Nostalgia has a funny way of influencing what we eat as adults on Christmas day. Memories of celebrations past and culinary traditions that we hope perpetuate into the future always seem to shape the food we eat in the festive present.
It’s almost like a Dickensian ghost is at work guiding our hands towards the foods of yesteryear, helping cultural dishes to survive.
Executive chef at , Jeff Schroeter, recalls how he recently felt called to return to a Christmas meal of his own German-inspired past that he hadn’t eaten in years: roast goose.
“I come from a very big family - I grew up with 52 first cousins and half-a-dozen aunties on my father’s side,” says Schroeter. “We used to all come together for occasions like Christmas and eat roast goose.”
The 57-year-old chef reflects on how he became fascinated with the art of cooking as a child, watching his aunts busily preparing festive food in the kitchen and uncles barbecuing or roasting food outdoors.
Chef Schroeter: "I just remember feeding the geese in the yard and then all of a sudden they were gone – then they’d end up on the dinner plate for Christmas.” Source: Photo by David Li
“As a young child, I used to run in between their legs trying to see what was going on. The family cooked everything that they grew or reared on the property, including geese. I just remember feeding the geese in the yard and then all of a sudden they were gone – then they’d end up on the dinner plate for Christmas.”
We used to all come together for occasions like Christmas and eat roast goose.
Schroeter, who's also a co-owner of Beckett's, releases a great sense of pride when he talks about the special occasions he spent with his large family and the meaningful sense of community that enveloped his youth.
The chef is a sixth-generation German-Australian whose cultural story is enshrined in Australian history. As Schroeter explains, his family originated from a German settlement in South Australia’s Barossa Valley. Then in – left their homes in search of farming land. They settled in Walla Walla and neighbouring towns near the Riverina of NSW. Many of the pioneering families, like his, are still in the area today and maintain a connection to the local Lutheran community.
Goose à l’orange at Beckett's: a festive addition to the menu by Schroeter to pay homage to childhood Christmas memories. Source: Photo by David Li
Culturally-rich roast goose
German families have eaten roast goose at Christmas (called ) for centuries. However, Schroeter says he didn’t realise his family's practice of eating goose for special occasions was a German tradition until he was an adult. “Growing up, it just felt normal to eat goose. I thought everyone in Australia ate the same as us. But when I look back, I see there were a lot of recipes and cooking styles that were very traditional, like roast goose and kuchen (German Christmas cake)."
Sometimes, the Sydneysider says, you have to live elsewhere to recognise the richness of where you came from and what you used to eat. This appreciation then allows culture to continue.
“I feel that today, we still have a strong sense of tradition that’s being carried on. For example, this Christmas, I will cook roast goose for my family of 20-30 people and attempt to recreate the same atmosphere that I grew up with.”
Schroeter recommends cooking the goose crown: it presents well at the table for carving and it’s quicker than cooking the whole bird. Source: Photo by David Li
A goose crown bonus
Goose is also eaten by families at Christmas throughout . The waterfowl was once a staple on the festive table in Britain (having even appeared in by Charles Dickens) before being overtaken in popularity by turkey.
Schroeter says you don't have to be a chef to cook goose. In fact, it's a versatile protein that anyone can work with. “It’s very forgiving. The flavour of the goose is also quite interesting. If you cross a duck with lamb, that is the taste of goose.”
He recommends people cook the goose crown: it presents well at the table for carving and it’s quicker than cooking the whole bird. There’s also a massive bonus of cooking goose crown at Christmas: you can pre-cook it before the guests come and let it rest. “The longer you leave the goose to rest, the better. Resting a goose is what helps the meat to relax and become tender.” Then, when you’re ready to serve, pop it back into a preheated oven for five minutes to warm it up, and plate it.
This month, Schroeter placed a few goose dishes on the menu at Beckett’s to pay homage to childhood Christmas memories. In doing so, he says, a lot of diners have remembered a personal connection to the goose meals of their heritage. “Many people have since come up to me saying ‘I remember goose from my childhood’.
“That’s part of the fun associated with cooking foods from yesteryear, like goose. It reminds you of memories about people in the past – mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles and grandfathers – and the foods they used to eat. It triggers nostalgia.”
Roast crown goose
Serves 6-8
Buy a whole goose and ask your butcher to cut off the legs, winglets and backbone (or do it yourself just as you would a chicken). Two breasts will remain on the rib cage – this is called the ‘crown of the goose’. The idea behind isolating the crown is to even out the cooking, as goose legs and breasts require different cooking times. You can confit the legs separately in a master stock or chicken stock. The legs will take 2.5 hours at 120°C.
Ingredients
- 2-3 kilograms, whole goose
- 1 lemon
- Pinch of salt
Method
1. Leave out the goose on the bench at room temperature for an hour before cooking to become more supple. While on the bench, prick into the skin, horizontally with the tip of a paring knife so you don’t pierce the flesh under the skin. This will help to render the fat and make crisper skin while cooking.
2. Cut a lemon in half and rub it over the goose skin.
3. Lightly sprinkle salt over the skin and rub it in. Let the goose sit at room temperature for an hour (the same hour above).
4. After the goose has sat on the bench for an hour turn on the oven to 180°C to pre-heat. While the oven heats up, find your flat heavy cast iron pan (preferable) or a heavy casserole pan that can fit the crown goose.
5. Place the pan on low heat on the stovetop. Once the pan has warmed up, place one goose breast skin side down in the pan to slowly render the fat and crisp the skin. Drain fat into a container to use for roasted potatoes later. Then repeat for the breast on the other side. The idea is to start the cooking process while colouring the skin and rendering the fat before going into the oven.
6. Once both breasts are coloured, place upright (breast side up) in a roasting pan and place in preheated oven.
7. Roast at 180°C for 20 minutes. Then turn the oven temperature down to 120°C and cook for another 20 mins.
8. Remove from oven, place on the kitchen bench, cover with foil to keep warm and let rest for 30 minutes.
Carving options
Carve thin slices directly off the carcass and serve. Or, carve off the whole breasts from the ribcage first and then slice thinly.
Note
- Goose breast should be eaten medium-rare, otherwise, the flavour is lost, and it will become tough and chewy. If you prefer it cooked more, use the pan you seared the breast in and quickly sear the flesh side of the breast after being cut off the ribcage.
Festive inspiration
Mum's Christmas ham hamonado with pineapple and cherries
