Roasted Goose with Prune and Armagnac Sauce

Ingredients

12-14 lb goose
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter
1½ cups water
2 apples, peeled, seeded and quartered
8 baby turnips, peeled
12 baby carrots, peeled
4 patty pan squash (if available, or another vegetable)

Basting Liquid

1/2 tbsp clover honey
2 star anise
2 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups sherry
2 juniper berries
1 clove garlic, crushed

Prune and Armagnac Sauce

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup port wine
1/4 cup rich red wine
1/2 cup Armagnac
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup prune juice
3 cups brown chicken stock
4 oz dried prunes, pitted and cut in quarters

Method

1. One week prior to dinner, hang goose in cool, dry place.
2. To prepare prune and Armagnac sauce: In medium saucepan, over high heat, saute shallots in 1 tbsp butter until golden. Add port, red wine and 1/3 cup of Armagnac. Reduce heat to simmer and reduce by 1/2.
3. Add orange, lemon and prune juice and reduce to 3/4. Add stock and bring to simmer. Reduce to 1/4.
4. Strain into clean saucepan and bring back to simmer. Slowly stir in remaining butter. Remove from heat and add prunes and remaining Armagnac. Set aside.
5. To roast goose, preheat oven to 475°F.
6. Meanwhile, in medium saucepan combine all basting liquid ingredients and bring to boil. Set aside.
7. Place goose in roasting pan and roast 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue roasting an additional 30 minutes.
8. Remove fat from roasting pan and baste goose with basting liquid. Continue basting and removing fat from pan for an additional half hour.
9. Goose is cooked when juices run clear upon piercing thickest part of thigh and skin is crispy and golden brown.
10. To prepare vegetables, in medium bowl combine cabbage, vinegar, sugar and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and refrigerate overnight.
11. Preheat oven to 350°F.
12. Drain cabbage and set aside. In medium skillet, saute onions in butter. Add cabbage and 1½ cups water. Cover skillet and bake about 1 hour. Place apples on top of cabbage, cover again and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
13. Meanwhile, blanch vegetables in boiling salted water about three minutes, or until just tender. Remove from heat and refresh in ice water. Drain.
14. Reheat blanched vegetables in skillet in a little butter and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
15. To serve, divide cabbage and pile high in center of each plate. Carve thin slices of goose and lean against cabbage. Arrange vegetables attractively on each plate and pour sauce over them.

Makes 16 servings.

Source: GUSTO!

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Prescription for Living Longer: Spend Less Time Alone

Ask people what it takes to live a long life, and they’ll say things like exercise, take Omega-3s, and see your doctor regularly.

Now research from Brigham Young University shows that loneliness and social isolation are just as much a threat to longevity as obesity.

“The effect of this is comparable to obesity, something that public health takes very seriously,” said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, the lead study author. “We need to start taking our social relationships more seriously.”

Loneliness and social isolation can look very different. For example, someone may be surrounded by many people but still feel alone. Other people may isolate themselves because they prefer to be alone. The effect on longevity, however, is much the same for those two scenarios.

The association between loneliness and risk for mortality among young populations is actually greater than among older populations. Although older people are more likely to be lonely and face a higher mortality risk, loneliness and social isolation better predict premature death among populations younger than 65 years.

“Not only are we at the highest recorded rate of living alone across the entire century, but we’re at the highest recorded rates ever on the planet,” said Tim Smith, co-author of the study. “With loneliness on the rise, we are predicting a possible loneliness epidemic in the future.”

The study analyzed data from a variety of health studies. Altogether, the sample included more than 3 million participants from studies that included data for loneliness, social isolation, and living alone.

Controlling for variables such as socioeconomic status, age, gender, and pre-existing health conditions, they found that the effect goes both ways. The lack of social connections presents an added risk, and the existence of relationships provides a positive health effect. The new study appears in Perspectives on Psychological Science.

Previous research from Holt-Lunstad and Smith puts the heightened risk of mortality from loneliness in the same category as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and being an alcoholic. This current study suggests that not only is the risk for mortality in the same category as these well-known risk factors, it also surpasses health risks associated with obesity.

“In essence, the study is saying the more positive psychology we have in our world, the better we’re able to function not just emotionally but physically,” Smith said.

There are many things that help to subdue the effects of loneliness. With the evolution of the internet, people can keep in contact over distances that they couldn’t before. However, the superficiality of some online experiences may miss emotional context and depth. Too much texting with each other can actually hurt a romantic relationship, for example. The authors of that texting study note, however, that saying something sweet or kind in a text is universally beneficial.

Source: Brigham Young University