I love this story..it gave me quite a chuckle! I’m glad I didn’t have his experience the first time I roasted a goose. It was many years ago for a family Hanukkah celebration, so I turned to Julia Child’s instructions in “the Way to Cook”. I followed it to the letter and it turned out moist, golden and delicious! Well worth the time and effort of steaming the pricked bird suspended over water so that the fat drips into it. (I also skimmed that beautiful goose fat later to save it for a future use. Roasted potatoes anyone?)
Thank you for that kind offer but obligations here are non-cancelable. Our last Christmas in Florida and we promised the cockroaches a party. It will be their last chance to enjoy my cooking. I read your Substack for a reason. Hasn't helped so far but I'll keep at it. Do you believe in magic?
you do know that you are my top fav writer right? this piece is priceless!!!
sharing with you my main secret to the best goose after years of experimentation: get the USA american geese. the 'fancier' breeds or wild geese are tough no matter the technique. ❤️ 🌹
My mom, a master of the kitchen - only made a goose once...ONCE for Christmas. It was a big breasted cavern that no amount of pepperidge farm stuffing could fill. Back to turkeys and hams (alt years)
Danny was a true original! We met her the day we moved in. The One and I were exhausted from unpacking. Around 5 PM, there was a rapping on the back door.
"Damn it, here we go!" muttered The One. He DIDN'T want to live in the village; he wanted to be out in the hinterlands. The idea of people dropping in was anathema to him. Me? I love it.
When I opened the door, this woman, with the energy of a bulldog straining at her leash, shoved a big pot into my hands.
"THE LAST THING PEOPLE THINK OF ON THEIR FIRST DAY IN A NEW PLACE IS DINNER!"
I stood there, speechless. Then, she handed over a loaf of bread, a card, and a great bottle of wine.
"IT GOES WELL WITH THE LAMB!" Then she turned and started back down the walk.
We invited her in, and we all tucked into her lamb stew (delicious!), and from that point on, she was a fixture in our lives for 27 years until she passed a few months ago. She is greatly missed.
This reminded me of the first time I roasted a HUGE turkey we bought from our local farmer. It barely fit in the tiny vintage oven I had (quite lovely to look at but very, very limited!), but I roasted it, put it on a platter and then tried to carve it. Like your first encounter with the goose all I kept hitting was bone...I panicked. Where was all that breast meat? Was this some kind of freak bony turkey? Would I have to serve my guests a huge wishbone? What I didn't realize was that I roasted the turkey up-side-down. Who knew? It was my first foray into being an adult and I felt like a total goofus! On the other hand, I have never ever roasted a turkey the wrong way up again :-) Thanks for the stories, David. These disasters do give one a chuckle...admittedly only in hindsight!
Ooooh, Ann-Marie! It's so human to mess up, ain't it? And the best part is we have plenty of cocktail chatter and stories to tell the kids. My biggest mess up? Almost burning down our house before Thanksgiving.
I love this story..it gave me quite a chuckle! I’m glad I didn’t have his experience the first time I roasted a goose. It was many years ago for a family Hanukkah celebration, so I turned to Julia Child’s instructions in “the Way to Cook”. I followed it to the letter and it turned out moist, golden and delicious! Well worth the time and effort of steaming the pricked bird suspended over water so that the fat drips into it. (I also skimmed that beautiful goose fat later to save it for a future use. Roasted potatoes anyone?)
I think we all need a friend like Danny! This is the read that I needed tonight- thank you for sharing
Danny sounds like such a wonderful friend! I am glad you knew her and sorry for your loss.
Hilarious! I loved it. 🥰 And now I think I want to cook a goose for Christmas.
Always wanted a goose for Christmas. Any ideas where I might get take-out??
Well, if you stop by our place this year, you might luck out. After I posted this, The One was gung-ho on making it. (Let's see if that happens!)
Thank you for that kind offer but obligations here are non-cancelable. Our last Christmas in Florida and we promised the cockroaches a party. It will be their last chance to enjoy my cooking. I read your Substack for a reason. Hasn't helped so far but I'll keep at it. Do you believe in magic?
Great post, David! It's something I've wanted to do for awhile, so Danny's tips, through your post, will be my guide. Thanks!
Nothing makes me happier than to spread a little Danny Sunshine to others. Please tell me how it turns out!
👍🏼 I sure will, if I can find a decent goose, in my price range,
so that I don't have to take a mortgage out, on the house I no longer own!
Thanks for the restack!
Awsome tale! Loved it!
Obrigado, querida!
Great writing!! I loved it. Your goose is cooked. 😊
Thank you, sir. Means a lot coming from you!
you do know that you are my top fav writer right? this piece is priceless!!!
sharing with you my main secret to the best goose after years of experimentation: get the USA american geese. the 'fancier' breeds or wild geese are tough no matter the technique. ❤️ 🌹
I definitely use only USA geese!
That’s bc you’re brilliant as well!
My mom, a master of the kitchen - only made a goose once...ONCE for Christmas. It was a big breasted cavern that no amount of pepperidge farm stuffing could fill. Back to turkeys and hams (alt years)
Yeah, Becky, these are big-ass birds!
Nothing like a good neighbor that enjoys teaching and cooking. It’s helpful that you were able to give her joy and learn new skills at the same time.
Danny was a true original! We met her the day we moved in. The One and I were exhausted from unpacking. Around 5 PM, there was a rapping on the back door.
"Damn it, here we go!" muttered The One. He DIDN'T want to live in the village; he wanted to be out in the hinterlands. The idea of people dropping in was anathema to him. Me? I love it.
When I opened the door, this woman, with the energy of a bulldog straining at her leash, shoved a big pot into my hands.
"THE LAST THING PEOPLE THINK OF ON THEIR FIRST DAY IN A NEW PLACE IS DINNER!"
I stood there, speechless. Then, she handed over a loaf of bread, a card, and a great bottle of wine.
"IT GOES WELL WITH THE LAMB!" Then she turned and started back down the walk.
We invited her in, and we all tucked into her lamb stew (delicious!), and from that point on, she was a fixture in our lives for 27 years until she passed a few months ago. She is greatly missed.
You were certainly blessed to have her in your lives for so many years! Sorry for your loss. 😪
I love this story! And it proves that we can all make mistakes and learn from them. Thanks David!
Totally, Vevette! If there's one thing I hope people take away from my writing, is we all screw up, and it's deeply human to do so.
Pick me! I certainly can relate to the "screw up " part! 😬 But - hopefully, we learn from our mistakes. 🤞
This reminded me of the first time I roasted a HUGE turkey we bought from our local farmer. It barely fit in the tiny vintage oven I had (quite lovely to look at but very, very limited!), but I roasted it, put it on a platter and then tried to carve it. Like your first encounter with the goose all I kept hitting was bone...I panicked. Where was all that breast meat? Was this some kind of freak bony turkey? Would I have to serve my guests a huge wishbone? What I didn't realize was that I roasted the turkey up-side-down. Who knew? It was my first foray into being an adult and I felt like a total goofus! On the other hand, I have never ever roasted a turkey the wrong way up again :-) Thanks for the stories, David. These disasters do give one a chuckle...admittedly only in hindsight!
Ooooh, Ann-Marie! It's so human to mess up, ain't it? And the best part is we have plenty of cocktail chatter and stories to tell the kids. My biggest mess up? Almost burning down our house before Thanksgiving.
This year? I am waaay behind in my emails, (~1900 backlog 😱) due to unforseen circumstances, so...
Love this!
Thank you, Susie!