Fresh Berries

This summer I have had a container herb garden again. I don’t know that I have mentioned it much on the blog, but I have enjoyed it just as much as I have in the past years. We have incorporated the herbs into many meals and they have been delicious. Even though I have loved my container garden, I dream of having an in ground, large garden someday. You see when we redid the backyard I was hoping it would work out to have a large fruit, vegetable and herb garden, but the shade, trees, layout etc. all worked against me and it just didn’t work out. It is probably for the best as I am not sure I have the time to take care of a larger garden right now, but I can still dream right and at least we have Mentone. That’s right, Mentone has a garden of sorts. There are all sorts of things growing up in Mentone and among them are blueberries and blackberries in the summer. This past weekend Russ, Jason, Allen, and I all picked berries. Thanks to Russ being a fabulous picker we ended up with lots of berries. Picking the berries was relaxing and fun and something I look forward to doing again next year. So, until I get a large garden of my own I’ll enjoy some yearly berry picking up at Mentone.

So, what does one do with lots of fresh blueberries and blackberries? Well besides eating lots of them as a snack everyday I decided to make a pie for my Dad’s birthday. There have been so many great blueberry recipes in all of my cooking magazines lately that it was a tough choice of which to make, but in the end I decided on Fine Cooking’s Black and Blueberry Pie with Lemon-Cornmeal Crust.

To make the pie you start by making the dough. You start by adding the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and lemon zest into a bowl. Then begin adding the cold butter by cutting it into the dough. Once the butter is still in large pieces add the cold shortening and continue cutting it in until it is pea size. With a fork add the lemon water until the dough comes together. Then wrap the dough in two discs and cover with plastic wrap. These need to chill for at least 60 minutes or up to a couple of hours. While the dough is chilling you can start the filling. Start by combining sugar with the cornstarch, allspice, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Then toss the black and blueberries with the mixture until they are all coated. Then set this aside. Once the dough has chilled roll out one half of the dough and roll it out over the pie pan. Let the dough fall in and cover the bottom and sides. Then add the filling into the pie. Next take the other disc of dough and roll it out. Cut it into strips and then lay these out on top of the pie in a lattice formation. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and put them in the open spots in the lattice. Next put the entire pie in the freezer to rest for 15 minutes. Have the oven preheated to 425 and put a baking sheet in to let it heat up. Remove the pie from the freezer and brush the dough with melted butter and then sprinkle with sugar. Put the pie on the heated baking sheet and let it bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 375 and let it bake for an additional 60 to 80 minutes or until bubbly in the center. Let it rest and cool prior to serving.

This was an excellent pie. I really liked the subtle lemon flavor that was in both the dough and berries. The cornmeal in the dough added nice texture and flavor and overall the dough was easy to work with when it came to rolling out and forming the crusts. The berries were center stage as they should be and had great flavor and texture. Russ and I both felt like it could have been a touch sweeter, so next time I would increase the sugar in the berries slightly. I really liked the combination of black and blueberries and felt like the proportions worked out really well. Overall this was a wonderful pie with fantastic fresh, hand picked berries. Russ rates it a 9.

Black and Blueberry Pie with Lemon-Cornmeal Crust, Fine Cooking

For the dough:
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more as needed
1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp. table salt
6 oz. (12 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) cold vegetable shortening
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice combined with 1/4 cup ice-cold water

For the filling:
2/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. table salt
5 cups room-temperature blueberries (1 lb., 10 oz.), washed and drained on paper towels
2 cups room-temperature blackberries (10-1/2 oz.), washed and drained on paper towels
1/2 oz. (1 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter
1 oz. (2 Tbs.) melted unsalted butter

Make the dough: In a large bowl, stir the flour, cornmeal, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, begin to cut the butter into the flour. While the butter is still in large pieces, add the shortening to the bowl and continue to cut the fat into the flour until most pieces are the size of large peas.
With a big fork, stir in the lemon water, 1 to 2 Tbs. at a time, until the mixture looks shaggy but is moist enough to hold together when pressed. With well-floured hands, gently gather and press the dough into two equal disks, handling it only enough to make the edges of the disks reasonably smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least 60 minutes, but preferably 2 to 4 hours, before rolling.
Roll the bottom crust: Roll one disk of the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Gently transfer the dough to a 9-inch metal, glass, or ceramic pie plate (I like to fold the dough in half and unfold it into the pan). Don't stretch the dough as you line the pan, or it will spring back when baked. If necessary, trim the overhanging dough to 1 inch from the edge of the pan. Refrigerate until needed.

