299180 Wed Nov 10 12:19:12 -0800 2004 19 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1656325 Does anyone know the whole scoop on why goose is so difficult to come by in the US? I had thought that it was because goose was illegal, but I have heard that it is for sale in our local Whole Foods markets. Perhaps it is the goose liver pate that is illegal-- can anyone clear up this goosetriversy? Mr. Taster Wed Nov 10 12:19:12 -0800 2004 0 Mr. Taster 1 1656329 Neither goose nor foie gras is illegal (yet). I think there is limited distribution for goose because of limited demand, but it's always available our local chinatown butcher shops, and I've seen it at a bag-your-own discount place (Foods Co.) Link: http://eatingchinese.org Wed Nov 10 12:25:14 -0800 2004 1656325 0 Gary Soup 1 1656338 Goose is always available in the supermarkets near me, though it's always frozen because of limited demand. They tend to have more at Christmas than at other times. If you want fresh, I know Quattro's, a purveyor in Pleasant Valley, NY, who sells at NYC greenmarkets, always has fresh geese. Wed Nov 10 13:05:04 -0800 2004 1656325 0 lucia 2 1656375 goose is easy to cook as others have said - it is longer in proportion to its width than turkey, so a different pan may be needed. follow the directions on pricking it, removing the (great) grease etc. and it will NOT be greasy, just deliciously juicy (I am a dark meat lover) One thing to consider - larger is not necessarily better with geese - the grain of the meat in the bigger ones can be coarser in texture Wed Nov 10 17:04:43 -0800 2004 1656338 0 jen kalb 1 1656340 Nothing illegal about domestic ones. It is illegal to sell any wild animal taken from sport hunting. I can find it frozen in my supermarket. But in a society where instant is seen as an improvement and having to use a knife for anything beyond slitting open a plastic bag qualifies as "home cooking", how many people are going to know how to properly roast a goose? If nobody buys it, nobody is going to stock it. I think that is the reason. I was at a place in Germany where I knew the goose was superb so when I didn't see it on the menu I asked the server if they still had it. My German wasn't as good as I remembered as she promptly delivered me the wine list. Wed Nov 10 13:25:32 -0800 2004 1656325 0 muD 2 1656344 Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines: low demand>>low availability. When I lived in the midwest a few yrs. back (central Missouri), the standard market regularly carried frozen goose and duck; however, I don't see them at standard (ie, Safeway/Von's, etc.) markets in Calif. now. I suppose that the foodie trend-setters haven't "pushed" goose lately (not like those heritage turkeys), and I don't often come across recipes for goose. Never had a chance to taste this myself: how does the flavor compare to other birds?? What is the best way to enjoy (ie, roast, stew, etc.)?? Wed Nov 10 13:43:57 -0800 2004 1656340 0 Carb Lover 3 1656360 I roast a goose several times a year, always at Christmas, and one or two other times. I think it is way more tasty than turkey, less gamey than duck, more interesting, delicate and moist than chicken, easier to cook than pheasant (which can dry out quickly). I save the grease, which comes out pure as water in the first hour or two of roasting. It's great to cook with. I also make cassoulet afterwards, using some of the meat and some of the fat. As long as you manage the fat (removing it from the pan as it cooks), it's as easy as turkey, easier in fact because you don't have to baste it. I usually serve it with all the Christmas-y trimmings--sweet potatoes, brussels, roast parsnips, port wine sauce, etc. Even a large goose will not yield that much meat because much of the original weight is fat. Wed Nov 10 15:27:52 -0800 2004 1656344 0 lucia 4 1656365 Good description, but I think it highlights why goose has fallen out of favor: it's fatty, and unless you cook it right, can be unpleasantly greasy. Compared to turkey, there's less meat and there's no white meat, which makes it less attractive for a big family dinner where you want lots of meat that will please a variety of tastes. I love it, but I haven't gotten up the nerve to cook it. Wed Nov 10 16:21:17 -0800 2004 1656360 0 Ruth Lafler 5 1656391 High price per pound with low meat yield creates a demand problem. Last year frozen geese were fairly available in Chicago for $2.59-2.99 per pound while frozen ducks were $1.49-1.99 as long as you avoided places like Whole Foods. You need more pounds of goose per serving than duck, too. German restaurants in Chicago used to get four to six servings per goose. Goose was most often a special or weekend only