Ingredient: Goose
Category: Poultry
Season: All
They have also been strongly selected for fecundity, with females laying up to 160 eggs per year, compared to 5–12 eggs for a wild goose.
Changes to the plumage are variable ; many have been selected to lose dark brown tones of the wild bird. The result is an animal marked, or completely covered in white feathers. Others retain plumage close to the natural; some, such as the modern Toulouse goose looks almost identical to the Greylag in plumage, differing only in structure.
White geese are often preferred as they look better plucked and dressed, with any small down feathers remaining being less conspicuous. From the time of the Romans, white geese have been held in great esteem.
The most recognized breeds of domestic geese are those with the distinctive names of Embden and Toulouse , but a singular breed, said to have come from Sevastopol, called the Sebastopol Goose, was introduced into western Europe in 1856.
In the Sebastopol Goose , the upper plumage is elongated, curled and spirally twisted. Their shaft is transparent and so thin that it often splits into fine filaments, which, remaining free for 2-3 cm, often coalesce again; while the quills are aborted, so that the birds cannot fly.
Geese have proved remarkably resistant to intensive rearing methods , so more and more farmers are producing large flocks of free-range birds fed naturally on grass and post-harvest stubble, they remain to be an expensive luxury compared to other poultry like the chicken and domesticated turkey.
Geese produce large edible eggs , weighing 120-170 g.
They can be used in cooking just like chicken's eggs , though they have proportionally more yolk, and this cooks to a slightly denser consistency. The taste is much the same as that of a chicken egg.
If you are ordering one from a local butcher or supplier, look out for that golden-yellow skin which is the sign that it has been grass-fed: pale, whitish skin indicates some other type of feeding and rearing.
An 11-12 lb (5-5.5 kg) bird is the ideal weight, and will serve eight people quite generously.
Although (like ducks) geese have a substantial layer of fat under the skin, this melts during the cooking and acts as an excellent internal basting process. It helps to keep the meat moist and succulent, but if it is poured off as it escapes during the cooking, the meat will not become fatty.
In Britain the goose always used to be the favoured bird at the Christmas table.
In recent years they have returned to popularity – and at least now get transported to market!
Cooking:
Roasted goose
A goose can be roasted as a whole bird , but its size tends to preclude this except for banquets and other festive meals (such as at Christmas).
Goose meat contains much more fat than turkeys or chickens - at least 500 ml (around one pint) of fat may be rendered from an average-sized goose during cooking. One litre is not unusual for larger birds.
The Cantonese barbecue features roast goose over a charcoal spit with a "tuned" crispy skin.
Most of the fat is concentrated in the skin , and the meat itself is very lean, rather like duck.
It is easy to overcook the breast and undercook the leg if roasting whole . Separate treatment for breast and leg is therefore often necessary to achieve a consistently cooked bird.
Some argue that the breast meat of goose need not be cooked as thoroughly as that of chicken , since it has not endured the cramped living conditions of factory chickens.
Goose fat is often separated and stored for use on its own. It can be used as a substitute for butter, although the flavour can be slightly "gamey".
Potatoes cooked in the goose fat are highly regarded by some .
The fat keeps well in the refrigerator .
Roast goose is a traditional Christmas food in Scandinavia, Germany, Ireland and the UK.
Goose can also be prepared as confit , and the fat used to preserve the meat.
Geese are also used in the production of foie gras .
Details on foie gras here |