Season’s Sauce

The last time I cooked Christmas dinner for a crowd (albeit a small one) I roasted a goose. Goose is one of my favorite fowls — much richer, more flavorful, and juicier than turkey. If you like duck, you’ll like goose.

Although you can make a standard gravy just as you would for turkey, I think the stronger flavor calls for something more assertive. At some point I ran across a recipe for a balsamic cranberry sauce that was recommended for duck and that I’ve found is equally good on goose. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the source for the recipe so I can’t bestow credit where it’s due. Even more unfortunately, I’ve never been able to find fresh cranberries except around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and so, by default, this is the season for the sauce.

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Balsamic Cranberry Sauce

1/2 lb fresh cranberries
7 tbsps sugar
2 tbsps orange liqueur
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 c chicken broth
1/2 c beef broth
1 tsp fresh ginger — minced
1 dash cayenne pepper

Mix cranberries, 4 tbsp sugar, and liqueur in a 4-cup glass bowl. Cover with waxed paper and microwave on high for three minutes, stirring half way through, or until berries pop. Set aside.

In a 2-cup glass bowl, combine vinegar and remaining three tbsps sugar. Microwave, uncovered, on high for three minutes. Stir. Cook another 1 – 2 minutes until mixture begins to thicken and coats a spoon. (Be careful not to burn.)

Combine vinegar, ginger, and cayenne with cranberry mixture. Microwave on high 2 – 4 minutes or until boiling. Stir. Continue to cook on high 5 minutes more to develop the flavor. Serve.

Technorati: Food | recipe | sauce | cranberry | duck | goose | holiday| thanksgiving| christmas

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