Ok, my first goose, my first bûche. The goose was superb: scalded, dried, oiled, salted inside and out, cloves from 3 heads garlic inside plus dusting of smoked paprika, forgot to prick till after the first baking time, set on cabbage steaks. Bake 1.5 hours covered at 350F, baste and remove liquid, cover again bake 1 hour ditto, crank up to 425, roast 1/2 hour uncovered, remove all liquid and the garlic from the cavity, roast another 1/2 hour while making gravy with the garlic.

Oh yeah I forgot, roasted neck rest of insides, kept for soup. Fried the liver in butter separately and ran through food processor with the garlic before putting in gravy. Liquid for gravy was what was in the bottom of the separator from the goose and some white wine.

The skin was marvy, deep, deep brown, so crispety crunchety, amazing. The goose itself was yummy, juicy, wonderfully flavored. I have 1 wing, 1 thigh, and the main body left.

The bûche was toute une histoire, but not delicious. The cake itself was problematic from the start: the volume said 1 1/3c and the weight said 160g but the two were miles apart, requiring way more flour to make the weight [should I have weighed then sifted?]. However the frangelico cream was yum as was the ganache so hey. And I made marzipan mushrooms and snowed vanilla sugar on it and it was beautiful.

I have taken notes on the recipe I used. I will totally do it again. Meanwhile any advice for a better cake part?

This was fun!