European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Take a Gander at this traditional Christmas meal by . Kominick1 senior staff writer roast Goose conjures up the warm image of a dickensian Christmas feast but like Scrooge a nocturnal visitors the dish is More apparition than reality these Days for one a domesticated Goose can set you Back twice As much As a Turkey a fact that can get anyone s Gander up worse the Goose has earned a reputation not entirely undeserved for being fatty and hard to Cook. Interest in the Bird has even waned in England where the Goose was once regarded As the fairest of the fowl. Those criticisms aside roasting a Goose can be a Welcome break for american Cooks tired of cranking out / r it a a 4 4 i or a.c., s Vsev w fax .1 v y a i 4 1 .1 the traditional yuletide Gobbler or baked Ham. Property prepared Goose is not at All Greasy and it has a wild Rich flavor that is vaguely Akin to Venison. Geese have been prize As a food source since the time of the romans who pioneered the Art of fattening up the Birds and enlarging their livers. The Goose later became so popular in France that Cooks at a Diss amp Ria restaurants were known As oyers from the French word Lor Goose ote England s Queen Elizabeth i was especially partial to roast Goose she decreed that it be served throughout the country on michaelmas Day observed each sept. 29 to Mark the British defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. By Queen victorians reign Goose was the traditional Christmas dish in Southern England although those living in the North insisted on having roast beef. By joining a local Goose club and contributing a few Pence each week even poor families like Dickens Humble Cra chits could manage a Holiday Goose. A the Christmas Goose never really caught on in America largely because of the wide availability of turkeys and other wild fowl. It is still a popular Holiday meal in Germany and Northern France although most French prize geese More for their livers and Pate de foie gras than roasting. As French food writer Charles Gerard put it Quot the Ford itself is nothing but the Art of Man has turned it into an instrument which produces marvelous results a kind of living greenhouse in which the supreme fruit a of gastronomy is  ignore Gerard. Fresh geese can be found at game hops and food specially stores year round and in most supermarkets in the Days just before Christmas. Frozen geese usually bred in France and More recently imported from Poland and Hungary Are also easy to find in european supermarkets in both cases look for a Bird that is less than 5 kilograms about 11 pounds since larger geese Are older and not As Tenter before cooking use your hand or a spoon to 4scrape As much fat As possible from inside the Goose s cavity. Reserve the fat. Rinse the Bird dry it thoroughly and rub it with a mixture of Salt and White Pepper. Using a Small ice pick or other pointed Jinsil prick the Goose repeatedly on the thighs Back a breast. These punctures will allow additional fat to Drain out As the Goose Cooks. Use the deepest roasting pan you have if you re using stuffing pack the Goose lightly and truss or otherwise close the cavity As completely As possible. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees then reduce it to 350 when the Goose goes in. The Goose should be basted with boiling water every 15 to 20 minutes to help flush out the fat. Remove As much fat As possible from the pan each time you Baste Julia child recommends rotating the Goose during cooking to allow the breast Back and each Side about 30 minutes on top but in be never noticed any real Benefit from this. If anything All that juggling allows extra water to seep into the stuffing during Basting. Geese Cook much quicker than turkeys and the meat dries out rapidly so watch the Bird carefully during roasting. A 9-Pound Bird will be finished in about 2 hours. The Goose is done when a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 180 degrees. If you Don t have a thermometer grasp the end of the leg Bone and twist. The Bone should turn easily or slip completely out of its socket when the Goose is done. A third test can be made by inserting a knife or other pointed utensil into the thigh or breast. The juices wit run Clear when fully cooked if you re Lucky enough