Make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of the sugar with the cornstarch, allspice, cinnamon, and salt. Add the blueberries and blackberries and toss gently until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Fill and top the pie: Roll the second disk of dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 13-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 3/4-inchwide strips. Pour the fruit filling into the pastry-lined pie plate, being sure to include any dry ingredients remaining in the bowl. Lay five of the dough strips over the pie, parallel to each other and spaced evenly (use longer strips in the center of the pie and shorter strips near the edges).
Carefully fold back the second and fourth strips a little past the center of the pie and lay a long strip of dough across the center of the pie, perpendicular to the other strips. Unfold the second and fourth strips over the perpendicular strip.
Next, fold back the first, third, and fifth strips and lay a new strip across the pie, perpendicular to the folded strips. Unfold the three strips over the new strip.
Use this alternating technique to weave in three more strips (two go on the other side of the pie), completing the lattice top and evenly covering the pie. Trim the strips to overhang the pie by 3/4 inch.
Roll the overhanging bottom dough and the strips together into a cylinder that rests on the edge of the pie pan.

Crimp the edge. Cut the cold 1 Tbs. butter into small pieces and dot over the open areas of the lattice. Freeze the assembled pie for about 15 minutes to relax the dough.

Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and set a foil-lined heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet on the rack. Heat the oven to 425°F. Just before baking, brush the lattice top with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbs. sugar. Put the pie on the heated baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake until the fruit is bubbling consistently at the center of the pie, 60 to 80 minutes more. This is important—if it isn’t bubbling near the center, it hasn’t thickened yet. If the crust starts to get too brown, cover it loosely with foil during the last few minutes of the baking time.
Let the pie cool to just warm before serving.
The dough can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, or up to 2 months ahead and frozen. And the baked and cooled pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Hot Off the Grill

July is proving to be one of our busiest months of the year. I am in the midst of changing jobs, we went to the beach for several days for the 4^th, and we just seem to have lots of plans with friends and family. While we are having a very fun, busy month we are not finding much time to cook or grill. July for some reason just begs you to grill out and bake with fresh berries and we really have not had time for either. So, tonight we decided to dust of The Egg and finally grill out some chicken.

The latest issue of Fine Cooking has a tasty recipe for Grill-Roasted Honey Barbecue Chicken that I had been dying to try. To prepare the chicken you start by butterflying it which I happily let Russ handle. While he was doing this I started making the rub. In a small bowl you mix the olive oil, salt, chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, fresh thyme, black pepper, chipotle pepper, and garlic together. One the chicken is butterflied and patted dry you spread the rub all over the skin side and let it sit for about 30 minutes. While it rests you can go ahead and make the honey glaze. To make the glaze you combine the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cider vinegar, and chile paste in a small bowl. You then take ¼ a cup of the glaze and set it aside. Once the chicken has rested you grill it. I would tell you how to do this, but I really don’t know as Russ is the grill expert in our house. Fine Cooking does give great instructions in the recipe if you are not familiar with grilling. You do brush the glaze on the chicken while it is on the grill. Once the chicken is done you remove it from the grill and serve it with the remaining glaze drizzled over it.

This chicken just screamed summer grilling! It had a wonderful tasty outside with tender, juicy meat on the inside. I really liked the sweetness that the honey added to the dish and the overall balance of all the delicious flavors in the rub and glaze. The drizzled glaze on the chicken once it is done just makes the dish. This was a wonderful meal that we would recommend if you are looking for a fun meal to grill on a hot summer night. Russ rates the chicken a 9.

Grill-Roasted Honey Barbecue Chicken, Fine Cooking

2 Tbs. olive oil
2-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. sweet paprika, preferably Hungarian
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1 clove garlic, minced
4-lb. chicken, butterflied, patted dry
1 recipe Honey Glaze

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, thyme, black pepper, chipotle powder, and garlic. Rub all over the chicken and between the breast meat and skin. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set aside 1/4 cup of the honey glaze for drizzling over the cooked chicken.

