Jean-François Lépine’s Christmas Goose

Preparation

• • With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 230 °C (450 °F).
  • In a food processor, finely chop the cranberries.
  • n a skillet, cook the onion and sausage meat in the butter and crumble the meat. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Add the orange zest and juice, white wine, stuffing mix, chopped cranberries, brandy and eggs. Add the pistachios, if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Blend well with your hands. Stuff the goose with this mixture.
  • Place the goose in a large pan. Pour 1-cm (1/2-inch) of water in the pan. Season with salt, pepper and poultry spices.
  • Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180 °C (350 °F) and cook for 20 minutes per 0.5 kg (1 lb), approximately 3 hours. After the first hour of cooking, prick the goose two or three places to drain the fat. A few times during cooking, remove the fat with a baster and set aside for other uses (sautéed mushrooms, cook duck, etc..). The ideal temperature for a perfectly cooked goose (thermometer inserted into the thigh without touching the bone) is 82 ° C (180 ° F).
  • Place the cooked goose on a large platter. Garnish with orange slices and cranberries. At serving time, debone the goose and serve with stuffing. Drizzle with the pan juices.