POTS AND PANS CITY BLOG

Goose is another option for your main meat dish when preparing a traditional Christmas dinner.  When buying a fresh goose, ensure that it is plump with smooth skin free of blemishes and pinfeathers.  A 10-11 lb. goose will serve about 8 people.  If you wish to serve a larger group of people, it is advisable to buy 2 geese. 

Cooking a goose is not the same as cooking a turkey, because goose contains a great deal of fat just below the thick skin.  You should remove the grease from the pan occasionally when cooking a goose (instead of basting it as you would a turkey). 

Here are a few tips when cooking a goose:

1. Pull out any loose pads of fat
2. Use a needle to pierce the skin and the fatty layer of the goose, without going through to the lean meat. (This helps to drain the grease.)
3. Pour boiling water over the goose just before placing it in the oven.  Then halfway through the cooking time, remove the goose from the pan and pour boiling water over it again. This helps to melt the fat and make the skin crisp.
4. Drain the grease or use a turkey-baster to remove the grease from the pan for the first 1 ½ hours of cooking.

Christmas Goose

Ingredients:

• 1 10-11 lb. goose
• 1 lemon cut in half
• Salt and pepper
• 2 oranges, quartered
• Boiling water
• 1 cup orange marmalade
• 2 TBSP. orange liqueur
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 TBSP. corn starch
• ¼ cup cold water

Remove the loose fat and giblets from the goose.  Cut off the neck and wing tips (these can be used to stock, if desired).  Wipe the goose with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly.  Rub the goose inside and out with the half lemon, squeezing the juice over all of it.  Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper.  Place the orange quarters and remaining lemon inside the goose. Prick the goose all over with a needle to allow the fat to escape while cooking.  Tie up the wings and legs close to the body and skewer the neck skin to the body.

Place the goose breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan.  Pour about 2 cups of boiling water over the goose.  Roast in a 400° F oven for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325° F and cook for 1 more hour.  Pour off grease from the pan.  Turn goose over and prick again with the needle.  Pour 2 cups more of boiling water over the goose.  Return to oven and roast for another hour.

Mix together marmalade, liqueur, soy sauce and ginger.  Brush over goose.  Return to the oven and roast for another 30-60 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced.  Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Cover with tin foil and let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, skim all the fat from the pan and add the orange juice.  Bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Dissolve corn starch in cold water and stir into the pan.  Whisk constantly while cooking until slightly thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve the sauce in a gravy boat on the side.

Christmas doesn’t always have to be about the big Christmas dinner feast.  A special touch for the holiday breakfast can be just as important.  Use a bit of leftover mincemeat from the mincemeat tarts or pie you baked and turn Christmas morning muffins into a delicious special holiday treat.

Mincemeat Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 cup jarred prepared mincemeat
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Topping:

• 1 TBSP. brown sugar
• 1 TBSP. flour
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 TBSP. butter

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients.  Mix together until topping is crumbly.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk to mix together well.  Add in nuts and mix lightly.  In another bowl, add egg, milk, melted butter and mincemeat.  Stir together, then pour this over the dry ingredients.  Stir until just combined—do not over mix.

Spoon batter into well-greased muffin tin (should fill 12 muffin cups).  Sprinkle topping over all the muffins.  Bake for 20 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch.

Apple and almonds are a tasty conventional combination often enjoyed at traditional Christmas dinners.  This Apple and Almond Tart recipe makes a common-place apple pie extra special, sure to please all your guests at the end of your holiday meal.  This delicious dessert can be served hot or cold.

A word of advice:  do not be tempted to add sugar to the apples in this recipe (it will make them produce too much liquid).  All the sweetness in the tart comes from the pastry and the topping.

Apple and Almond Tart

Ingredients:

• 6 TBSP. butter
• 1 ½ cups white flour
• 1/3 cup ground almonds
• 3 TBSP. icing sugar, plus sifted icing sugar to decorate
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 TBSP. cold water
• ¼ tsp. almond extract

Topping:

• 1 cup flour
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• 4 TBSP. butter, cubed
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup slivered almonds

Filling:

• 1 ½ lbs. apples
• ¼ cup raisins

To make the pastry, all the flour and butter into a food processor bowl and process until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.  Stir in the ground almonds and 3 TBSP. icing sugar.  Whisk the egg yolk, almond extract and water together in a small bowl and then add them to the dry mixture.  Mix together to form a soft, pliable dough.  Knead the dough gently until smooth.  Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping:  Place the flour in a medium bowl and add the cinnamon.  Stir together well with a fork or whisk.  Add the cubed butter and blend in with a fork or pastry cutter.  Stir in the sugar and almonds.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll the pastry dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Gently line the pastry into a 9” springform pan, pressing neatly into the edges.  Make a lip around the top edge, but remove any excess.  Place the pastry in the pan in the fridge for another 15 minutes.

Preheat the over to 375° F.

Peel and core the apples, and slice the apples thinly. Remove the pastry shell from the fridge.  Arrange the apples neatly on the pastry shell overlapping the slices slightly.  (The tart may appear too full at this time, but after the apples cook the filling will drop slightly.)  Spoon the topping mixture all over the top of the apples, pressing down slightly.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the top of the tart is golden brown and the apples are tender when tested.

Remove the tart from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Turkey seems to be part of every Christmas and Thanksgiving holiday meal. This recipe makes turkey the start of the meal—and the star. This is a hearty, tasty Italian take on turkey soup. The soup can be made ahead of time and frozen, but just be sure you don’t add the pasta until you reheat it. You can buy turkey drumsticks or turkey breast separately to add the meat to this dish, or you can use leftover turkey from the main meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP. vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 TBSP. garlic powder
• ¾ cup cooked ham
• 2 cups cooked turkey, chopped
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (including juice)
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 14 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped green beans
• 1/3 cup macaroni or other small pasts
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepot. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add ham, carrots, celery and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 more minutes. Add stock and tomatoes (plus juice). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook covered for 30 minutes. Add the cabbage, turkey, and both beans. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 30 minutes more or until vegetables are almost tender. Add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes. Spoon the hot soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a little Parmesan cheese.