September 27, 2004
Stoopid time utilization decisions
Today the Lepanto League had an anticipatory party for Michaelmas. We roasted two geese outdoors (one in a Weber, one in a Green Egg), which is more of a headache than using an oven, but a lot of fun.
Tonight I am making stock with the carcasses (no room in the icebox for the carcasses themselves), and I figured, "well, I might as well render the cavity fat, too." Dumb decision. Now I am exhausted, yet I have to wait for the fat to finish rendering. I can't raise the temperature, because that could make it turn, so I sit and wait and try to stay awake (falling asleep would ensure that the fat goes over the edge beyond the smoking point).
Is it worth it? Yes. Goose fat is the hands-down best cooking fat known to man. I recommend cooking a goose at least once a year, just to have a good supply of this stuff on hand. I also reserve the fat from the roasting pan (provided it doesn't overheat, which one of the pans did - had to throw out a lot of fat), which carries the flavorings of the stuffing. It is ideal for roasting potatoes, for risotto, or anything where hints of fennel, rosemary and garlic would go well. I also use it for my duck confit (another great reason to have goose fat on hand).
For those who think that goose is too fatty, just make a lot of incisions in the skin and that fat will drain out. I make a battutino with pancetta, fennel, garlic, rosemary and the sauteed livers and kidneys of the geese. This battutino goes into the incisions as a subcutaneous stuffing. Not only are the browned bits of this excellent, but it flavors the whole goose quite well.
Generally my favorite snack after rendering goose fat is salted and seasoned cracklings. Since I will be a walking zombie when this stuff is done it will have to wait until breakfast. Shucks.
Someday I want to take the cracklings and simmer them in a salsa verde, the way chicharrones are served in Mexico. I think the goose cracklings would have an even better flavor than the pork (hard to believe, though).
Anyway, I sit and wait and read more of Kevin Starr's latest book.
Posted by erik at September 27, 2004 12:04 AM | TrackBackRobert is right. I only get frozen geese. I have found that the fresh ones are simply not as good, because they end up with more time at lower temperatures by the time they reach your own icebox. They freeze the geese fast and deep, and that keeps them about as good as you can get, unless you shoot one yourself. I usually put it in the refrigerator a night or two before cooking.
Posted by: Erik Keilholtz at September 28, 2004 2:40 PMIf you can't find fresh, I personally think frozen goose is fine. It's about as close to fresh as you can get since they kill it, clean it and flash freeze it all within a relatively short time period. All it needs is proper thawing. You can do it slowly in the bottom of your refrigerator, or quickly by submerging it under barely running cold water in your sink.
Posted by: Robert Diaz at September 27, 2004 8:20 PMI have always been a bit afraid of cooking goose. I have heard apocryphal stories about being floated out of house and home by the rendering fat in the pan.
Where does one find a fresh goos to cook, anyhow? All I have ever seen is frozen.