Cookout 1: Goose Liver

Braised Goose Liver. From China. Provided generously by one of our member, Eric. This was seriously good. It came to us in a vacuum packed packaging, sealed in together with some form of fats in it. It was nice and smooth, not like the grainy, rough textured livers you might find off a typical braised duck store in Singapore. I'm not even sure if Singapore has a store that sells braised goose. If you do know of one that sells amazing braised geese (or the liver at least), do recommend it to us!

Braised Goose Liver

Ben, our in-house sommelier in training, suggested to have a little bruschetta made using the braised goose liver. The little cook wannabe in my mind immediately pictured something i THOUGHT would be nice.

Goose Liver rendered in Duck Fat, topped with Tomato, Macerated Orange,

Alfafa, Spring Onion, Olive Oil, Vinegar, served on freshly baked Baguette 

Aaaaaaaand this was it. I was thinking of giving the goose liver a more refreshing feel to it, as it was pretty thick and heavy. Macerated oranges marinated in cloves, sugar, cinnamon and some nutmeg. A raw tomato, alfafa and spring onion salad tossed together with the oranges and a balsamic vinaigrette. It gave a nice texture and a juicy bite as well as a good tang of acidity. All of that topped with a slice of goose liver, riding proudly on a slice of toasted home made baguette.

Proudly munched down by who ever took this photo. I can't remember who. I'm old.

 Home-made Foccacia with Oven-Roasted Tomato and Rosemary

Next on sampling was this. Picked up this recipe while studying under a magnificent baker. Previously the Head Baker of the Bread Project Singapore, Hafizh tweaked the Foccacia to suit the Singaporean palate. Nice and fluffy, with a gummy,moist crumb, topped with oven roasted tomatoes and rosemary. Sprinkled with a touch of salt and pepper just before baking. Served rustically here, with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Left: Hugel et Fils, Alsace France, Riesling 2008

Right: Marios, Sutherland Estate, Yarra Valley Victoria Australia, Shiraz 2007

The Riesling was fantastic. In my opinion it was very good with the goose liver as it didn't over power it, but it gave the pair a very clean and crisp feel. The Shiraz was good as well. The characteristic spice which i was taught was a profile that most Shiraz has, came through pretty well with this one.

 This was a pretty good session. The pairing didn't seem to disappoint, and we found a very good Riesling.

Cook, eat, drink and be merry!