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What sauce for the goose?
Clare Latimer turns her attention to the small details that will ensure your Christmas dinner is a success
AS this newspaper has a great website with all my past recipes, I have decided not to write about cooking turkey or goose as they can both be found there.
Just Google CNJ recipes and click on R for Roast Goose and under T you’ll find Cooking the Turkey.
Here are two of the most important dishes to go with the bird but don’t forget the Brussels sprouts, with perhaps a tin of whole chestnuts chopped up, added after the sprouts are cooked and at the point when you toss them in butter. Yes, butter – it’s Christmas!!
Cranberry sauce
I have been asked by so many of our clients for this recipe.
The lovely warming spice flavour combined with the tangy orange just turns this sauce into a stunning addition to the turkey or any other bird you may be cooking.
It can be made in advance, so get this done now and store in the fridge.
Ingredients
Serves 8-10
500g fresh cranberries
¼ teasp cinnamon
¼ teasp all spice
Pinch ground ginger
225g dark brown sugar
Juice and rind of 2 oranges.
Method
Put all the ingredients into a saucepan, cover and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Continue until all the cranberries are soft and the mixture looks like a glowing jam. Leave to cool and then put into a bowl and cover with cling film. Keep in the fridge.
Perfect roast potatoes in goose fat
Now that you can buy jars of goose fat in most supermarkets it makes this a practical dish to serve.
The goose fat turns roast potatoes into something special so it is well worth the extra effort.
Ingredients
Serves 6
1kg large potatoes – or more if you are greedy!
2 tablespoons goose fat
Crunchy salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method
Preheat the oven 220C / 425F / gas 7.
Peel the potatoes and cut into roast-size pieces. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the potatoes and boil for five minutes. Strain and put back into the saucepan.
Put on the lid and shake well to scuff up the edges of the potatoes. Put the fat into a large roasting tin and heat in the oven.
Remove carefully when hot and tip in the potatoes, but be careful not to splash the fat as it is very hot.
Toss the potatoes around to coat with the fat and then sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes; toss again and continue until they are golden brown and crispy.
Serve as soon as possible as they will turn soft after a while.
Black Forest roulade
All this retro talk has reminded me of this wonderful chocolate log and how it is perfect for this time of year.
You could make the roulade bit and freeze it and then just thaw and roll up with the cream and cherries, but it is a must at some point over the Christmas week.
Ingredients
Serves 6 – 8
5 eggs, separated
150g caster sugar
150ml plain block chocolate
1 x 400g tin black cherries, pitted and drained
1 tbsp Kirsch
300ml double cream, whipped
Icing sugar.
Method
Preheat the oven 180C / 350F / gas 4.
Line a 20cm x 27.5cm baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Put the chocolate and one tablespoon of water into a small saucepan and either stand it in boiling water or put it over a very low heat until the chocolate melts.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Stir the melted chocolate into the egg-yolk mixture, and then fold in the egg whites until the mixture is smooth but still full of air.
Pour into the prepared baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes or until just set. Remove and leave to cool.
Put the cherries in a bowl with the Kirsch and mix well.
Turn out the roulade onto a clean tea cloth dusted with icing sugar, spread with the whipped cream right to the edges, then lay over the cherries, again right to the edges.
Roll the roulade up, holding the long edges, then flurry with the icing sugar.
Lift onto a serving plate and chill until ready to serve. Cut into slices.
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