top of page

We are working on changes to this website.  Login is temporarily unavailable.

Learn More

Festival Goose with Porcini and Grape Sauce

The U.S.A. has a long festival season, beginning with Halloween and ending with the Super Bowl. Here's a recipe for this festive time of year.

by Shea Moss

(dynamic)

Boletus edulis. © Damon Tighe (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 318810706)

Method

Render the Fat

Goose fat is wonderful for sautéing mushrooms, potatoes, liver, nuts, etc.

  1. Prick the goose all over with a fork.

  2. Place on a rack in a large covered kettle.

  3. Add water to just below the rack (do not allow the goose to touch the water).

  4. Steam the goose for 1 to 1½ hours. Watch the water level and add water as needed. Do not allow the fat to scorch.


Editor's Note: The following section of the recipe has been modified a bit. Nowadays, the USDA and FDA recommend that you minimize the time that uncooked or partially cooked poultry is allowed to sit betwen 40°F and 140°F. So, here are a couple of options:


Option a) Hold the Goose above 140°F

  1. Preheat your oven to between 170°F to 200°F (a standard "warm" setting).

  2. Pour the hot fat and all liquid from the goose into a heat-safe jar (or other vessel).

  3. Submerge the bottom of the jar into a larger bowl filled with a 50/50 mix of ice and water so that it chills quickly. (This is faster than placing the jar in a refrigerator.)

  4. In the meantime, keep the steamed goose in the firmly covered roasting pan, and place it inside the warm oven. As long as the oven is between 170°F to 200°F, it should keep the internal temperature of the uncooked goose above 140°F until you're ready to stuff it (which could be several hours).

  5. In the meantime, stir the goose liquid in the Mason jar occasionally, to bring the hot center to the cool edges. Replenish the ice as needed. Within 20-30 minutes, the fat should form a hard, solid white disk on top.

  6. Extract and break up the hardened fat into rough 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a freezer baggie and freeze for later use.

  7. Drain the liquid from the jar into another vessel, and immediately use it to reconstitute the boletes (see below).

  8. Do not remove the hot goose from the oven until you're ready to stuff it. Note: Goose holds a lot of internal fat, so plenty of fat should remain inside the meat fibers to keep it moist at this temperature for a couple hours.


Option b) Split into 2 Days

  1. After steaming the goose, transfer the hot goose to a clean tray and immediately place it in the refrigerator overnight.

  2. Pour all the goose drippings (fat and liquid) from the pan into a jar (or other vessel) and place in the refrigerator. Allow the fat to harden and rise to the top overnight.

  3. The next day, extract and break up the hardened fat into rough 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a freezer baggie and freeze for later use.

  4. Drain the liquid from the jar into another vessel, and immediately use it to reconstitute the boletes (see below).

  5. Keep the goose in the refrigerator until you are ready to stuff it.


Option c) Traditional Approach

Disclaimer: This approach allows the uncooked poultry to sit at room temperature for longer. You might mitigate this by placing it in uncovered in the refrigerator to cool instead. You need to use your own judgement here. FFSC is not responsible for how you choose to prepare your food.


  1. Remove the goose from the pan, and allow it to cool to the touch on a rack.

  2. Pour all the goose drippings (fat and liquid) from the pan into a jar (or other vessel) and place in the refrigerator. Allow the fat to harden and rise to the top (which might take a few hours).

  3. Extract and break up the hardened fat into rough 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a freezer baggie and freeze for later use.

  4. Drain the liquid from the jar into another vessel, and use it to reconstitute the boletes (see below).


Infuse the Boletes

  1. Place the dried boletes in a quart jar, add in the liquid that you reserved when rendering the goose fat, and fill the remaining space with clean water, leaving 1 inch of space in the jar. Cover tightly with leakproof lid.

  2. Turn the jar upside down, and allow the mushrooms to reconstitute for 30 minutes.

  3. (While you wait, you can roast the onions below, then come back to these steps.)

