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Michaelmas Recipe I
Roast Goose with Apples
(serves 8)
What you need:
1 13-lb. goose, giblets and neck discarded (you'll need 1 lb per person)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 golden delicious apples, peeled, each cut into 6 wedges
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6 TBSP sugar
1/4 cup calvados (apple brandy)
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
How to do:
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Rinse goose
inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside and out with salt
and pepper. Using knife, cut small slits all over goose; place garlic slices
into slits. Place goose on rack, breast side down, in large roasting pan. Roast
goose 2 hours 45 minutes, basting occasionally with drippings and removing excess
fat; reserve 6 tablespoons fat. Turn goose over. Roast until brown and thermometer
inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting occasionally
with drippings, about 45 minutes longer. Meanwhile, toss apples and lemon juice
in large bowl. Pour 6 tablespoons goose fat into 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking
dish. Using slotted spoon, transfer apples to baking dish; toss apples in goose
fat. Add sugar, Calvados and cinnamon to apples; toss. Bake apples alongside
goose until very tender and golden, about 1 hour. Serve goose with caramelized
apples and a Bordeaux wine. |
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Michaelmas Recipe II
Apple Dolls
How to do:
Peel an apple (Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples work well), cutting
away any bruises (some people say to core the apple, others say not to. Experiment
for yourself). Carve as life-like a face as possible into the apple (don't cut
too deeply so as to avoid rotting). Don't forget the little things that make
a face so human -- the little lines running from nose to mouth, the hollows
of the eyes, the depressions caused by cheekbones, etc. Depending on the "skin"
tone desired, soak the carved apple for about 45 minutes in a mixture of lemon
juice (or cider vinegar) and water (the longer you soak, the lighter the "skin"
tone will be).
Hang the apple up in the dryest, darkest room of your home. Come back in 3
to 4 weeks to see what you have! It should have shrunk by about two thirds its
original size, darkened some, and show the wizened features of an old woman
or man. When thoroughly dry, decorate using very diluted food colorings for
rouge; corn silk, cotton, or yarn for hair; cloves or food colorings for eyes;
fabric triangles for scarves, etc. Secure onto a "body" made of a
bottle, styrofoam cone, wooden dowel, etc., and make clothes as desired. |
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Michaelmas Recipe III
St. Michael's Bannock
What you need:
1 1/3 C. barley flour
1 1/3 C. oat meal
1 1/3 C. rye meal
1 C. flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 scant tsp baking soda
2 1/2-3 C. buttermilk
3 TBSP honey or brown sugar
2 eggs
1 C. cream
4 TBSP melted butter
How to do:
Mix the barley flour, oat meal, and rye meal. Add flour and salt. Mix the
soda and buttermilk (start with the 2 1/2 C) and then add to the dry mixture.
Stir in honey. Turn out onto floured board and mix (as with all breads, don't
over-mix), adding more buttermilk if too dry, or more flour if too sticky).
Divide dough in half, and roll each, on a floured board, into an 8" circle
(about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick). While heating a lightly greased skillet,
mix the eggs, cream, and melted butter. Spread onto one of the bannocks and
place the bannock, egg-side down, in the skillet and cook till the egg-side
is browned. Put the egg mixture on the top side, flip the bannock and cook till
the second side is golden. Repeat this application of the egg wash and flipping
and cooking until each side has been cooked three times. Do the same with the
second bannock. Serve warm with butter and honey.
(According to an old Irish folk tale, blackberries were supposed to have
been harvested and used up by this date, too, since it is told to children that
when Satan was kicked out of Heaven, he landed in a bramble patch -- and returns
each year to curse and spit on the fruits of the plant he landed on, rendering
them inedible thereafter. So a dessert with blackberries would be perfect.) |
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Michaelmas Recipe IV
Blackberry Crumble
(serves 4)
What you need:
2 cups washed blackberries (thawed if frozen)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
How to do:
Put blackberries in a 1-quart baking dish with half of the sugar. Sprinkle
with lemon juice. Cream butter, remaining sugar, flour, and salt together; sprinkle
over berries. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold with cream,
ice cream, or dessert sauce. |
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