Gas-Grill Instructions:

Heat all burners of a gas grill to medium low. An oven thermometer resting on the grill grate (over the hot zone of the charcoal fire) should register about 450°F with the lid down, or you should be able to hold your hand a couple of inches above the grill for 3 or 4 seconds. If it’s hotter than this, lower the burners slightly. Brush the grill grates with a stiff wire brush and then wipe with a lightly oiled wad of paper towels.

Set the chicken, skin side down, on the grill, cover, and cook until it’s nicely browned and easily releases from the grates, 5 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully during this stage and if a flare-up occurs, move the chicken away from the flames until they die down. If necessary, squirt the flames with a little water to quench them.

For a three-burner gas grill, turn the middle burner off and set the front and back burners to medium low. For a two-burner grill, turn the back burner off and set the front burner on high.

Move the chicken to the cooler zone of the grill (an oven thermometer set on the cooler part of the grill (with the lid down) should register about 350°F). Brush the bird with some of the glaze, cover, and cook, brushing with the glaze every 5 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thighs registers 165° to 170°F, about 30 minutes. Let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Carve and serve drizzled with the reserved glaze.

Charcoal Grill Instructions:

Prepare a charcoal fire with a hot zone and a cooler zone by pushing all the coals to one side of the grill. An oven thermometer resting on the grill grate (over the hot zone of the charcoal fire) should register about 450°F with the lid down, or you should be able to hold your hand a couple of inches above the grill for 3 or 4 seconds. If it’s hotter than this, let the coals cook down. Brush the grill grates with a stiff wire brush and then wipe with a lightly oiled wad of paper towels.

Set the chicken, skin side down, on the grill over the hot zone of the fire, cover, and cook until it’s nicely browned and easily releases from the grates, 5 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully during this stage and if a flare-up occurs, move the chicken away from the flames until they die down. If necessary, squirt the flames with a little water to quench them.

Move the chicken to the cooler zone of the grill (an oven thermometer set on the cooler part of the grill (with the lid down) should register about 350°F). Brush the bird with some of the glaze, cover, and cook, brushing with the glaze every 5 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thighs registers 165° to 170°F, about 30 minutes. Check on the fire occasionally; it may be necessary to add fresh charcoal as the fire dies down. Let rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes. Carve and serve drizzled with the reserved glaze.

Honey Glaze, Fine Cooking
Yields about 1/2 cup.

1/4 cup honey
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. ketchup
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1/2 to 1 tsp. Asian chile paste, like Sriracha

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients. Set aside 1/4 cup of the glaze for drizzling over the cooked chicken.

The glaze may be made up to 3 days ahead.

A Perfect Summer Dinner

Lately the days have been hot and hotter and by the end of the day Russ and I both want just a light, fresh meal for dinner. Tonight’s dish is exactly that – light and fresh and perfect for a hot summer night.

Tonight I made Sautéed Chicken Paillards with Herb Salad and White Balsamic Vinaigrette from the May issue of Fine Cooking. This came from the quick and delicious section, so it is quick and easy for a weeknight dinner. You start by making the dressing. You mix both the white balsamic and white wine vinegars together with the shallot, mustard, salt and pepper. Then you slowly whisk in the olive oil into it until combined. Next you season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Now I usually stay away from convenience items because they are more expensive and I just prefer to chop my own onion, garlic etc., but when it comes to chicken cutlets I let the grocery store do the pounding. This to me is worth the extra little bit to not have to pound away at the chicken. Once the chicken is seasoned you heat the olive oil in a skillet and then cook the chicken until it is browned on both sides and just cooked through. Next toss the mixed greens and herbs with the salad dressing reserving some of the dressing to drizzle over the chicken. To plate the dish you place the chicken on the plate and drizzle it with the reserved dressing and top it with a large pile of the mixed greens and herbs. For the herbs I used a mixture of mint, parsley, and basil.

This was a very quick and easy and absolutely delicious! It was light and fresh with the bright dressing just topping it all off. The dressing was perfect with the shallots adding a nice flavor and texture and the mustard adding warmth and tang. We both also loved the mixture of mixed greens and herbs. Russ felt like the parsley was a little too strong, so next time I’ll cut back on it a little bit and add a little more mint which was a great flavor addition to the meal. The herbs definitely made the dish feel and taste like summer. The chicken complemented the salad perfectly and was very tasty with the drizzle dressing over it. This was close to the perfect summer dinner and Russ rates it a 10. This will definitely be repeated in our house.

