Farm-raised or Wild? Wild game birds usually benefit from less cooking time and the addition of fats such as butter or bacon to keep them from becoming too dry. Preparation methods for wild game birds also vary depending on whether birds are skinned (leaving meat vulnerable to overcooking) or plucked (plucking is more work, but it leaves the skin and fat intact). |
Ingredients
- 1, 7- to 8-pound domestic goose, with or without skin, cut into 8 portions: 2 wings, 2 breast pieces, 2 thighs and 2 drumsticks
- 3, 16-ounce cans pitted dark sweet cherries
- 1⁄2 cup butter
- 1 cup sweet white onions, chopped
- 3 T. flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup dry red wine, like Pinot Noir
- Additional water and red wine
- 3 T. packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1⁄4 tsp. allspice
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. salt
- 1 1⁄2 cups raisins or dried sour cherries
- 5 T. cornstarch
- 1⁄3 cup cold water
Preparation
Drain cherries, reserving 1 1⁄2 cups of the juice. Set cherries aside.
In large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and increase heat to medium-high.
Cook and stir until onions are tender. Add goose pieces and brown each lightly on all sides. Remove goose pieces and set aside. Stir flour into onion mixture. Then stir in the reserved cherry juice, one cup of water, wine, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Add goose pieces, drained cherries and raisins. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer over medium-low heat (do not boil hard) approximately 2 to 2 1⁄2 hours or until goose pieces are tender and easily come away from the bone. Turn pieces once during cooking. Add more water and wine if necessary to ensure adequate cooking liquid.
When goose pieces are tender, remove them from the broth and transfer to a heated serving platter. Set aside in a warm oven. Using a ladle or large metal spoon, skim fat from top of broth. If sauce is thinner than desired, blend cornstarch with the cold water and stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and translucent. Pour sauce over goose pieces on platter and serve.
