Five Star Goose Recipe

If you are luckier or more skilled than me at goose hunting, and neither of those would be a stretch, you are likely wondering what to do with the geese you have harvested in the week-old early season. Try this recipe and you'll never let goose meat languish in your freezer again.

But first a word about the bad table fare rep geese have hanging around their necks like an, um, albatross. Snow geese? Bad table fare definitely fits. But Canada geese are birds of a different feather. Unfortunately, this is not well known. To wit: I invited a pal to my goose set up this past week and he said he'd come if I kept the geese! A neighbor of mine calls Canada geese "oil cans", a misnomer which springs from his memory of raising domestic Embden geese which can be truly greasy. Try this recipe and the word that will spring to mind is: yum.

We marinade entrees for three reasons: to flavorize, moisturize and tenderize. The buttermilk soak in this recipe tenderizes. Lactate acid breaks down fibers which can make goose meat, especially in older birds, tough. The sherry, soy sauce and seasonings in the second marinade moisturize and flavorize. I call the end product of this recipe flying filet mignon. A hunting partner calls it sky sirloin. Try it and see what your taste buds say.

Buttermilk Breast of Canada Goose 1. Soak the fresh breast fillets in salt water for two hours. Rinse well in cold water. 2. Place the fillets in a non-reactive covered container (Tupperware or even a large baggie) and cover with buttermilk. Refrigerate in this marinade for two days. 3. Take fillets from buttermilk and rinse well in cold water. 4. One hour before goose is to be cooked, place fillets in this marinade: 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced ½ cup soy sauce (or Teriyaki – thin, watery version) ½ cup cream sherry ¼ cup dry sherry ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar Combine ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Marinade fillets in above for one hour. Drain. 5. Wrap the fillets in thick bacon and pin with tooth picks. 6. Cook over a hot charcoal fire (direct method) fifteen minutes a side (total 30 minutes). Slice thin like London broil and serve.