Sautéed Chicken Paillards with Herb Salad and White Balsamic Vinaigrette, Fine Cooking May 2008

1 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. white-wine or cider vinegar
One-half small shallot, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. olive oil; more as needed
8 boneless, skinless, thin-cut (1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick) chicken breast cutlets (1-1/2 to 1-3/4 lb.)
5 cups mixed baby greens
3 cups mixed fresh, tender herb leaves, such as flat-leaf parsley, mint, chives, tarragon, basil, and chervil, roughly torn if large

In a small bowl, mix both vinegars with the shallot, mustard, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in 3 Tbs. of the oil.

Season the chicken on both sides with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tsp. oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working in two to three batches to avoid crowding, cook the chicken until lightly browned on both sides and just cooked through, 1 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer each batch to a platter, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm. If the pan seems dry at any point, add 2 more tsp. of oil.

Combine the greens and herbs in a large bowl. Add about three-quarters of the vinaigrette and toss well. To serve, arrange two cutlets on each serving plate and drizzle the remaining dressing over the chicken. Divide the herb salad among the four plates, piling it attractively onto the chicken.

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Without realizing it I am pretty much keeping with the same theme of the last post where I left out a major ingredient in the recipe only this time I left out or rather didn't make the main part of the meal. Russ and I watched an episode of Tyler’s Ultimate and saw his Ultimate Surf and Turf, but instead of making the surf or the turf we decided to make the Ultimate Stuffed Potatoes that he made as a side. It just seemed like the perfect meal for a Sunday night – a baked potato filled with broccoli and oozing with cheese. Yum! For the record the surf and turf both looked very tasty, but for tonight we were all about the loaded potatoes!

To make the Ultimate Stuffed Potatoes you start by baking the potatoes. Tyler has you pierce the potatoes with a fork and then rub them with olive oil and salt. Then let them bake at 400 for about an hour. This will give you a nice crisp skin. While the potatoes cook you start making the filling. First start by cooking the bacon. Cut it into a medium dice and then cook it. Once it is cooked remove it from the pan and pour off the oil. Then in the same pan (with the yummy brown bits on the bottom) combine the butter and flour and then slowly whisk in the milk. I went ahead and used whole milk as the recipe called for, but next time I might try something a little lighter to save a few calories. Next fold in about 2 cups of the cheese until it is melted and incorporated. In the meantime go ahead and blanch the broccoli florets (you can steam them instead if you prefer). Once the cheese has melted into the sauce remove it from the heat and add the bacon, broccoli, chopped chives and season it with salt and pepper. Then remove the potatoes from the oven and cut a slit in the top and fill with the yummy cheese and broccoli mixture. Then top with a little more cheese and put it back in the oven for a couple of minutes until the cheese on top melts. Serve immediately.

These were delicious! The cheese sauce was rich, cheesy, and oozed out of the potatoes. I loved the broccoli and how it played such a key role in the dish and complemented both the potato and the cheese. It also added nice texture and a bright punch of color to the dish. As for the potatoes while I don't bake potatoes very often from now on when I do this is definitely the method I will use. I loved the crisp, salty skin and the soft inside. These were tasty and cheesy and a perfect Sunday night one dish meal. Russ rates the stuffed potatoes a 9.

Without the Beans...

It is not uncommon for me to make minor tweaks to recipes. Sometimes it as simple as just not measuring ingredients, but eyeballing them or swapping out one ingredient for another or leaving out a minor ingredient. Well, tonight I did something I haven’t done before… I intentionally left out a major ingredient. Jamie Oliver recently did an episode titled “Peas and Broad Beans” and I decided to make his Quick Sausage Meatballs with a Tomato and Basil Sauce, Spaghetti, and Sweet Raw Peas from it only I left out the peas. Now I know I said it was intentional, but that is not exactly the truth. The truth is I looked for the peas at the store, but I just went to the regular grocery store and not a vegetable market or a grocery store with more variety and consequently didn’t find them. So, I made the call to go ahead with the recipe and leave out the peas, which was disappointing as I was curious how the raw peas would work in the recipe. In the end the recipe was delicious despite my leaving out the peas, only I am still left wondering what it would have been like had I included them… I guess there is always next time.

