Post by Kate on Dec 5, 2013 0:54:37 GMT -5
Yule Goose with Stuffing
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 stalks celery, sliced, divided
6½ cups day-old Southern cornbread (cornbread recipe below)
1½ cups cubed or crumbled 2-3-day-old light bread
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
¾ cup water
1 large egg
1 large fresh or thawed frozen goose, about 12 to 14 pounds
1 large carrot, chopped
2 bay leaves
¼ cup unsifted all-purpose flour
Preparation: In large (8-quart) stockpot or kettle, melt butter over medium heat. Reserve ¼ cup onion and add remaining onion to butter; sauté 5 minutes. Add celery and cook until tender-crisp. Stir in bread cubes, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until lightly mixed; remove from heat. In cup, whisk together water and egg; stir egg mixture into bread mixture. Set bread stuffing mixture aside. Heat oven to 400° F. Remove neck and giblets from goose. Remove excess fat from neck and body cavities. Rinse goose, neck, and giblets; drain well. Fill neck cavity with some stuffing. Fasten neck skin to back with a small metal skewer. Spoon remaining stuffing into body cavity and tie legs together.
Place goose, breast side up, on wire rack in shallow roasting pan. With tines of fork, pierce skin of goose all over. Insert meat thermometer into inside thigh muscle, being careful not to touch the bone, or use an instant-read thermometer while roasting goose.
Roast goose, uncovered, 1 hour and carefully pour off accumulated fat from pan. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, cook neck and giblets over medium heat in a little oil or butter until well browned, stirring occasionally. Stir reserved onion, the chopped carrot, and bay leaves into giblets; add enough water to cover. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 hour.
Reduce oven temperature to 325° and continue roasting goose 2½ to 3 hours longer or until thermometer registers 180° to 185°. During roasting, spoon off accumulated fat about every 30 minutes. Transfer goose to large platter; let stand 15 minutes before carving.
Meanwhile, to prepare gravy, skim off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat from the goose drippings in the roasting pan. Strain the liquid from cooking neck, giblets, and vegetables through a large sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl. Discard the particles. Measure 3 cup liquid and set aside. If not enough, add water or chicken broth.
Into the roasting pan with the reserved fat, stir flour until well mixed. Gradually stir in reserved 3 cup liquid and cook over medium-low heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Pour gravy into a small pitcher.
Remove skewer and untie the goose legs. Garnish platter with kale and fruits, if desired. Carve the goose and serve with stuffing and gravy.
Southern Cornbread
Ingredients
2 cups white cornmeal
¾ cup sifted all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda (omit if you use regular milk rather than buttermilk)
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of black pepper
1 cups buttermilk (more or less)
2-3 tablespoons bacon drippings or melted lard
Directions: Preheat oven to 400° degrees Prepare an iron skillet by placing the bacon drippings or lard in the skillet and roll the skillet or use a paper towel to coat the interior sides of the skillet with the grease. Place the skillet in the preheated oven while preparing the following batter.
In a medium size bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add ¾ of the buttermilk and stir.
Carefully remove skillet from oven and slowly add about 1 tablespoon of the hot oil (bacon grease) from the skillet, into the batter, stirring well. (Use a pot holder to pick up the skillet) Note: the skillet and bacon grease should be very, hot but not smoking.
Watching the consistency of the batter, carefully add remainder of buttermilk while stirring. The consistency of the cornbread batter should look like a thick pancake mix. This may require a little more or less of the remaining buttermilk. If the mix is too thick, add more buttermilk. If the mixture is too thin, add more cornmeal.
Lightly sprinkle the skillet bottom with dry corn meal and pour in the batter and immediately place skillet in preheated oven. Bake at 400° degrees approximately 25 minutes. Time will vary according to the consistency of the batter you end up with. Watch the cornbread after about 20 minutes and cook until the top is golden brown.
Once the top is brown, remove the cornbread from the oven and flip it over in the skillet, then continue baking another 5 minutes.