Christmas Goose with Morel/Herb “stuffing” & Blood Orange Gastrique – We challenged readers and listeners to come up with the best Christmas menu this year. Isn’t that more fun than telling you what to make? This goose was the very epitome of savory and the stuffing (made as dressing, separately) was truly outstanding. These are recipes to be filed away for years to come. Enjoy!
Julia Child always used the steaming and then roasting method to avoid splattering of the goose in the oven (due to the amazing amount of fat rendered). We will do that here as well, but save that fat to saute potatoes with, etc.
Ingredients Christmas Goose with Morel/Herb “stuffing” & Blood Orange Gastrique
1 goose 8-10 lbs
5 shallots
2-3 carrots
sea salt
pepper
blood orange juice (regular orange juice is fine) for basting plus 1 1/3 cups for the gastrique
1 large baguette, about 20 inches in length
1 egg
1 TB butter
2 packages dried morel mushrooms (about 1 ounce each, dried, or a little more)
fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano and basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
splash of white wine
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp good sherry vinegar
1 cup of chicken stock (or make goose stock from the giblets, as we did with the turkey recipe on the site)
pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)
Method
Take the giblets out of the goose. Rinse the bird thoroughly. Pat it dry with paper towels. In a large, heavy roasting pan safe for the stovetop, place the carrots and 2 shallots, cut into big chunks. Place 2 more shallots, roughly cut into the cavity of the goose. Splash some of the blood orange juice over the goose and generously season with salt and pepper. Place a couple of inches of water in the roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil. Steam over medium heat for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
While the goose is steaming, rehydrate the mushrooms according to package directions. While they steep, shred the baguette into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Beat the egg and add it. Chop 4-5 sprigs of each of the fresh herbs and add them. Add 1/2 tsp of sea salt.
Chop the mushrooms, add the butter to a small frying pan and saute them with a 1/4 tsp of dried time and a pinch of sea salt. When the liquid dries up in the pan, add a splash of white wine. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before tossing in the bowl with the bread mixture. With clean hands, mix the contents of the bowl. Spray an 8×12 glass dish with cooking spray and add the mixture, gently patting it down to fit the dish.
Pour the liquid from the goose pan into a container, leaving only about 1 cup of liquid in the pan. Splash a little more blood orange juice over it. Flip it breast-side-down, and roast, covered, for two hours while you make the gastrique (see below). During the last half hour, uncover it, turn it breast-side-up and place the stuffing in the oven, uncovered. After 15 minutes, add 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid (and fat) to the stuffing, depending upon how much it has dried out. Bake and roast 15 more minutes and remove everything from the oven to cool for a few moments.
While the goose is roasting, make the gastrique. Place the sugar and 1 1/3 cups of the blood orange juice in a saucepan with the sherry vinegar. Allow to simmer and reduce until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Allow to cool slightly. Serve with the goose.
