Sunday 4 January 2009

roast goose and red cabbage

Our friends' gorgeous little boys gazing at each other
through the goose!

So, back from New Year in freezing Lancaster to even more freezing Oxford and a bust oven! I shall be scouring the January section of The Diaries for suitable candidates for hob cooking, but many items are cooked in the oven, so this will be a challenge in more ways than one until my new oven arrives. In the meantime, I wanted to report on the Roast Goose with Juniper Gravy and apple and lemon puree that I cooked with my friends at New Year which we had with Nigel's Red Cabbage with Juniper. Scrummy meal.

Our lovely friends had splashed out on the most beautiful goose from Ellel Poulterers near Lancaster, one of Rick Stein's food heroes. We followed Nigel's recipe to the letter, and the goose was succulent and delicious, although I'd have preferred it to have been cooked a bit longer to get a more crispy skin. We didn't have Marsala for the gravy, so added red wine and a touch more redcurrant jelly, and were rewarded with a sweet rich and savoury sauce that really brought the meat to life. The lemon and apple puree was a delicious sharp counterpoint to the rich meat. Of course, we had goose-fat roast potatoes, and our friends have been left with a big jar of fantastic goose fat to squirrel away in the fridge. All washed down with a rather splendid Chasses-Spleen '02 claret.

The red cabbage was gorgeous - I can't find an online version, but it is basically shredded red cabbage with a sliced onion, three chopped Bramley apples, 2 sticks of celery, thinly sliced, all sweated in a tablespoon of oil. Then add the juice of an orange and a lemon, 10 crushed juniper berries and a splash of cider vinegar. I also added a tablespoon of sugar to balance the flavours. Cover and braise for about half-an-hour.

So, all-in-all, a lovely start to the New Year and two recipes down! Only about another 190 to go!

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