery, and continue to brown for 3 mins.
• Place the goose legs, skin-side up, in the roasting tin with the bones and vegetables. Cover the tin tightly with foil and roast for 1 hr.
• Rub the goose crown with the butter and season well with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. Remove the tin from the oven and increase the temperature to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Remove the foil from the tin and sit the goose crown on top of the legs and bones, which will help the heat to circulate the crown, cooking it more evenly. Roast for 30 mins until the crown is golden.
• Reduce oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Add the remaining bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs and 300ml hot water to the tin to lift the caramelised juices from the pan and the bones. (It will also keep the goose moist.) Continue to cook for 30-35 mins, basting every 10 mins with the juices, until a probe thermometer inserted into the breast reads 55C.
• Remove the crown from the oven and wrap tightly in foil. Rest for 30 mins to allow the meat to become tender. Continue to cook the goose legs during this time. Meanwhile, heat the Port and Madeira in a small pan and simmer to reduce by half. Remove the goose legs from the oven, then place on a tray, wrap in foil and leave to rest in a warm place.
• Pour off the excess fat from the roasting tin and reserve (see tip, below). Remove the bones and veg from the tin and place the tin on a medium heat. Bring to the boil and stir to lift the juices. Add the reduced alcohol. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required, then pour the resting juices which have collected under the goose into the jus. If the sauce is a little thin, mix the arrowroot with 1 tsp cold water, then add a little at a time to ensure that it does not become too thick. Sieve into a warmed gravy boat. Scatter herbs over a serving platter, loosely reassemble the goose on top and serve with the sauce.

ROAST GOOSE

Steps:

• If goose is frozen, place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Remove goose from the refrigerator, and let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse goose inside and out with cold running water, and pat it dry with paper towels. Trim as much of the excess fat as possible from the opening of the cavity. Remove the first and second joints of the wings, and set them aside for use in making the stock.
• With the point of a sharp knife, prick the entire surface of the goose skin, being careful not to cut into the flesh. Fold the neck flap under the body of the goose, and pin the flap down with a wooden toothpick. Generously sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper, and insert 2 carrot halves, 2 celery-stalk halves, garlic, thyme, and sage. Using a piece of kitchen twine, tie the legs together. Generously sprinkle the outside of the goose with salt and pepper, and place it, breast-side up on a wire rack set in a large roasting pan.
• Roast goose in the oven until it turns a golden brown, about 1 hour. With a baster, remove as much fat as possible from the roasting pan every 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees, and roast until the goose is very well browned all over and an instant-read thermometer inserted into a breast, not touching a bone, registers 180 degrees, about 1 hour after reducing the temperature.
• Meanwhile, prepare goose stock, which will be used when making the gravy and the dressing. Trim and discard any excess fat from the wing tips, neck, and giblets, and place them in a small stockpot. Add 4 carrot halves, 4 celery-stalk halves, both onion halves, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, and enough water to cover the bones and vegetables by 1 inch (about 2 1/2 quarts water). Place the stockpot over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer stock, skimming the scum as it forms, for 2 hours. Strain stock through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Remove and discard the fat floating on the surface of the stock, and set the stockpot aside.
• Remove goose from the oven, and transfer it to a cutting board that has a well. Let the goose stand 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the gravy. Pour off all the fat from the roasting pan, and place the pan over high heat. Pour in wine, and cook, stirring up any brown bits with a wooden spoon until the cooking liquid is reduced by three-quarters. Add 2 cups goose stock, and cook, stirring until the liquid is again reduced by three-quarters. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in butter, and cook until slightly thickened. Pass the gravy through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a gravy boat, and serve with the goose.

GORDON'S CHRISTMAS ROAST GOOSE

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.

ROAST GOOSE

Steps:

• Place the honey, vinegar, and water in a pot large enough to hold the goose, submerged. Bring the liquid to the boil and add the raw goose to the pot. Return to the boil, reduce the heat and cook the goose at a strong simmer for 20 minutes to render some of the grease as well as begin to tenderize the normally chewy bird. Remove the goose from the liquid and allow to cool at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cool enough to handle.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prick the goose skin all around the carcass. Season the cavity with half of the salt and pepper, add the herbs, onion and garlic. Truss the legs and season the outside of the goose with the remaining salt and pepper and the olive oil.
• Preheat a heavy roasting pan for 10 minutes. Place the goose, breast side down, on a rack in the roasting pan and roast in the oven, skimming the fat and reserving it for another use, for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn the goose breast side up and roast, basting it with pan juices and skimming the fat, for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours more, or until the juices run clear when the fleshy part of the thigh is pricked with a fork and a meat thermometer inserted in the fleshy part of the thigh registers 165 degrees.
• Transfer the goose to a platter, remove the trussing string, and keep the goose warm, covered loosely with foil. Skim off all but 1/4 cup of fat from the pan juices, add the flour, and cook the roux over moderately low heat, stirring, until it has browned slightly. Add the stock in a stream, whisking, and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and strain the gravy into a heated sauceboat.