Chefs Recipe – Breast of Goose by Adam Byatt of Trinity, Clapham

Adam Byatt’s festive breast of goose recipe, served with a smooth celeriac purée and roast parsnips, is a wonderful dish to be enjoyed on any big occasion, and especially if you are looking for an alternative to turkey this Christmas. Make sure you macerate the cranberries for at least 3 hours before serving, so they soften slightly before adding them to the gravy.

Ingredients

• 1 goose crown, 3.5 kg in weight
• 100g of cranberries
• 15g of caster sugar
• 4 parsnips
• 50g of butter
• 250ml of brown chicken stock
• 4 tsp honey
• olive oil
• salt

Celeriac purée

• 1 celeriac
• 250ml of milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of black pepper, freshly ground

Method

Place the cranberries in a bowl with the sugar. Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 3 hours until the cranberries have softened slightly.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6

Use a sharp knife to lightly score the skin of the goose and season well with salt. Place the goose crown onto a rack in a roasting tray and roast for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the celeriac into evenly sized pieces. Place in a saucepan, cover with milk and add the bay leaf and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cover with a cartouche. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 40 minutes

Once the celeriac is tender, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Discard the bay leaf and blend both the celeriac and a little of the milk in a food processor until smooth. Pass the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl and set aside until required.

Remove the goose from the oven (but leave the oven on) and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Peel the parsnips, quarter them lengthways and remove the woody centres. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large ovenproof pan. Fry the parsnips all over until golden brown.

Add the butter to the frying pan, toss to coat and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tender. Remove and set aside.

Remove the breasts from the goose crown by running a knife down each side of the breastbone and along the carcass, lifting one breast off at a time. Place the breasts on a plate and store in a warm place for later.

Roughly chop the carcass and place it in a large saucepan with the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently to reduce to a gravy-like consistency, approximately 30-35 minutes.

Pass the reduction through a fine strainer into a clean pan and add the cranberries using a slotted spoon, being careful not to add the juice that has formed in the bottom of the bowl. Set aside to keep warm.

To finish the parsnips, drain the fat from the parsnips and add the honey to the pan. Place the pan over a low heat and allow the honey to caramelise for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Gently reheat the celeriac purée in a small saucepan, stirring constantly so that it does not catch on the base of the pan.

To serve, slice the goose breast thinly and stack the slices on individual plates with the glazed parsnips. Spoon the celeriac purée next to the goose and drizzle with the cranberries and sauce. Serve immediately.

Adam Byatt

Adam has been winning awards since the tender age of 16 when he landed the prestigious apprentice placement at Claridge’s. After a period at the Berkeley Hotel, Adam began a prosperous tenure with Chefs chef Phil Howard at The Square in Mayfair. In 2001 he identified Clapham as the perfect area to open Thyme, his first privately owned restaurant which won a slew of accolades. After what turned out to be an unsuccessful decision in moving Thyme into the members only Hospital Club in Covent Garden, Adam returned to Clapham and opened Trinity in 2006.

Listed in Sunday Times Top 100 for the past two years, Trinity has held three AA Rosettes for nine years. It went through a large refurbishment earlier this year, creating an additional restaurant space, situated and aptly named ‘upstairs’ – a casual dining space to compliment Trinity that is well suited for private functions and larger groups.

The restaurant serves seasonal, imaginative food, bursting with vibrant flavours which represents the best of Adam’s talent.

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