item. I don't know if any restaurants still serve goose on a regular basis in the Chicago area. The ones that used to are long gone. Goose has dark luscious meat if cooked properly. I think the flavor is better than duck but not enough to justify the high price. The rendered fat keeps well refrigerated or frozen and is great for cooking, which buffers the cost a bit for home cooks but doesn't do anything for many restaurants. There is also a supply issue. Geese are big, aggressive birds, so they can be something of a pain to grow. A small farmer considering raising heirloom turkeys or geese would probably go for the turkeys. Wed Nov 10 19:25:08 -0800 2004 1656365 0 Eldon Kreider 6 1656525 Additionally, a lot of people have memories of eating badly-cooked goose at Chistmas as children and therefore aren't eager to give it another try, further driving down demand. I'd have to lie to my dad to get him to eat goose...he's pretty sure he knows what it tastes like, and that it's not a pleasant experience. Fri Nov 12 09:06:12 -0800 2004 1656391 0 --susan 7 1657504 hi, can you tell me where to buy a goose in chicago. i want to cook some on sunday for the first advent. i never saw any to buy.. thanks! tea Thu Nov 25 00:29:42 -0800 2004 1656525 0 Tea 8 1657511 ...they generally stock frozen ones this time of year. Give them a call, and I am quite that they will be more than happy to put one aside for you, or perhaps even order a fresh one. Thu Nov 25 02:10:54 -0800 2004 1657504 0 peg 9 1657543 Thank you very much!! I'll try that! Fri Nov 26 01:25:51 -0800 2004 1657511 0 Tea 3 1656431 Roast it, but you have to roast off the fat. It's dark meat. The one thing is that a goose will look big, but most of it is air inside the cavity and then the skeleton. They were never domesticated the way chickens and turkeys were so they retain their original meat to bone ratio with a big 'ol chest cavity. Thu Nov 11 13:06:17 -0800 2004 1656344 0 muD 1 1656353 Low demand. All of it is legal. Although there are (firebombed, attacked, and persecuted) foie gras producers in the US, all them of produce duck foie gras. Goose foie gras is a much more difficult, slow, labor intensive process which is why 1) no domestic companies do it, 2) why it is more expensive. A goose has a smaller windpipe and the process has to be more gentle, and slow. Goose foie gras is considered to be superior to duck foie gras but I prefer duck, probably because I have consumed more of it. Wed Nov 10 14:39:30 -0800 2004 1656325 0 JudiAU 1 1656390 Goose is just not well known to most cooks. It is wonderful. Aside from the frozen guys many specialty butchers can get them for you. Frozen is not necessarily bad as always depending on the producer. I am wracking my brain trying to remember where I found the recipe years ago- but it involved pricking the goose, cooking at high heat just to start to render fat, pouring shlizovitz (spelling is wrong- east euro plum brandy with HIGH alcohol content) over, flaming, and then basting with boiling water to continue to render fat and get a nice skin. It was heavenly- even got compliments from the euro relatives who are goose savvy. Good luck Wed Nov 10 19:08:13 -0800 2004 1656325 0 torty 1 1656403 Not at all illegal. I find the greatest availability around Chanukah (for northern European Jews outside of olive-growing regions, goose fat became a choice option for cooking the latkes associated with the holiday) and Jewish high holy days. Wed Nov 10 22:02:05 -0800 2004 1656325 0 Karl S. 1 1656440 I find it frozen at markets in the Northeast, and can order it fresh from any specialty butcher. W/re: rendering and roasting and removing excess fat-- I rely on the basic method outlined in Julia Child's The Way to Cook, which involves preliminary skin pricking, steaming/pouring boiling water over the goose to render off some fat, and then roasting and occasionally removing fat as you go during the roasting. A little intensive in terms of hauling it in and out of the oven, but it works, and I always end up with cups of lovely fat for cooking turnips in. Thu Nov 11 14:00:10 -0800 2004 1656325 0 emdb 2 1656449 You might keep in mind that the origin of duck confit is preserved goose. Cut up goose and pickle goose parts for several days, then cook in goose fat for several hours. You can refrigerate in the fat for several months. Thu Nov 11 15:18:16 -0800 2004 1656440 0 Jim H. 1 1656519 What wonderful timing, a friend and I were talking about an article I had read recently on this very subject. It's quite possibly some of the funniest food writing I have read ANYWHERE. Link: http://www.drbanks.com/rants/goose.zhtml Fri Nov 12 04:09:23 -0800 2004 1656325 0 JK Grence (the Cosmic Jester)