Goose Leg with Chestnuts and Pear

Ingredients

• 4 goose legs
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• 100 ml chicken broth
• 1 tsp starch
• 4 day‑old rolls
• 350 ml warm milk
• 4 eggs
• 50 g butter
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 20 g butter (for the cloth dumpling)
• 2 ripe pears
• 2 limes (juice)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 0.5 tsp freshly grated ginger
• a pinch saffron
• 300 ml sweet white wine
• 3 tsp lingonberry jam
• 250 g peeled chestnuts (pre‑cooked, vacuum sealed)
• 20 g butter
• 250 ml vegetable broth

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C with top and bottom heat.

2. 2.

   Wash and dry the goose legs, rub them with salt and pepper. Place the legs skin side down in a roasting pan, pour about 200 ml boiling hot water over them, cover, and roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Then flip the legs, pierce the skin with a sharp knife to allow fat to escape. If needed, add another 100 ml hot chicken broth and roast for an additional 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices.

3. 3.

   About 20 minutes before finishing, remove the lid, raise the heat to 250°C, and brush the legs repeatedly with cold salted water so they become crisp.

4. 4.

   For the cloth dumplings, first slice the rolls then cut them into cubes. Place in a bowl and pour over the milk. Separate the eggs.

5. 5.

   Whisk the butter, yolks and salt until creamy. Add parsley and fold into the soaked bread cubes. Mix thoroughly and let rest for 10 minutes.

6. 6.

   Boil water in a large pot, add 5 cm of water below the rim, and stir in 2 tablespoons of salt. Boil the cloth by immersing it in hot water, then wring out.

7. 7.

   Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the bread mixture. Spread liquid butter on the cloth. Shape the dough into an approximately 8 cm thick roll, place it in the center of the cloth, and loosely press both sides over the roll (the dumpling dough expands during cooking). Tie the two ends together with a string.

8. 8.

   Attach the cloth with the dumpling dough to a ladle handle using the string (cloth opening facing up) and hang it into the boiling water.

9. 9.

   Cook the cloth dumpling for about 50 minutes in simmering water. Let the finished dumpling rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

10. 10.

    When serving, unwrap the dumpling roll from the cloth and slice into 2 cm thick rounds.

11. 11.

    For the chestnuts, melt butter in a pot, add the peeled chestnuts, pour in broth, and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

12. 12.

    Peel the pears, halve them, remove the core, and immediately drizzle with lime juice. Dissolve sugar in a little water, add ginger and saffron, and simmer for 1–2 minutes over low heat. Add wine and pears, cover, and steam for about 10 minutes until the pears are tender but not falling apart, occasionally spooning the sauce over them.

13. 13.

    Remove the pears and let cool.

14. 14.

    Keep the finished goose legs warm on a plate at 80°C. Use a brush to scrape off roasting residues from the pan and skim off excess fat. Mix starch with 3 Tbsp cold water, stir into the sauce, bring briefly to a boil, and thicken. For serving, arrange the goose legs over dumpling slices, pears with a touch of lingonberry jam, and glazed chestnuts, drizzle with sauce.

15. 15.