My husband and I have been solo deer hunters for years. This past March, we were able to hunt together for the first time in Missouri on a snow goose conservation hunt. We brought home 49 geese that we breasted out and froze for the year. We were told that snow goose was a trash bird not to be enjoyed like other wild game we had hunted, but I was convinced that was due to the cooks, not the meat. I had cooked a venison Wellington earlier in the year with our tenderloin but was craving another. I searched high and low for a recipe for wild goose but could not find one. So I tweaked the venison recipe and crossed my fingers.
Goose is a little more gamey than venison, but it is a lean, red meat like venison versus duck. It is not as greasy. You have to water bathe — not salt bathe — the goose breasts for 24 hours because the prosciutto is already salty. Throughout the whole process of creating this recipe, my family watched and, I believe, drooled a bit. We sat down to eat, and it was amazing! We enjoyed the bounty that had gifted our family through our own skills and a great conservation hunt.
Ingredients:
- 4-5 goose breasts, water bathe for 24 hours (set out to dry)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 (10-ounce) package of mushrooms, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons ground thyme
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup of Marsala wine
- Coarse salt and pepper
- Puff pastry, thawed
- Dijon mustard
- Prosciutto
- 1 egg, whisked
Directions:
- Brown the water-bathed dry goose breasts front and back quickly in a hot pan with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of butter. Set aside to cool in the fridge.
- Duxelles: Put the mushrooms, thyme, garlic and onion in a hot pan with 2 tablespoons of butter and the ½ cup Marsala wine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook down to a thick paste. The less moisture, the better. Set aside and let cool.
- Place a layer of prosciutto on plastic wrap large enough to wrap around the goose breast. Add a thin layer of the duxelles mixture on top of the prosciutto.
- Cover each breast in Dijon mustard.
- Wrap the Dijon-covered goose breasts in the duxelles-covered prosciutto and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, take your thawed puff pastry and roll it out in 4-5 rectangles, large enough to cover the prosciutto-wrapped breasts. Place the chilled breasts in the middle and wrap them while pinching the ends together to seal.
- Repeat with each goose breast.
- Place the wrapped Wellingtons back into the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- After 20 minutes, place the Wellingtons onto a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the tops of the Wellingtons with an egg wash and cut vent holes in the top. Egg wash one more time.
- Place in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Check internal temp after 30 minutes. It should reach 135. If you need to brown the top a bit more, turn the broiler on for a minute, but watch it.
- Let sit to rest for 5-6 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.