To make Jamie’s Quick Sausage Meatballs with a Tomato and Basil Sauce, Spaghetti, and Sweet Raw Peas you start by snipping the end of the casing on the sausage (I used turkey sausage instead of pork) and then pushing the meat out into imperfect balls. These then sauté in olive oil until they are cooked through. While the sausage meatballs are cooking go ahead and start the water for the spaghetti and once it comes to a boil salt it and add the pasta. Once the meatballs are just about done cooking add some herbs to the pan. I used chopped fresh thyme, basil and parsley. In order to cut down the number of pans I was using I removed the sausages from the pan and then made the tomato sauce in the same pan where as the recipe calls for doing them in separate pans. To make the tomato sauce you start by heating olive oil and adding chopped garlic and basil stalks to it. Once these have cooked for a couple of minutes add some of the basil leaves and the cans of tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring this to a simmer and break up the tomatoes with a spoon or spatula and add a swig of balsamic vinegar to the dish. At this point I added the meatballs into the tomato sauce and let it simmer until everything was hot and incorporated. Serve over the pasta and top with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

As the recipe name indicates this really is a quick meal. It came together in very little time and was easy to do. I loved the simple tomato sauce, which had a great fresh flavor from the herbs and a little kick from the vinegar. I thought the sauce was so tasty that I would have been happy without the meatballs. However, the sausage meatballs were the easiest meatballs I have ever made and they did add nice texture and density to the dish. Russ loved the meatballs and thought they really completed the meal. While I was disappointed to not have the fresh beans to include in the dish, it was a wonderful meal that was perfect for a weeknight dinner. Russ rates the meal a 9.

Flank Steak 101

Every so often I really crave a piece of red meat. While for me I could just eat red meat every now and then and be fine, but Russ on the other hand could probably eat red meat at least four or five nights a week and love it. After all his favorite meal is a cheeseburger. Since I do enjoy red meat and Russ can’t live without it I have made myself learn how to cook different cuts of meat in order to fulfill our carnivorous appetites. You see when I started cooking I was completely intimidated by most cuts of beef except for ground beef. Ground beef is easy – it is packaged in small quantities, it is cheap, it is easy to cook, and there is only one choice when selecting it (how much or little fat you want included in the meat). The other cuts of meat are usually much larger portions, many have various names depending on what store you go to, and they are more expensive all of which make them intimidating to me. I still call my Mom from the store when I am buying any type of large cut of meat to make roast beef or something similar, however, I have found a couple cuts of meat that do not require a phone call to Mom and are not super scary to buy, prepare or cook. One of these is flank steak. I really enjoy flank steak and how versatile it is – you can marinade it with almost anything, you can grill it, cook it on the stove top, use it in tacos, put it over a salad, and the list goes on and on.

In my opinion there are a few simple keys to flank steak that will help you prepare and cook it perfectly no matter how much experience you have in the kitchen. First, I prefer to always marinade or put a rub on the steak and allow it to sit in the marinade or rub for a couple of hours if possible. In my opinion flank steak is not the type of steak you just salt and pepper and toss on the grill and have it turn out tasty. It needs a little more help from you with the flavoring, however, you can do a super simple marinade or rub or you can get fancy with it and both will yield good results. Second, don’t over cook it. It is best when cooked medium or a little less if you prefer. If you cook it well done it gets very tough. Third, after you remove it from the grill or stove let it rest for a few minutes. When you go to carve it cut it in thin slices on the bias. This is the only way we ever cut flank steak.

Tonight we tried a new simple marinade out of the May issue of Cooking Light. You simply add the four ingredients (reduced sodium soy sauce, ketchup, chopped scallions, and sesame oil) to a plastic bag and put the flank steak in the bag. I let it marinade for about 6 hours, but you can do it for as little as four hours or as long as ten or so hours. The recipe says you can marinade it for up to twenty-four hours, but I am concerned that it would get too salty despite using the reduced sodium soy sauce. Once the meat was marinated Russ cooked it on the grill until it was about medium in doneness.

