Merry Christmas from Our Natural Life

Ornament Hand Made by Jon

Thank you so much for listening to our Podcasts and reading our blogs in 2009. It has been an awesome year! Your kind words, suggestions, and support mean so much to both of us and we are truly grateful. We have plans for an even more exciting year in 2010. We’ve been very busy during our fall hiatus but hope to touch base with you all soon to let you know what we’ve been up to. Remember to subscribe to both the blogs and Podcasts if you want to keep up with us best.

Merry Christmas Eve! When I was growing up, we always celebrated with a special dinner on Christmas Eve because that was my eldest and late brother Dave’s birthday. With my son Matt and his bride in New Zealand, we weren’t sure how our holiday would pan out this year. We just had 14 for dinner on Thanksgiving, and with all we’ve had going on I did not want to do another big spread. Imagine our surprise when Jon’s daughter decided to come down from Maryland with her spouse and daughter! We were so excited!

The menu needed to center around the Christmas goose we ordered from Natures Harmony Farm back on April 1. I’ve never cooked a goose before, but it sounded very interesting, especially since it is a British tradition and Jon is British by birth. How to cook it was the challenge. Of course, I went right to the master and consulted Julia Child. She instructed us to steam the goose on the stovetop in order to defat it, then steam/braise it in the oven with wine and vegetables, and finally brown in the oven. Sounds so easy!

We found ourselves making a last minute shopping trip on the day before Christmas when we realized we did not have an appropriate roaster for stovetop use. We checked out 4 stores before finding the one we needed at Bed, Bath, and Beyond (made by Oneida). There were long lines and full parking lots with last-minute shoppers, but we zoomed through at B, B, & B. Thank goodness! With only minutes to spare before our goose was due for it’s “hot” date.

Here is our goose with it’s wings trimmed and all trussed for steaming. Didn’t Jon do a great job with the “surgery” part of the preparation? The wishbone is already removed for easier carving at the table.

Next we added an inch of water into the bottom of our new roasting pan, set the goose on the rack, and set it on the stove top to simmer for 45 minutes. Julia Childs suggests steaming the goose first to release the fat, which is rendered nicely during the steaming process and can be saved for later use.

After the steaming was over, I transferred it to my pottery roaster along with onions, celery, carrots, and wine. I covered it with foil to keep it steaming in the oven. Periodically I basted it. Once the leg started to become tender, it was flipped to breast side up and uncovered to finish browning.

I can’t forget some of the other cast members to the meal. Here is Julia’s cranberry chutney, recommended as a goose side dish in The Way to Cook.

This is chocolate mousse (recipe from Julia Child’s Menu Cookbook) made with Natures Harmony Farm pastured egg yolks, cooked into a Sauce Englaise with heavy cream and folded into organic chocolate, dark rum, homemade vanilla extract and whipped egg whites. I wish you could smell how decadent it is!

For snacking before the meal we had Shoreline Chef Chicken Liver Pate served with slices of Granny Smith apples, red bell peppers and gluten-free crackers. I also had an ample supply of crispy almonds prepared Nourishing Traditions style.
Finally, our goose was cooked! Just in time for guests, giblet gravy, wine, and side dishes. The food was great and the company fantastic. Enjoy your holiday! Leave a comment with a request if you’d like any of the recipes.