Sunday 28th December 2008: Cooking My Goose

Went out to The Boars Nest for Christmas lunch. Was fabulous, as always apart from a fellow diner who I suspect hadn?t received any festive smellies in his stocking. How unpleasant! The main course was roast rib of beef, which was almost as pink as we would have had it at home. The only thing was that afterwards I felt really hard done by because I hadn't had a bird. Christmas lunch is a feast and should have a statement dish, but it doesn't have to be turkey or duck - but for me, somehow it does. Fortuately, Ade felt the same so yesterday we went to Aldi and bought a goose (excellent value at only £19.99). How festive is this - it was the last goose in the shop. Felt very Ebenezer Scrooge, but after the ghostly visitations of course. Never cooked a goose before, but it can't be any harder than a turkey. It's smaller for a start. Consulted the oracles (Nigel, Nigella and Jamie) and it was no contest really; Nigel's roast goose recipe in Kitchen Diaries (how apt!) is very simple and includes an idea for a juniper berry gravy. I am pretty rubbish at gravy. Maybe it's because I had a proper 70s childhood, with gravy made with copious amounts of gravy browning and elbow grease, but I can't seem to reconcile the thin meat juices and wine concoction that I produce with proper gravy. I am going to shove a couple of apples inside the goose rather than make apple sauce. Ade can have some roast spuds done in goose fat (how jealous am I?) and other than that its carrot and swede "crush" (thanks for some excellent Christmas telly Caroline Ahern, not to mention a recipe revival but I will forego the "knob of Stork"), broccoli and some braised red cabbage & Bramley apples that have been languishing in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Also have to consider pudding. Have made some of Nigella's Cranberry Mincemeat, which is utterly, utterly beautiful and tastes like distilled Christmas - fruity, sweet and sharp. Need to make something that isn't too calorie and fat laden, so have got some filo pastry out of the freezer. Not sure that filo pastry will enhance the mincemeats glorious colour, texture or taste. Ideally would make some shortbread style pastry, tip the mincemeat over the top and serve with very cold, yellow cream. Whatever I do, it will be accompanied by Elmlea single - depressing beyond belief. Slightly addicted to Whittard's Christmas Tea (Heaven help us all if they go out of business - can't live without their Santos coffee) accompanied with some plums coated in very thick, dark chocolate from Lidl. Absolutely gorgeous: juicy fruit and chocolate that crackles. Yum! Lidl do some fantastic stuff. Their Christmas ranges have been fantastic. I guess if it was all piled on a stall at the Christmas Fair in York or Lincoln I would have been prepared to pay four or five times more for it. Might have a quick cuppa before I start worrying about the pud.