The Sexy Forever Recipe Bible (88 page)

GOOSE

One 10- to 14-pound goose

1 onion, halved

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon dried sage

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1 tablespoon ground allspice

PORT GLAZE

Goose giblets (except the liver)

4 celery stalks

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 large onion, chopped

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

1 cup port wine

14 ounces dried currants, soaked in water until soft and drained (omit for Level 1)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For the goose:
Clean the goose thoroughly and remove any extra fatty pieces. Reserve the giblets for the sauce. Stuff the goose with the onion halves, fresh thyme, and salt and pepper. Rub the goose with olive oil. Season with about 1 tablespoon each of the salt, pepper, sage, dried thyme, poultry seasoning, and allspice. Prick the bird all over with a fork lightly to allow the excess fat to escape.

Roast the goose on a rack in a roasting pan for 20 to 25 minutes per pound, basting occasionally. The bird is done when the legs jiggle easily and the juices run clear when the skin is pierced.

For the glaze:
While the goose is roasting, place the giblets, celery, garlic, onion, parsley, and 6 cups of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and skim the foam off the top. Simmer for 2 hours. Strain, reserving the stock. Finely chop the giblets and set aside.

Remove the goose from the pan and skim almost all the fat from the juices with a large spoon. Place the roasting pan with goose drippings over medium heat. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the port, 2 cups of reserved stock, and the chopped giblets. Reduce over high heat, stirring for about 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add the currants. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the port glaze over the carved goose.

SERVES 4 TO 6

fish and seafood

Thanksgiving is our family’s
biggest holiday. Odd opener for the Fish and Seafood chapter, right? Not if you are part of our annual Friday Crab Lunch in the desert!

The day after Thanksgiving, each and every year, we gather our friends and family at long tables outside on our deck. Each person is served a freshly cracked Dungeness crab, still warm and simply wrapped in butcher paper. The table is set with crab crackers, lemon wedges,
Homemade Mayonnaise
, and chilled Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay. And for dessert I make my delicious
Lemon Curd Tart
. We all sit around cracking, laughing, and stuffing our faces with sweet, delectable crab! Being born and raised in San Francisco, I have always had access to crab. I didn’t like it as a kid and used to give mine to my brother. Lucky Danny. Now I love it, and I have a lifetime of memories collected from this magical family tradition.

When fish and seafood are fresh, just pulled from the river or ocean, there is nothing like it. Again, extra virgin olive oil, lemon, herbs, sea salt, and butter are my preferred
ingredients for seafood, as you’ll find in my
Pan-Fried Petrale Sole
. When I was a young single mother, I could get two pieces of petrale sole inexpensively, so Bruce and I ate this often. If salmon is more to your taste, make sure to try
Salmon Steaks with Fried Ginger and Lime
. Or, try the
Broiled Sea Bass with Candied Tomatoes and Seared Escarole
.

The fish are jumpin’.

salmon steaks with fried ginger and lime

PROTEIN, HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
DETOX, LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2

FRIED GINGER

One 3-inch piece fresh ginger

½ cup grapeseed oil

SALMON

Four 6-ounce salmon steaks

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 limes, 1 sliced paper-thin with peel and 1 juiced

2 Kirby cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

Handful of daikon sprouts (optional)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

For the ginger:
Peel the ginger and thinly slice. Cut the slices into thin strips. Heat the oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the ginger and cook until dark golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside to drain on paper towels.

For the salmon:
Prepare and heat a grill to medium high. Brush the salmon steaks with a little olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Grill until just cooked through; cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish, from 2 to 7 minutes per side.

Cut each lime slice, including its rind, into 8 pieces, as if you were cutting a pie. Toss the lime with the cucumbers and daikon sprouts, if using. Mix the soy sauce and lime juice, and toss with the vegetables. Place the salmon on four individual plates and heap the vegetable garnish on the fish. Top with a sprinkle of fried ginger.

SERVES 4

braised salmon in white wine and fresh ginger

PROTEIN, HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES, INSULIN TRIGGERS
LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2

1 bottle dry white wine

2 lemons

1⁄3 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger

One 8- to 10-pound whole salmon, cleaned but with skin, head, and tail left on

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh herbs, for garnish

Pour the wine into a fish poacher or a covered pan fitted with a rack. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon into the wine and add the fresh ginger. Slice the other lemon and place in the cavity of the fish along with salt and pepper. Place the fish on the rack, not in the liquid. Cover and bring the liquid to a boil, steaming the fish for 15 minutes.