I don’t hunt, neither does my husband, but I seem to acquire my fair share of wild game. Tonight we are cooking Canadian Goose. I love this stuff. Seriously, to me, it tastes like beef if it’s done right. But you really need to handle it like beef and cook it rare to medium rare. If you are squeamish about that, sorry, that’s the way it’s best (IMHO)
When I have a piece of wild game and don’t know what to do with, I go to this website. This guy has a show called The Sporting Chef. I have never seen the show, but I can tell you every recipe I have made from it has been outstanding.
Sporting Chef - Scott Leysath
This is what we are cooking tonight:
Black Pepper and Herb Goose Breast
Many game chefs follow the standard “stuff the bird with apples, oranges, lawn clippings, etc. and roast in a 350 degree oven…” routine. I have not had great luck with the roasting of the whole bird. Yes, it looks pretty cool on a platter, but it doesn’t really taste that good. Here’s the problem; by the time the inside of the breast is a delicious medium-rare, the outer part of the breast is cooked to medium-well and doesn’t taste good. The answer…make the meat thinner.
A Canada goose breast is a thick hunk of flesh. Smaller species are not as thick, but most are certainly plumper than a mature mallard. Before cooking, I often butterfly the breast so that the thickness is pretty much the same as a mallard breast. This insures that the meat cooks quickly and the outside does not get overcooked. Place the breast on a flat surface and gently place your palm over it (finger tips up!). Run a knife through the meat, between the surface and your palm. If you cut your hand in the process, you did something wrong. As a matter of fact, before you begin, we’ll need you to sign a waiver. Please sign here…and here…and I’ll need your initials here…O.K, and one more right here. Now, proceed with caution. Butterflying normally means not slicing completely through the meat, but leaving a “hinge” at one end so that the meat can be opened like a book. Go ahead and cut all of the way through the breast this time. You should end up with two relatively equal sized pieces and, hopefully, all of your fingers. You can also lightly pound the meat between waxed paper sheets to make it even thinner.
4 to 6 servings
2 – 3 goose breast halves; skinless and butterflied (see above)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon, freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced (or substitute 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme (or substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon additional olive oil
1/3 cup beef broth
1/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Pat butterflied goose breasts dry with paper towels. Combine next 7 ingredients and coat breasts evenly with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours. Heat additional tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add goose breasts and cook on both sides until just medium-rare. Remove goose breasts and cover with foil. While pan is still over medium-high heat, quickly add beef broth to pan and stir with a spoon to loosen bits. Reduce liquid by one-half. Add cream and cook until liquid starts to thicken. Slice goose breasts thinly and arrange on plate. Drizzle sauce over.
When I have a piece of wild game and don’t know what to do with, I go to this website. This guy has a show called The Sporting Chef. I have never seen the show, but I can tell you every recipe I have made from it has been outstanding.
Sporting Chef - Scott Leysath
This is what we are cooking tonight:
Black Pepper and Herb Goose Breast
Many game chefs follow the standard “stuff the bird with apples, oranges, lawn clippings, etc. and roast in a 350 degree oven…” routine. I have not had great luck with the roasting of the whole bird. Yes, it looks pretty cool on a platter, but it doesn’t really taste that good. Here’s the problem; by the time the inside of the breast is a delicious medium-rare, the outer part of the breast is cooked to medium-well and doesn’t taste good. The answer…make the meat thinner.
A Canada goose breast is a thick hunk of flesh. Smaller species are not as thick, but most are certainly plumper than a mature mallard. Before cooking, I often butterfly the breast so that the thickness is pretty much the same as a mallard breast. This insures that the meat cooks quickly and the outside does not get overcooked. Place the breast on a flat surface and gently place your palm over it (finger tips up!). Run a knife through the meat, between the surface and your palm. If you cut your hand in the process, you did something wrong. As a matter of fact, before you begin, we’ll need you to sign a waiver. Please sign here…and here…and I’ll need your initials here…O.K, and one more right here. Now, proceed with caution. Butterflying normally means not slicing completely through the meat, but leaving a “hinge” at one end so that the meat can be opened like a book. Go ahead and cut all of the way through the breast this time. You should end up with two relatively equal sized pieces and, hopefully, all of your fingers. You can also lightly pound the meat between waxed paper sheets to make it even thinner.
4 to 6 servings
2 – 3 goose breast halves; skinless and butterflied (see above)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon, freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced (or substitute 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme (or substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon additional olive oil
1/3 cup beef broth
1/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream
Pat butterflied goose breasts dry with paper towels. Combine next 7 ingredients and coat breasts evenly with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours. Heat additional tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add goose breasts and cook on both sides until just medium-rare. Remove goose breasts and cover with foil. While pan is still over medium-high heat, quickly add beef broth to pan and stir with a spoon to loosen bits. Reduce liquid by one-half. Add cream and cook until liquid starts to thicken. Slice goose breasts thinly and arrange on plate. Drizzle sauce over.
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
Laura