All the tips and tricks to perfect your holiday bird

Fresh Christmas Goose.  Locally raised.   (8-10 lbs)

Fresh Duck.  Locally raised.   (4.5-5 lbs)

 

	Size	Cooking Time	Servings	Internal Temperature
Duck	4.5 – 6lbs	3 hours	4 to 6	170 degrees
Goose	8-10lbs	2.5 – 3 hours	5 to 8	170 degrees

 

To place an order, call or visit us OR place your order on-line.

Tips for cooking duck and goose

Prick the skin of whole duck or goose before roasting so fat can render

If stuffing, add 30 minutes to the cooking time

Don’t overcook the meat. Medium rare- to medium is the goal when it comes to duck and goose. Just ensure that the proper internal temperature of 170 degrees has been reached

Christmas Goose Recipe

Ingredients

1 Meridian Fresh Goose

4 lemons

4 limes

1 tsp. of Chinese five powder spice (anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon, Szechwan pepper, cloves)

Fresh parsley sprigs, thyme, sage

Sea salt

Pepper (to taste)

Olive oil

3 tbsp. honey

Directions

1. Check the inside of the bird and remove any giblets or pads of fat
2. Score the goose breast and leg skin in a criss-cross pattern
3. Grate the lemons and limes to create a citrus zest
4. Mix the citrus zest with sea salt, five pepper spice and pepper
5. Season the inside of the goose with salt
6. Rub the citrus/five pepper seasoning on the skin of the goose and season the inside of the goose
7. Stuff the goose with the herb sprigs and set aside for at least
8. Optional: Brown the goose in a frying pan using olive oil. Do this by holding the goose by the legs and press the breast down on the frying pan to brown
9. Place the goose in a roasting tin and pour the honey and some thyme leaves on the skin
10. Roast the goose uncovered for 2.5 – 3 hours at 350 degrees depending on the size of the bird
11. If the goose begins to brown too much, cover the goose with foil
12. Every half hour, baste the goose with the juices from the pan and pour any fat through a sieve and into a heatproof bowl
13. Save the above fat for vegetables if you wish
14. After goose has cooked (skin should be golden brown and internal cooking temperature must have reached 170 degrees), leave the goose to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes covered with foil

 

Christmas Duck Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 whole Meridian fresh duck

Fresh rosemary

½ tsp. nutmeg

Sea salt (to taste)

Fresh ground black pepper

1 orange (cut in half)

4 garlic cloves

2 red onions (peeled and quartered)

2 celery stocks trimmed and cut into chunks

2 carrots cut into chunks

½ cinnamon stick

1 small pieces of fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)

Bay leaves

2 lbs. of potatoes peeled and cut into larger chunks

1 litre of chicken stock

2 tbsp. flour

200 ml red wine

Directions

1. Wash the duck inside and out and remove giblets and neck
2. Grate the zest of the orange and mix with 1 sprig of rosemary, nutmeg, thyme and 1 tbsp of sea salt
3. Rub this mixture all over the duck inside and out
4. Cover the duck and leave in the fridge for a few hours
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
6. Stuff the duck with another rosemary sprig, orange halves and garlic cloves
7. Place the duck, breast side breast side up on the bars of the middle shelf of the oven rack
8. Place the onion, celery and carrots in the bottom of a roasting tray
9. In the roasting tray add the cinnamon, ginger, and bay leaves
10. Place the roasting tray on the bottom shelf below the duck so that all the fat will be caught by the roasting pan
11. Place potatoes in a pan and cover with cold salt water
12. Bring the pot to a simmer and parboil the potatoes for 5 to 10 minutes
13. After the duck has been roasted for an hour take the bottom tray out of the oven and replace it with an empty tray
14. Spoon the fat from the removed tray and place it into a bowl
15. Place all vegetables and juices into a saucepan and add some boiling water
16. Tip the water and brown bits into the pan with the vegetables and top up with 1 liter of chicken stock and place on medium heat (this will create the gravy)
17. Skim all fat that rises to the top
18. Place the parboiled potatoes into the empty tray in the oven, add some of the duck fat and season and place under the duck for another hour
19. Heat a saucepan and add 2 tbsp. of duck fat. When the fat is hot and has melted add the flower and mix with a wooden spoon until it makes a paste
20. Stir in the contents from the saucepan and add the port
21. Bring the gravy mixture to a boil and then simmer for half an hour (stirring occasionally)
22. Duck should cook for approximately 30-35 minutes per pound
23. Make sure the duck has reached an internal temperature of 170 degrees and then lift it onto a plate and cover with foil. Leave to rest for 15 minutes
24. Pour the gravy mixture into a sieve and into a clean saucepan. Keep this gravy warm in a saucepan, while continuing to skim off any fat
25. Once you are ready to eat, pull the meat away from the bones of the duck with a pain of tongs, or using your fingers and using kitchen gloves
26. Serve with potatoes and the port gravy