At once simple to prepare and impressive, this recipe is perfect for entertaining without too much effort. Here, the natural flavor and texture of the goose breast is highlighted- rich, dark, and lean, just like the choicest cuts of beef, elk, or venison. Dusted with black garlic powder, the charred edges of each slice have a deep earthy umami flavor, reminiscent of mushroom and wood smoke, while the bright red center melts away on the tongue. Bright pops of lemon zest and capers bring it all together. This is an elevated take on a workhorse protein.

While we generally believe that a plucked, skin-on breast is second to none, this recipe makes use of skinned goose breasts. If you’re like us and keep the skin on your goose breast, don’t worry- trim it off, save it, and use it to make something else. Visually, it’s best to use goose that hasn’t been too shot up- this preparation doesn’t allow you to hide much- but from a practical standpoint, slicing the breast thin and pounding it out is a good way to find any remaining shot before you crack a tooth!

Black garlic is becoming increasingly available- you can find it online, in specialty shops, and in many well-stocked grocery stores. If you can’t source it, mushroom powder would make a lovely substitute.

Black Garlic Goose Breast Carpaccio

Prep time: 15 minutes active, 1 hour total

Serves: 4 as an h’or d’oeuvre

Ingredients:

1 large skinned goose breast, any remaining fat and silverskin trimmed off

Salt and pepper

Ground black garlic powder

Black peppercorns (lightly crushed)

Parmesan

Extra virgin olive oil

A few peels of lemon zest, sliced thin

Capers

Sea salt

Method:

Skin and trim goose breast if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, followed by a healthy dusting of black garlic powder. Be sure to completely cover all surfaces of the goose breast with the black garlic.

Heat a heavy-bottomed saute pan with a small amount of oil to high heat. When the oil is nearly smoking, sear all surfaces of the breast for 20-30 seconds, using tongs to rotate. You want to make sure that you get all the edges but don’t overcook it in the process. Working quickly over high heat will give you a perfect sear and leave the meat as rare as possible.

Remove goose breast from heat and place it in freezer for 30-45 minutes. You want it to be firm, almost frozen.

Take this time to prepare your garnishes. Using a wide vegetable peeler, peel the zest off a lemon and slice into very fine strips. With the same peeler, shave ribbons of parmesan cheese. Lightly crush a few green peppercorns and set everything aside.

When the meat has cooled, slice it thinly across the grain, ⅛-¼” thick. Place each slice on a large piece of plastic wrap, with about an inch between slices. Cover it with another piece of plastic wrap and press to smooth. Lay it out on a cutting board and use a tenderizing mallet to pound out each slice to about 1/16” thick. You want each slice to be as thin as possible without tearing or getting mashed up.

(Tip: if your mallet has a smooth side and a textured side, use the textured side first, with a little less force, then finish with the smooth side)

Once pounded out evenly, peel back the top layer of plastic and flip the slices onto the serving plate. Garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, peppercorns, sea salt, capers, and ribbons of lemon zest & parmesan.