Goose Banh Mi

Ingredients

• Goose pastrami (recipe below)
• Five-spice goose confit (recipe below)
• Goose pate (recipe below)
• Baguette (or several)
• Cilantro
• Carrots, julienned
• Daikon radish, julienne
• Rice Wine Vinegar

Instructions

1. Thirty minutes before you're going to assemble the sandwich, start soaking the daikon and the carrots in the rice wine vinegar.
2. To assemble the sandwich, cut an 8 inch piece of baguette cut in half and spread about 2 tablespoons of pate on the bottom piece. Top with 1/4-cup of goose confit, and then the slices of goose pastrami. Add some of the daikon and carrots and finish with some cilantro leaves.

Goose Pastrami

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse's Louisiana Real and Rustic

Ingredients

• 2 goose breasts with the skin on (about 1 pound each)
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, plus 2 tsp ground black pepper to roll the brined breasts in
• 2 tsp dry thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 3 cloves of garlic (smashed)
• 2 tsp whole juniper berries plus 1 tablespoon ground juniper berries to mix with ground black pepper
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1/10 ounce of insta cure # 1 (pink curing salt)

Instructions

1. Bring the water, brown sugar, and both salts to a boil and heat until they dissolve completely. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the brine, turn off the heat, and let stand until room temperature.
2. Place the goose breasts in the room-temperature brine and refrigerate for 48-72 hours, turning the breast over in the brine every day.
3. After the breasts have been brined, dry them off and cover the skin side of the breast with the black pepper and juniper mix.
4. Place in a smoker and smoke at 180 degrees for 5-6 hours or until the breasts reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Goose Liver Pâté

My own original recipe

Ingredients

• 12 ounces goose livers
• 1/10-ounce insta cure #1
• 2 cups port or fruity wine; I used an apple and black current wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 cloves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 of a small white onion
• 8 ounces whipped cream cheese
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 1/4 tsp dry thyme
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• A dash of nutmeg

Instructions

1. Mix the wine, salt, and spices together and add the livers. Marinate the livers for 24 hours in the refrigerator, then remove the livers from the marinade and dry completely.
2. Pan fry the livers in two tablespoons bacon fat for a couple of minutes on each side.
3. Add the livers and bacon fat to a food processor, then add onion, cream cheese, garlic, brandy, thyme, white pepper, and nutmeg. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and add salt, if necessary (it should be a little salty because as it cools the salt will mellow).
4. Transfer the mixture to a fine mesh sieve and press it through the mesh to get a very smooth and creamy pate. Chill before serving.

Five Spice Goose Confit

My original recipe

Ingredients

• 4 goose leg and thigh portions
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 bay leaves
• Enough duck fat to cover the legs

Instructions

1. Mix together the salt and spices and rub the goose legs with this mixture. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. After 24 hours, rinse all the salt mixture off the legs and dry completely.
3. Place the legs in a heavy ovenproof pot and cover with duck or goose fat.
4. Place in the oven at 200 degrees for 5-6 hours. You will know that the legs are done when the meat and skin have pulled away from the knuckle on the leg bone.
5. If you are going to store your confit, you can place the legs in a Ziploc freezer bag with some of the rendered fat and put in the freezer. Or you can pack the legs into a container and cover with remaining rendered fat.
6. When you are ready to use the legs, preheat the oven to 425 and then roast the legs for 10 to 15 minutes until the skin get crispy.