Leg of goose confit in its own fat served with Hokkaido pumpkin mousse and salad of baby spinach and cherry tomatoes with herb vinaigrette

Recipe for 10 servings

Ingredients:

• Leg of goose – 10 pcs. (approx. 2500 g)
• Curing salt – 25 g
• Ground black pepper – 5 g
• Fresh garlic – 20 g
• Fresh thyme – 10 g
• Fresh rosemary – 5 g
• Bay leaf – 2 g
• Goose fat (goose lard) – 2500 g

Hokkaido pumpkin mousse:

• Hokkaido pumpkin – 1500 g
• Onions – 150 g
• Garlic – 10 g
• Clarified butter – 60 g
• 30% cream – 150 g
• Salt – 10 g
• Ground white pepper – 2 g
• Ground nutmeg – 0.5 g
• Lemon juice – 10 g

Salad of young spinach and cherry tomatoes:

• Young (baby) spinach – 300 g
• Red cherry tomatoes – 400 g
• Red onion – 50 g
• Roasted sunflower seeds – 30 g

Herbal vinaigrette sauce:

• Extra virgin olive oil – 100 g
• Balsamic vinegar – 20 g
• Dijon mustard – 10 g
• Honey – 10 g
• Salt – 3 g
• Ground black pepper – 1 g
• Fresh parsley – 5 g
• Fresh basil – 3 g
• Fresh thyme – 2 g

Method of preparation:

Clean, rinse and dry the goose legs. Rub with curing salt, pepper, finely chopped garlic and fresh herbs. Refrigerate for 12 hours in a closed container. After marinating, rinse the meat of excess spices and dry thoroughly.

Melt the goose fat in a saucepan or a heatproof container. Place the legs in the fat so that they are entirely covered. Confit in the oven at 110-120°C for 3-3.5 hours, until the meat is very tender, but not falling apart. Once cooled, store the legs in fat until serving. Before serving, remove the legs, clean off excess fat and brown the skin in a skillet or oven at 200°C for 10 minutes.

Goose fat can be filtered and kept for future use.

Hokkaido pumpkin mousse:

Cut the pumpkin into pieces, remove the seeds (do not peel the skin). Chop the onion and garlic. Fry the onion and garlic in clarified butter, add the pumpkin, and fry briefly. Pour a small amount of water (about 100 g) and simmer covered until soft (about 20 minutes). Once cooked, add cream and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Blend everything until smooth, and season the mousse with lemon juice to add depth of flavour. Maintain at 60°C until serving.

Pumpkin mousse can be enriched with a small amount of mashed potatoes for a smoother texture.

Salad of young spinach and cherry tomatoes:

Wash and dry the spinach. Cut the tomatoes in half, cut the onion into thin feathers. Combine all ingredients immediately before serving, and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

Herbal vinaigrette sauce:

Combine the oil with balsamic vinegar, mustard and honey. Season with salt and pepper, and add finely chopped herbs. Thoroughly mix or blend until emulsified.