How long should the goose boil?

The goose is placed in boiling, salted water that covers it well, and boils until tender — about 1½–2 hours. Allow around 3 hours in total with the sauce and cutting up.

What gives flavor to the stock?

Cleaned parsley root and a slice of celeriac are boiled with the goose. The stock is strained and skimmed before it is used for the sauce.

How is the white sauce made?

80 g of butter is melted, 40 g of wheat flour is stirred in, and it is thinned with 1–1½ l of strained, skimmed stock. The sauce is brought to a boil and simmers for 5–10 minutes, taken off the heat and combined with cayenne, sugar, lemon juice, sherry, cream and 2–3 egg yolks. The sauce must not boil after the egg yolks are in.

Where does the recipe come from?

From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 264. It is intended for 8 servings.

Goose in White Sauce – 1914 recipe

Name: Goose in White Sauce
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Norwegian
Ingredients: 1 pcs goose (about 3.5–4 kg, cleaned); 1 pcs parsley root (cleaned); 1 slice celeriac; water (for boiling); salt; 80 g butter; 40 g wheat flour; 1 pinch cayenne pepper; 1 tsp sugar; 1.25 l stock (from the cooking water, strained and skimmed (1–1½ l)); 1 tsp lemon juice; 1.5 dl sherry; 2 tbsp cream; 3 pcs egg yolks (2–3 pcs); puff pastry points (for garnish)

About the dish

From "Fjærfæ og vildt" (Poultry and game) in "Stor kokebok" (1914). Here the goose is boiled in stock and served cut up in a fine, egg-thickened white sauce with sherry and puff pastry points around it — a typically festive presentation from Erken's time.

How to make it

1
Boil the goose
Clean the goose and place it in boiling, salted water so it is well covered. Add the cleaned parsley root and celeriac. Let it boil until tender, about 1½–2 hours.
2
Cut up
Lift out the goose, rinse it with cold water and cut it into suitable pieces. Keep the pieces warm in a little of the stock.
3
Make the sauce
Melt the butter, stir in the flour and thin with the strained and skimmed stock. Bring it to a boil and let the sauce simmer for 5–10 minutes.
4
Season and thicken
Take the pot off the heat. Add the cayenne, sugar, lemon juice and sherry, and thicken the sauce with the egg yolks beaten with the cream. Season with salt to taste. The sauce must not boil after this; keep it warm in a water bath (in a larger pot with boiling water).
5
Plating
Place the cut-up goose on a flat platter, pour the sauce over it and arrange puff pastry points around it.

Changes from the original

Modern measures and names (wheat flour, dl of sherry, tablespoons of cream). The sauce is thickened with egg yolks off the boil, and the water bath is described in modern terms. Puff pastry points are listed as optional garnish made from ready-made puff pastry.

Original 1914 recipe

Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.

Facsimile of the 1914 page at the National Library of Norway — Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket

ProofreadPage 264

1 gaas 1 persillerot 1 skive sellerirot vand salt 80 gr. smør 40 gr. hvetemel 1 knivsod cayenne 1 teske sukker 1—1½ l. kraft 1 teske citronsaft 1½ del. sherry 2 spiseskeer fløte 2 à 3 eggeblommer. Gaasen rengjøres og behandles som ovenfor forklaret, sættes over ilden i kokende, saltet vand, saa meget, at det staar godt over, tilsættes den rensede persillerot og selleri. Koker, til gaasen er mør, ca. 1½—2 timer. Tages op, overskylles med koldt vand, deles op i passende stykker, der holdes varme i noget av kraften. Smørret smeltes, irøres melet, spædes med den silede, skummede kraft, gives et opkok; smaakoker 5 à 10 minutter, tages av ilden, tilsættes cayenne, sukker, citronsaft, sherry og eggeblommerne, vispet med fløten. Salt efter smak. Sausen holdes varm ved at sættes op i en anden større gryte med kokende vand i. Den opskaarne gaas serveres paa flatt fat, sausen heldes over; omkring lægges butterdeigsspidser.

Revised 1949 recipe

From the revised edition of the Big Cookbook.

Facsimile of the 1949 page at the National Library of Norway — Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket

ProofreadPage 296

1 gås 1 persillerot 1 skive sellerirot vann salt 80 gr. smør 40 gr. hvetemel 1 knivsodd kajenne 1 — sukker ½ — ¼ l. kraft 1 teskje sitronsaft ½ del. sherry 2 spiseskjeer fløte 2 å 3 eggeplommer. Gåsen rengjøres og behandles som ovenfor forklart, settes over varmen i kokende, saltet vann, så meget at det står godt over, tilsettes den rensede persillerot og selleri. Koker til gåsen er mør, ca. 1½—2 timer. Tas op, overskyiles med koldt vann, deles op i passende stykker, som holdes varme i noe av kraften. — Smøret smeltes, irøres melet, spes med den silte, skummede kraft, gis et opkok; småkoker 5 å 10 minutter, tas av varmen, tilsettes kajenne, sukker, sitronsaft, sherry og eggeplommene, vispet med fløten. Salt efter smak. Sausen holdes varm ved å settes op i en annen større gryte med kokende vann i. Den opskårne gås serveres på flatt fat, sausen helles over; omkring legges butterdeigsspisser.

Goose in White Sauce

About the dish

How to make it

Changes from the original

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