Oison au Raifort

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •7-to-8-quart oval cocotte or Dutch oven with a tight lid
• •Wide 3-quart saucepan for reducing the braising liquor
• •Fine-mesh sieve and fat separator
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Large warm oval serving platter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the gosling

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Pull any loose fat from the gosling's cavity and reserve it for another use, then prick only the skin over the thighs and lower breast with a fine skewer. Do not pierce the meat. Dry the bird thoroughly, season it inside and out with the salt and pepper, and tie the legs loosely together. Dry skin browns; wet skin clings and goes grey.

   A poultry butcher can remove the neck and giblets and truss the bird for you. Keep the neck for stock, but do not put the liver into this braise, where its mineral flavour would dominate the reduction.
2. 2

   Brown and build fond

   Set a 7-to-8-quart heavy cocotte over medium heat. Lay in the gosling breast-side down without added fat; within a minute or two its own fat will begin to render. Brown the breast, back, and both sides patiently, turning with two sturdy wooden spoons or tongs, until the skin is deep golden, 15 to 20 minutes. If it grips the pot, wait another minute before forcing it. Lift out the bird, pour off the rendered fat except for 2 tablespoons, then cook the onion, carrots, and celery for 8 to 10 minutes until browned at their edges. Add the garlic for the final minute. That brown glaze on the pot floor is the fond, and the liquor needs every bit of it.

   Strain and chill the poured-off goose fat. It keeps well in the cold and makes splendid roast potatoes. Never apologize for good fat used well.
3. 3

   Braise at a tremble

   Return the gosling to the cocotte breast-side up and tuck in the bouquet garni. Pour in enough hot stock to rise about one-third of the way up the bird, scraping the pot floor as the liquid comes to a bare simmer. Reserve any unused stock. Cover tightly and braise in the oven for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes, basting every 30 minutes, until the thigh joint yields when moved and a thermometer reaches at least 165°F (74°C) in the breast and 175°F (79°C) in the inner thigh. The liquid should barely tremble. If it boils hard, lower the oven and add a splash of reserved hot stock. The bird isn't lost. Ça se rattrape.

   Do not judge tenderness by temperature alone. Gosling is ready when the thigh joint loosens and a skewer enters the thick meat with little resistance.
4. 4

   Rest and strain

   Lift the gosling onto a warm platter, cover it loosely, and rest it for 20 to 25 minutes. Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve into a wide saucepan without pressing the vegetables, since pressing clouds the liquor. Let the fat rise, then skim it thoroughly or use a fat separator. Keep the bird warm, but do not seal it under tight foil or its browned skin will become sodden.

5. 5

   Reduce the liquor hard

   Boil the defatted braising liquid briskly in the wide saucepan until it falls to about 1 1/2 cups and becomes glossy enough to coat the back of a spoon, 15 to 25 minutes. This hard reduction is the dish's foundation, not decorative sauce work. Taste repeatedly near the end. If it becomes too salty before it coats the spoon, stop reducing and loosen it with unsalted stock; if it has gone sticky, whisk in hot stock one tablespoon at a time. Ça se rattrape. The finished liquor should be concentrated and fluid, never syrupy.

   Use a wide saucepan, not a narrow one. More surface area reduces the liquor quickly, preserving its clean roasted flavour instead of cooking it into heaviness.
6. 6

   Finish the garnish

   While the liquor reduces, cook the egg noodles in unsalted water until tender but not slack. Drain them very thoroughly and toss them with the butter, adding no further salt because the reduced liquor supplies the final seasoning. If you prefer rice, bring 4 cups of finished Riz au Gras (No. 2252) hot to the table instead; it remains a separate preparation and is not remade inside this recipe.

7. 7

   Set the cold sauce

   Take the cold Horse-radish Sauce (No. 138) from the refrigerator only when the platter is nearly ready. Whisk it gently if it has settled, transfer it to a chilled sauceboat, and keep it apart from the hot braise. Do not warm or pour it over the gosling. Its cold, sharp creaminess is the deliberate counterpoint to the rich meat and reduced liquor.

8. 8

   Carve and serve

   Carve the rested gosling into breasts and leg portions. Mound the buttered noodles or hot Riz au Gras (No. 2252) around the meat, then spoon the reduced braising liquor generously over the garnish so it catches in every fold or grain. Serve the cold Horse-radish Sauce (No. 138) separately, letting each guest take as much as desired. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask specifically for a young gosling weighing 6 to 7 pounds. A mature goose is fattier, tougher, and too large for this timing; if that is all the market has, change the plan rather than pretending the birds cook alike.
• •The stock must be genuinely unsalted. Commercial salted broth can become briny long before a hard reduction reaches the glossy body this dish requires.
• •If using noodles, drain them until no water remains and butter them immediately. Do not rinse them. Their dry, lightly starchy surface catches the reduced liquor instead of sending it to the bottom of the platter.
• •A dry Alsace Riesling has the acidity for the goose and the nerve for raifort. Serve it cool, not icy, so the wine keeps its aroma beside the cold sauce.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Horse-radish Sauce (No. 138) through its own entry up to a day ahead and keep it very cold. Whisk gently before transferring it to the sauceboat.
• •The gosling may be braised a day ahead. Carve it for faster chilling, refrigerate the meat and strained liquor separately within two hours, then reheat the meat covered with 1 cup of liquor at 300°F (150°C) until it reaches 165°F (74°C). Defat and reduce the remaining liquor while it reheats.
• •If serving Riz au Gras (No. 2252), prepare that finished component close to service. Buttered noodles should be cooked at the last moment, since they become heavy and clumped when held.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 750g)