Christmas goose

Big Bad Dad is in Europe this week. His first stop was to visit friends in Berlin. Somehow he managed to get himself invited to his friend Thomas’s in-law’s traditional German Christmas dinner. They had goose, red cabbage, curly kale, dumplings, potatoes, dark beer, and gravy. Yummy!

They usually have schnapps, too, but since BBD was out until 5 a.m. that morning drinking good German beer and eating Turkish fast food, he declined.

If you are interested in making a German-style Christmas feast this year, check out the Denver Post’s "Germany’s gift to Christmas" by Ellen Sweets. It includes recipes for roast goose with sauerkraut, apple strudel, and stollen bread pudding.

Roast Goose with Sauerkraut

This recipe, taken from "The Best Recipes in the World" by Mark Bittman, is a Christmas favorite throughout Eastern Europe, Austria and Germany. Sauerkraut complements roast goose perfectly. The acidity cuts through the grease and adds a wonderful flavor. Don’t overestimate the number of people a goose will serve; it’s a large bird, but not a very meaty one. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1. One 8- to 10-pound goose, trimmed of excess fat
2. Salt and black pepper to taste
3. 1 pound sauerkraut, preferably fresh, shredded, rinsed, and drained
4. 2 tablespoons sugar
5. 1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Prick the goose all over with a sharp fork, skewer, or thin-bladed knife; try not to hit the meat (the fat layers is usually about 1/4-inch thick). Season goose with salt and pepper and place it, breast side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.
3. Roast for 20 minutes, prick the exposed skin again, then roast for another 20 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Turn goose breast side up, prick again, and baste it with some accumulated pan juices (there will be plenty). Roast for another hour, pricking the skin and basting 2 or 3 times during that period.
4. Take roasting pan out of oven and remove goose. Lay sauerkraut on bottom of roasting pan and return goose to pan. Increase heat to 400 and continue to roast until meat is done, about another 30 minutes. At that point, all juices, including those from the interior, should run clear, and the leg bone should wiggle a little in its socket. When the bird is done, an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh bone will read about 158 degrees.
5. Remove goose and set pan over low heat on stovetop. Stir in sugar and wine, scraping browned bits from pan, and simmer until sauce has reduced slightly and sauerkraut is moist but not swimming in liquid.
6. Carve goose and serve with sauerkraut.

Wine ideas: German Riesling can easily take on meat as rich as that of goose, but it’s also worth searching out some German reds, like Spätburgunder, which is German for Pinot Noir. In cool years, red grapes can have a hard time getting ripe in Germany’s cool climate, but they had no problem in the warm vintage of 2003. Wines like Georg Breuer’s 2003 Rheingau Rouge Spätburgunder ripened to a juicy cherry richness, while retaining the strong acidity needed to cut through the rich, gamey flavors of goose. -Tara Q. Thomas

Apple Strudel

This traditional Christmas recipe was provided by Sandra Boog, co-owner of Cafe Berlin in downtown Denver. Boog notes that some people like to throw a handful of raisins into the mix. "It’s one of those things where if you want it sweeter, you put in more sugar," she says. "If not so sweet, less. It varies from region to region." Makes 8-10 servings.

Ingredients:

1. 8 medium Granny Smith apples
2. Juice of 1 lemon
3. 1 cup sugar
4. Dash of cinnamon
5. Pinch of salt
6. 3/4 cup Japanese panko bread crumbs
7. 1 cup ground walnuts
8. 2 ounces rum (optional)
9. 1 10-by-15-inch frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
10. Egg wash: 1 egg yolk whisked with 2 tablespoons water
11. Cinnamon, sugar and ground walnuts for sprinkling on top of strudel

Directions:

1. Peel, core and slice apples. Squeeze lemon juice on apples. Combine re-
2. maining ingredients. Squeeze liquid from apples. Let stand for 3-4 minutes. Mix apples with sugar, cinnamon, salt, bread crumbs, ground walnuts and rum.
3. Preheat oven to 400. Work pastry dough, stretching from the center to the outside on all four sides. Make sure dough doesn’t get too soft or too thin when you stretch it, otherwise it won’t be flaky. Spread apple mixture on dough and roll it, making sure ends are folded over and tucked under the roll.
4. Thoroughly butter a baking sheet and carefully roll pastry on to it.
5. Cover strudel with egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 2 tablespoons water) and sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and ground walnuts. Bake until golden brown and flaky. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.

Wine ideas: Germany makes some of the world’s best dessert wines. The sweetest – labeled Eiswein or Trockenbeerenauslese – are also the most expensive, but since this dessert isn’t tooth-achingly sweet, you can get away with a less-sweet wine, like an Auslese. Try Dr. Loosen’s Mosel Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese, which feels like velvet in its baked apple and pineapple flavor, yet has enough acidity to not feel cloying. And it’s $36 – a bargain in the world of great German dessert wines. -Tara Q. Thomas

Stollen Bread Pudding with Chocolate Chunks and Caramelized Bananas

Recipe courtesy of the German Agricultural Marketing Board. Stollen is a German yeast bread available in supermarkets and specialty stores during the holiday season. It makes an easy bread pudding because it comes already filled with currants, almonds, orange zest and cinnamon. Adapted for Denver’s altitude. Serves 12-16.

Ingredients:

1. Cooking spray
2. 4 eggs
3. 1/3 cup sugar
4. 2 cups milk
5. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or scraped seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
7. 1/2 (48-ounce) loaf German stollen, stale, cut into crouton-sized cubes
8. 1 (3 1/2-ounce) bar dark chocolate, chopped
9. 2 tablespoons pear brandy
10. Caramelized Bananas

(see recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2-quart baking pan with oil, and set pan into a larger pan. Add water to the larger pan, preparing a water bath in which the pudding will bake.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Whisk in milk, cream and vanilla. Transfer 1 cup of this custard mixture to a saucepan and set aside.
3. Add stollen and chocolate to remaining custard mixture in the large bowl; stir well. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake 1 1/4 hours to to 1 3/4 hours, until puffed and firm in the center.
4. Meanwhile, add pear brandy to reserved custard mixture and heat on medium-low, whisking constantly, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. (Be careful not to turn the heat too high or stop whisking, as the eggs might scramble.)
5. Remove pudding from oven and cool before slicing. Meanwhile, prepare Caramelized Bananas. To serve, place a few warm banana slices on each plate, top with a square of warm bread pudding and drizzle with warm custard sauce.

For Caramelized Bananas:

1. Slice 4 medium bananas.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet until melted.
3. Turn heat to medium and stir in 3 tablespoons sugar.
4. Add banana slices and cook until brown; turn with a spatula and cook again until brown.
5. Remove from heat and serve.

Wine ideas: A cup of strong coffee (spiked with pear brandy or not) is the way to go with this rich, heavy dessert.

Posted on December 6, 2005 in Restaurant Reviews