to get a wild Goose ignore the water Basting wild geese Are much leaner and May even need to be kept moist by placing slices of Bacon across the breast during cooking. The cooked Goose should be allowed to rest for about 15 minutes before carving to allow the juices to recede into the meat in addition to stuffing popular accompaniments Aie Apple sauce baked apples red Page 14 the stars and stripes i your finished Goose can have Conan tolerably less fat if you follow simple Steps. With your hand scrape the fat from the Goose cavity before cooking. This 11-Pound Goose yielded 51/b cups of rendered fat Baste with hot water and Drain pan every 15-20 minutes during cooking. Cabbage and Cranberry sauce. The fat scraped from the Birds cavity can be rendered and stored for several weeks in your refrigerator. The French like to spread it on bread but it also can be used to liven up cooked sauerkraut or when sauteing vegetables or leftover Goose the fat is also called for m several stuffing recipes to Render chop the fat into Small pieces and simmer in 1 Vij cups of water in a covered pot for about half an hour uncover the pot and allow the water to evaporate. The rendered liquid should be tight yellow in color and the remaining pieces of fat should have browned slightly Friday december 20, 1991 to let additional fat Drain out As the Goose Cooka puncture the Back thighs and breast before cooking. A amps photos by Michael Abrams the inside Story on stuffing  prunes chestnuts and other fruits that keep Well in wet i so huge Aie some of the traditional ingredients Tor Goose stuffing Many recipes also Call Tor ground Voal 01 pork and a Quarter cup of Moio of the a endowed Goose fat stuffing will add about halt an Houi to your Goose s cooking time traditional French stuffing 4 cups dried bread diced 1 cup milk 2 eggs 1 Apple /4 cup rendered Goose fat 2 medium onions 1 Pound ground pork a Teaspoon Sage chopped Goose liver slowly Molt inc Goose Tat in a Laie Skillet chop the onions add them to the melted fat and saute until Brown add i he pork and enok until browned set aside place the Broad cubes in a Laigo howl in a medium Saucepan bring the milk to a boil then pour Over Wiur bread real the two eggs and add to the Broad and milk add the Sage and liver Pool Coio and chop the Apple into a Inch cubes and mix in add the salted pork and onions and mix Well loosely slut into the cavity of the Goose and truss or sew closed Apple and prune stuffing 1 Pound apples a Pound prunes grated Nutmeg the easiest stuffing going soak the prunes in water until they become tender about half an hour Drain pit and set aside Peel Core and Quarter the apples Combine with the prunes grate in a Little Nutmeg and mix Well loosely stuff the Goose and truss traditional English stuffing 2vi pounds onions 4 cups dried bread cubed 1 cup milk a cup dried Sage 1v2 Teaspoons Salt Pepper to taste grated Nutmeg soak the bread cubes in the milk bake or Blanch the unpeeled onions and allow to Cool Peel and chop then Combine with the milk and bread add the Sago Salt and Pepper and grate in n Little of the Nutmeg mix Well stuff and truss the Goose the enters own from the Chels of the acclaimed l note restaurant 111 Wiesbaden Germany the nol so adventurous can omit the beet Tongue without ruining the results 2 cups dried White bread cubed 4 ounces Sweet Cream 4 dried Morel mushrooms 1 cup dry Rad wine a Pound Bacon 6 Champignon mushrooms 1 Granny Smith Apple a cup chopped chives. 1 Clove garlic i Bay Leaf 1 Juniper Berry a stick butter a cup Cognac a cup Calvados or Apple Brandy 6 ounces ground veal 2 Tablespoons Parsley 1 Goose liver finely minced or ground 2 ounces boiled beef Tongue 1 egg thyme Rosemary and Nutmeg zest from half a Lemon moisten the read cubes with the Cream and soak the morels in the red wine Cut the Bacon into squares slice the Champignon Cut the Apple into chunks and finely chop the garlic and chives melt the butter in a Skillet and saute the Bacon Champignon Apple chives garlic jumper Berry and Bay Leal remove from heat add the Cognac and Calvados mix Well and allow to Cool. Combine the egg zest ground veal Parsley bread cubes morels and Goose liver season to taste with the thyme Rosemary and Nutmeg loosely stuff the Goose and sew or truss closed  Kominicki the stars and stripes Page 15