  4. Turn the jar right side up, and continue to reconstitute for 30 minutes.

  5. Extract the boletes and squeeze them dry, reserving all the liquid once again.


Roast the Onions

  1. Preheat an oven to 375°F.

  2. Roast 2 Lbs of unpeeled red onions for 30 minutes.

  3. Cool, peel, and chop.

  4. Turn the oven down to 325°F.


Make the Stuffing

  1. Sauté garlic and boletes in 1 Tbs goose fat (or olive oil), until garlic is soft but not browned and the boletes are fully cooked.

  2. Soak pita breadcrumbs in the reserved bolete liquid for 5 minutes, drain and press dry, once again reserving any remaining liquid.

  3. Combine bread, roasted onions (now peeled), sautéed boletes, sage, parsley, nuts, pepper, and (if used) sausage, to create the stuffing.

  4. Wet your palms slightly and dip your palms in salt. (If you're working with a hot goose, wear kitchen gloves.) Give the goose a good salt rubbing all over, inside and out. Loosely stuff the goose with the porcini mixture, and sew closed with kitchen twine.

  5. Place in a roasting pan on a rack, and cook at 325° F until tender (about 15 to 22 minutes per pound). Slow cooking is the key to a flavorful, moist goose. Editor's note: Use your own judgement here. Even with precooked stuffing ingredients, the goose can still seep uncooked poultry juices into the stuffing. The FDA recommends that the thickest part of the thigh and the center of the stuffing register 165°F before you remove the goose from the pan.

  6. When done, remove goose from pan and let stand while you make the sauce.


Grape Sauce

  1. Take some drippings out of the roasting pan

    and sauté the grapes in the drippings until the grapes begin to steam and bubble (about 5 minutes).

  2. Add veal stock.

  3. In a bowl, make a paste of the flour and ¼ cup of the reserved liquid (from when you infused the mushrooms and dipped the bread).

  4. When paste is smooth, add one more cup of reserved liquid to the paste and blend smooth again.

  5. Add the paste to the grape sauté and allow the mixture to thicken. Add lime juice and a

    little brandy to the sauté, if desired.

  6. Take the stuffing out of the goose, and slice

    the goose.


Serve the goose, stuffing and sauce separately, allowing each person to taste and combine as desired.

Recipe contributed:

December

1990

This recipe was originally shared by Shea (former Minster of Culinary Affairs) in the December 1990 issue of Duff. As a bonus, she also included how to render the goose fat for later use in other dishes.


In 1997, Vince Viverito (that season's Minister of Culinary Affairs) added suggestions for those who prefer to use oysters instead of sausage.


In 2026, we updated the recipe with suggestions for those newer to preparing this type of dish.

Objective:

Main course

Total Time:

About 8 hours

Yield:

3 to 5 servings

Suggested Mushrooms:

  • Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris)

Join FFSC or renew your membership to access the rest of this content.

Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content.

Ingredients

1 large 6-10 Lb. goose

Water


Stuffing

1 Cup dried boletes*

2 pounds of unpeeled red onions

3-4 Tbs garlic, minced

5 c. pita bread, shredded

1/4 c. fresh sage leaves, or 3 Tbs dried whole leaves

6 Tbs fresh parsley, minced

1 Tbs black peppercorns, crushed (or freshly ground pepper)

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts*

(optional) 1 or 2 sweet Italian sausages*, cooked to a light grey, and diced.


Grape Sauce

1 c. red seedless grapes, crushed

1/4 c. veal stock, warmed

2 Tbs flour

1 Tbs lime juice

Brandy (optional)


Suggested Equipment

A large roasting pan** with a tight-fitting lid

1 quart jar (e.g., Mason jar)

Kitchen twine

Trussing needle or skewers


* If you use oysters (the shellfish, not the mushroom) instead of sausage in your stuffing (as some in New England and Chesapeake Bay do), I suggest you use chanterelles and walnuts instead of boletes and hazelnuts. — Vince


** For example, 14" to 16" long and at least 3" inches tall, with a V-rack or roasting rack and a thick, stove-ready base. Allow room for the goose to sit on the rack with 0.5" to 1" of clearance underneath to hold the water and rendered fat.

bottom of page