My Theory, by Anne Elk

--snip pre-prandial-elk wine comment--

--snip apres-elk wines--

Bill,

You've done a disservice to the game lovers of the group. I assume that the elk was Roosevelt or Tule version considering your BC/Washington locale. What sort of roasts did you get--backstrap? Or hind quarter? Bone in or bone out?

And, you don't mention the cooking of the steaks--grilled, pan-fried, broiled? Larded? Basted? And, then there's the sauce which you've left hanging. Mushrooms? Cherries? Berries? Juniper?

I'll be off to the high country of Colorado in about three weeks to pursue mule deer and the wily wapiti. (It's great to be at the top of the food chain!).

Gotta confess that I never considered Barbaresco or any Italian-style wines with elk, nor Cornas. I like the Cornas, but will give the Barbaresco a try as well. My leaning is usually toward cabernet or with the fruity sauces, a big dark Pinot Noir.

Also, never considered referring to elk meat as "venison" which I always associate exclusively with deer. But, my handy Webster's (not-so) New World Dictionary tells me that venison can be applied to all game meat (although I'm not sure about gnu, kudu or dik-dik "venison".)

Now, all I've got to do is my part to stock the larder for the coming year. Almost out of last year's supply.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" "Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights" Both from Smithsonian Books

I got one of eac, no bones, and sliced the backstrap into thick steaks. Froze the other one for later use, though I much prefer them fresh. Not sure which species it was - my client, the deli owner from the Black Forest area in Germany was the hunter

Pan fried, served quite rare (is there any other way?) with a poivrade sauce - a veal reduction, red wine reduction, shallots, seived and finished in the usual way with butter.

The Nebbiolo works really well with game.

I'm not sure I want to talk about your 'dik-dik' on this group. Locally, we apply the term 'venison' to anything in the deer family. Preferably without front bumper marks on the carcase, but it doesn't do to be too picky......

Lat time we had a gift of venison, I had a bit of a blow-up with a guest I'd mistakenly (as opposed to moose-steakenly) invited when I refused to give him any meat after he asked for it well done. I DID offer to char a beefsteak for him, but I guess he was insulted that I wouldn't ruin a great piece of game to please him. What would you have done?

And when cooking such things, I shy away from adding too much sweetness to the sauce as it does the wines no favours and often fails to complement the meat as well. I have done a quite successful pomegranite sauce for medallions of venison, mind you......

Backstrap is always an incredible experience. I've taken to having the guy who processes my meat (usually about two hours after shooting), leave the backstraps whole rather than cut them into tenderloin steaks. Gives me more options in how I'll deal with them later. Other roasts tend to be gamer in taste and chewier in texture, often lending themselves more to braising than quicker cooking techniques.

My mouth is watering.

I've modified my short-list for elk accompaniement to include both varietals.

Generally I don't give folks the choice. I know that might be considered somewhat rude, but it avoids the "I don't do x, y or z" complaints and allows the menu and wines to continue as I planned. I've found that well-handled (i.e., boned and properly treated from field to table) game meat can be used interchangeably with beef or veal and no one is the wiser. I will usually mention at some time after serving, when the oohs and aaahhhs have subsided and the wines have been discussed, that they are eating deer, elk or pronghorn. Haven't had any complaints.

Over-cooking game will be a disaster--tough and usually considerably more "gamey" taste.

I agree. But, tradition seems to indicate that elk and deer will quite often show up (maybe this comes from restaurant preps?) with raspberry, lingonberry, black cherry or something similar in the sauce.

I've been very pleased with a mustard/cream sauce that was recommended for veal scallopes used with pronghorn--which I've found to be quite comparable to good veal and not the slightest bit "goatey".

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" "Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights" Both from Smithsonian Books

Not at all, Michael - it's just that I've posted many notes on it before - it is the Brut Excellence and it is a fine glass of bubble. A favourite, in fact.

Salut/Hi Bill Spohn,

le/on 19 Sep 2004 17:20:07 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Quite right too. This IS a family group.

When is venison not venison? When it's roadkill.

the same. There ARE limits.

Agreed. We adore game, and it is to my great regret that it is much harder to find in France than in the UK. If you _want_ to serve fruit with meat (and this applies in general, not just to game) then it's as well to remember that originally, the fruits used were not very sweet at all, and that the essential element they added was acidity, sometimes to mask the off flavour of over hung and badly killed meat. Like marinating in a classic red wine/red wine vinegar cooked marinade, the acidity would often tenderise as well. Redcurrent goes very well, and I often use it to make a classic Sauce Grand Veneur. If one avoids the trap of over sweetness, the acidity can help open up a whole range of different wines as a match - all this IMHO. I wish I had more experience with game.

I like a good old Barbera too!

WELL DONE? He should have been shot!

Force him to eat raw snails...

Oh, thank you. There I am totally on your side.

M.

Hmm, surprised to hear that. I think it's just your neck of the woods, perhaps. Certainly local game (chevreuil, deer, boar, various birds) is plentiful in season here in Normandy, or we can get farmed venison and a wide range of birds year round. There's actually a deer farm quite near here, very good but naturally not up to the wild version.

] (and this applies in general, not just to game) then it's as well to ] remember that originally, the fruits used were not very sweet at all, and ] that the essential element they added was acidity, sometimes to mask the off ] flavour of over hung and badly killed meat. Like marinating in a classic red ] wine/red wine vinegar cooked marinade, the acidity would often tenderise as ] well. Redcurrent goes very well, and I often use it to make a classic Sauce ] Grand Veneur. If one avoids the trap of over sweetness, the acidity can help ] open up a whole range of different wines as a match - all this IMHO. I wish ] I had more experience with game.

Try not-too-ripe blackberries (bramble) sometime, very acidic and adds a lovely flavor without being overly sweet.

-E

That's interesting, I'd read that it was beneficial to hang the meat for a while before butchering, provided adequate cold storage. That it allowed the sinews to "relax" as well as let some sort of enzyme break down that made stuff taste "gamey".

Perhaps that's just mythology?

-- kov

It isn't mythology at all. If you can do it, there's a benefit to hanging for several days at "chiller" temp--not freezer, but in the

My reference to the short interval to the processor was in regard to the time from field to well cooled. A surprising amount of venison is spoiled by excess time in the field, particularly in camp sites during early seasons where it can get quite warm during the day. It's especially critical for antelope (pronghorn) where the season is usually early-mid September and I've seen two guys wandering around in a truck with carcass in the back, waiting to find an opportunity for the partner to fill his tag before getting the meat cooled down.

But, I'll confess that I've never been able to taste a difference in Colorado deer and elk that has been hung compared to one that has been brought into the processor and picked up the next morning in frozen, butcher-paper-wrapped packages. The place I do not considerable "gamey" taste is if the processor has not boned properly (IOW, sawed the meat in the manner of beef butchering), or failed to remove all fat, gristle and membranes.

Ed Rasimus Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret) "When Thunder Rolled" "Phantom Flights, Bangkok Nights" Both from Smithsonian Books