This was a very quick and simple marinade to put together and it had a fantastic Asian flavor to it. We both felt like it was a little salty even with using the reduced sodium soy sauce. Next time I think I’ll add a little water to the marinade to try and cut the soy sauce a little more. One thing I love about marinating flank steak is that if you prepare it in the morning or at lunch then when you get home from work it is ready to be grilled / cooked. This was a great, easy marinade that had a wonderful flavor and smell to it. Russ rates it an 8.

Soy, Ketchup, and Sesame Marinade, Cooking Light May 2008

¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup chopped scallions
1 and ½ tablespoons sesame oil
1 lb. Flank steak

Combine all ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add 1 pound flank steak trimmed of excess fat. Seal bag and refrigerate for four hours or overnight. When ready to cook, remove steak from bag, and discard marinade. Grill steak six minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill, and cut diagonally across the grain into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices.

My First Time Cooking Game Meat

My palate was opened up to a whole new world of foods and flavors when I finally gave in to my picky eating and started simply giving more foods a try. This really started when I was living abroad in Spain during spring semester of my sophomore year of college and has continued ever since. Now (with the exception of pork) I will try almost anything at least once. Russ is the same way and since we have been married I have exposed him to some fruits and vegetables that he either hadn’t tried before or didn’t think he liked. He now loves butternut squash, pumpkin, and mangos and while he still isn’t a huge fan of zucchini if I make it with enough cheese he likes it. I on the other hand have been opened up to a new array of meats – game meats. While my Dad and brother have always eaten game meat (especially quail and dove) the females in my family have always taken a pass with them. Russ orders them at restaurants sometimes and I have found that I love elk and while I am not a big fan of quail or dove I’ll still give them a try if they are prepared in a new way. I have also been introduced to venison and currently have a freezer full of venison. It is true that it tastes similar to beef, but is leaner which is I think why I am not totally sold on it yet… I miss the fat… Since we have lots of venison right now I decided to give cooking game meat a try for the first time. So, here goes….

If you read this blog at all then you will know that Russ and I love Jamie Oliver and his new show Jamie at Home. He did a mushroom episode a while back and one of the dishes he made was a Wild Mushroom and Venison Stroganoff. At the time we didn’t have a freezer full of venison, but we both made a mental note that when we did this would be a good recipe to try. To start you sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until they are soft and golden. Once they are done set them aside. Next season the meat with salt, pepper, and paprika. Then add a little more olive oil to the pan and add the mushrooms. Now Jamie went out in the woods and found these amazing Chicken of Wood wild mushrooms. They looked fabulous, but not to my surprise Publix didn’t have them. So, I used a mix of baby Portobello and shitake mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have started to brown add the meat. Next add the parsley stalks and add the cooked onions and garlic back to the pan. Then add the butter and brandy. Now Russ actually added the brandy for me and while he tried to get it to flambé it just didn’t work (I think it was more the pan than Russ’ flambé skills). This was a concern in our home considering how frequently I set of the smoke alarm and the still infamous burnt popcorn… that is why Russ handled the brandy. After it has simmered for a few minutes add the lemon zest and crème fraiche and season to taste. I added a little more salt and pepper at this point. Finally serve over rice and top with parsley leaves, more crème fraiche, and sliced gherkins (yes, really gherkins… I was surprised too, but they really go well with it).

This turned out really well with one major exception… I overcooked the venison. In hindsight I should have just seared the pieces of venison on each side and then let them finish cooking while I finished the dish. I didn’t cook them all the way through when I sautéed them, but I did let them cook longer than needed. Since venison is so lean (I still miss the fat…) it is really important to not over cook it. Aside from my error with the meat the dish was delicious. I was a little concerned about serving what I consider to be a more Fall / Winter dish in June, but the sauce is really on the lighter side since it only has a little bit of crème fraiche in it. It is not a typical heavy, cream based stroganoff sauce, but it still has a smooth, . I have to say that the highlight for me was the sliced gherkins. I am really not a huge fan of gherkins and I came so close to leaving them out, but I decided to bite the bullet and give them a try. I can’t explain it, but the slightly sweet, little green gherkins go so well with this dish that you just have to include them (and if anyone in Birmingham does just this I have a rather large jar of gherkins hanging out in my fridge that I am happy to share). All in all this was a very good. Russ rates it a 9.