Ringing in 2011 with a Gourmet Dinner

New Year's Eve 2011 Dinner

New Year’s Eve, Mr BT and I celebrated our anniversary and 2011 with a gourmet romantic dinner. Our anniversary was actually the day before, but I had more time to prepare a lovely meal on Friday, so we had an anniversary/Shabbat/2011 special meal.

Last week, I found two beautiful goose breast fillets and some very large bright yellow quinces. I thought these would be two perfect ingredients for a romantic anniversary dinner. I made goose breast with a quince and red currant sauce, roasted butternut squash, Jerusalem artichokes and potato, and steamed broccoli. For dessert, I made a luscious quince tarte tatin.

This year, Mr BT and I will be searching for a home to call our own. Something we have dreamed about for a long time. I hope that 2011 is filled with more foodie adventures that I can share with you. And, I hope that all of your hopes and dreams come true this year.

Mr BT and I wish you all a very happy, healthy, peaceful and delicious 2011.

Goose Breast with Quince and Red Currant Sauce

Caramelised Goose Breast with Quince and Red Currant Sauce
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: International
Servings: 2
Ingredients
For the goose:
  • 2 goose breast fillets about 200g (7oz) each
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 piece of fresh ginger about 2 1/2 cm (1 inch), minced
For the sauce:
  • 1 medium poached quince diced
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 4 tablespoons port
  • 1 piece of fresh ginger about 2 1/2 cm (1 inch), minced
  • 100 ml 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 strand of fresh red currants or 1/4 cup of thawed and drained fresh-frozen
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chives chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 220C (425F).

  2. Season the goose breast with salt and pepper. Heat a dry pan over medium-high heat. Sear the goose, skin-side down, until golden. Turn the breast over and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the honey, mustard and ginger to the pan, and baste the goose a few times. Transfer the goose to a roasting pan with a rack and roast in the oven for 5 minutes. Do not overcook. The goose should be slightly pink in the center.
  3. Meanwhile, add the quince and shallot to the pan in which you seared the goose, keeping the goose fat in the pan to help thicken the sauce. Add the port to de-glaze the pan, bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by half. Add the ginger and the white wine, return to the boil and simmer to reduce again. Season with salt and pepper, and add the red currants and chives.
  4. To serve, place the roasted vegetables on the center of the plate, slice the goose breast and place on top and pour the sauce on top of the goose.

 

Roasted Butternut Squash
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 180 g (1 cup) butternut squash peeled and cut into cubes
  • 180 g (1 cup)Jerusalem artichokes peeled and cut into cubes
  • 180 g (1 cup) roasting potatoes cubed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Place the butternut squash, Jerusalem artichoke and potato on a baking tray in one layer. Sprinkle the fresh thyme and massage in the olive oil until the vegetables are coated evenly with the thyme and the oil. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper and roast them for 15-25 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Quince Tarte Tatin

Quince Tarte Tatin
by David Lebovitz

The is one of the best Tartes Tatin I have ever had and Mr BT thought so too. It is not too sweet and really shows off the quince.

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Written by Baroness Tapuzina

Michelle Nordell (aka Baroness Tapuzina) was a foodie from the womb growing up in the House of Weird Vegetables, so named by a family friend because all of the unusual and exotic food cooked and eaten there. She loves to change recipes using herbs from her garden and spices from the spice shops she enjoys visiting.

6 thoughts on “Ringing in 2011 with a Gourmet Dinner

  1. I am here from Mediterranea. Lovely blog. I’ve never cooked goose before but I love quinces and the whole dish sounds delicious.

    1. Yassou Ivy,

      Thank you very much. Your website is very nice and I love Greek food. I only started cooking goose recently. It is not as difficult to prepare as I had imagined.

  2. What a fabulous menu, with such wonderful photos. Everything looks absolutely delicious. Wonderful combination of flavors in the sauce for the goose.

    Where do you find goose breast? What about fresh red currants?

    I wish you both all the best in 2011.

    1. Hi Faye,

      Happy 2011 to the both of you too! I haven’t been able to find a source for fresh goose here. I have asked around and no one seems to know where to buy it. There must be some butcher who sells it since we have goose farms here. I bought frozen breasts and frozen red currants. I think the only place one could attempt to grow red currants are in the Golan. I have never seen fresh currants here.

  3. Goose can be bought at various market butcheries, Shuk HaCarmel, Tikva,
    in upper nazareth Nazareth at Of Zol: http://www.ipp.co.il/htm/Heb_BusinessInfo_16227_1_0_0.htm?nvkind=search&category=38&nvsearch=2B4A1CE6F6CCBE29
    online butcher: http://www.meating.co.il/catalog.php?type=duck
    I’v3e seen at Tiv Ta’am.

    Most israelis equate goose with pâté de foie gras or the grilled goose livers a la Avazi in hatikva neighborhood inherent cholestrol and cruel force feeding which is thankfully now outlawed in Israel

    I wish you and your readers all the best for 2011

    1. Thanks Dov for the info. I too am glad that force feeding of geese is illegal here.

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