Slow-braised goose in cherry beer

SERVES 4

4 goose (or duck) leg quarters

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

½ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 French shallots, peeled and cut into thirds

375 ml (13 fl oz) bottle of Kriek Lambic (see note)

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) chicken stock

700 g (1 lb 9 oz) jar of pitted morello cherries

Wash and then pat dry the goose or duck leg quarters, then trim them of excess skin and fat, trying to remove as much fat as possible but not too much skin. Combine the spices and salt and rub the mixture well into each of the leg quarters. Refrigerate overnight — the longer you leave them, the better the flavour will be.

Brown the meat, skin side down, in a hot non-stick frying pan — you will not need any oil as the meat will release plenty. Once the skin is brown and crisp, turn and brown the other side. Remove from the pan. Discard most of the fat from the pan, leaving a couple of tablespoons for cooking the shallots. Cook the shallots for a couple of minutes then add the Kriek Lambic and the chicken stock. Reduce this down by about one-third. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3). Place the goose in an ovenproof dish, preferably a heavy one where it will fit snuggly and then pour over the braising liquid and shallots. Cover with baking paper and a tight-fitting lid and bake for 1½–2 hours. Turn the meat after an hour. Check that the liquid is not bubbling too hard as you just want it to be gently simmering. Once the goose is ‘pull apart’ tender, carefully lift it out of the liquid and put on a baking tray. Increase the oven temperature to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7) and roast for 6–7 minutes, keeping an eye on it, until the skin becomes crisp.

Place the braising pan with the shallots and cooking liquid on the stove — if there is a lot of fat carefully skim it off. Over a gentle heat add some of the cherry juice — the amount depends on how much liquid is left in the pan but let’s say about 125–250 ml (4–9 fl oz/½–1 cup). Also throw in about 100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) of the cherries. Increase the heat and reduce the sauce, all the time scraping the bottom of the pan to get any cooked bits off the pan and into the sauce. Once it is reduced to your liking, check for seasoning and then it is ready.

Serve with polenta and steamed bok choy (pak choy), green beans or braised red cabbage. Drizzle the sauce over the meat and around the plate.

Lambic is a Belgian beer. Once the beer has finished fermenting, sour cherries are added and the beer undergoes a second fermentation. The cherries add colour, some sweetness and also a sourness that makes the beer quite complex and delicious. It comes in small bottles similar to Champagne, complete with a cork. Other flavours include framboise (raspberry), cassis (blackcurrant)and peach.