Goose Hunter's Wreath

Do you have any family or friends who are unconvinced when it comes to eating waterfowl? This holiday-inspired goose wreath is exactly what will change their minds!

Ingredients:

  • 2 pkgs refrigerated crescent rolls
  • 1 egg, separated (keep the whites)

Filling

  • 2 cups cooked goose, chopped or shredded (see below for Preparing perfect goose breast, leg and thigh meat)
  • ½ cup mayonnaise (regular or light)
  • 2 tbsp honey Dijon mustard
    (can use honey or regular Dijon)
  • ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
  • ½ cup celery, sliced
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup shredded swiss cheese
  • ¼ cup walnuts, toasted & chopped
    (or substitute pecans)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Unroll crescent rolls and arrange 8 in a circle with wide ends in the middle on a pizza pan or round stone. The inside of the circle should be about 10 inches across.
  3. Attach the wide end of the other 8 crescents between your first row. This way you can seal the seams around the wreath filling.
    Tip: Cold crescent rolls are easier to work with and hold their shape better, so open one container at a time.
  4. Scoop the filling over the seams of dough, forming a circle. Make sure the filling is uniformly spread across the crescent rolls (try rolling the mixture into cylinders then placing on the dough).
  5. Take the pointed ends of the crescent rolls and pull around the filling to make a wreath shape. The wreath should have small openings where you can still see the filling.
  6. Brush the dough with egg white.

Preparing perfect goose breast, leg and thigh meat:

  1. Place cleaned goose breasts, legs and thighs into a crock pot, cover them completely with water, add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper and turn the pot on high (you can also use a stock pot on the stove).
  2. Once at a rolling boil, turn the heat to low for four hours. The long, slow simmer will make the goose meat extremely tender, with no gristle residue.
  3. Let the liquid and goose cool. Shred the meat to remove all the small bones found in the legs. You’ll have several cups of boneless, extremely tender meat for your Goose Wreath filling.