I feel a bit foolish admitting there was a time I had no idea what a hushpuppy was, and it wasn’t that long ago either. Growing up, the small town I lived in had a limited number of restaurants, and of the few in the area, they were mostly diner style menus filled with burgers, fries, and milk shakes. Occasionally, “exotic” foods, like the steak finger or a fish sandwich, might pop up as a weekly special, but for the most part things were the same, day-in and day-out. And I certainly never had heard of elk sausage hushpuppies.
I actually had my first hushpuppy at a Church’s Chicken in Texas during a trip to visit college campuses and was instantly a fan of the small, savory bites of deep fried cornmeal dough. I kind of felt cheated in life for a moment. “How come the exciting world of hushpuppies is something I am just discovering now? I have been missing out on the good things in life!” I said to my fellow diners.
Anyway, if you are silly like me and don’t know what a hushpuppy is, I will tell you. Hopefully, you aren’t like me and have had the pleasure of the hushpuppy being a permanent fixture in your life. Hushpuppies are spoonful sized balls of deep fried cornmeal, flour, eggs, milk, and baking soda. Often times, they also have bits of garlic and onion in them. Some versions also include corn. They should be fluffy, light, crunchy, and a bit salty.
A funny little tidbit about hushpuppies is legend says they were named during the Civil War by Confederate soldiers. Soldiers would feed the little fluffy fried balls to the dogs in order to “hush” them. I don’t know how true the legend is, but I liked the story and thought I would share it.
Hushpuppies are typically served as side dishes to a variety of meals. They are often found at barbeques and also, in the completely opposite direction, can be found complementing a seafood dish. For these Cajun elk sausage hushpuppies, I went the barbeque route and served them along-side smoked ribs.
My hushpuppies featured a little twist, the addition of a spicy Cajun homemade elk sausage. The recipe for the sausage can be found here: Cajun Elk Sausage.
The nice thing about working with hushpuppies is they are basically a blank canvas for developing flavor. The base, cornmeal and flour, is essentially just a building block that brings texture to the dish but not much else. This allows one to create a hushpuppy flavor profile that can trek in any direction the preparer desires.
The Cajun elk sausage added a really great heat to the hushpuppy. These little fried balls were salty, spicy, and just a little bit sweet from the onions.
The Recipe
To start, over medium high heat, completely cook half a pound of the homemade elk sausage and one medium diced onion. Be sure to break the sausage up into as small of pieces as possible.
This recipe would also work great with deer, moose, antelope, or any other wild game sausage you might have around.
You can also start heating the oil for frying the hushpuppies. I used a 10.5 ounce ceramic dutch oven for cooking my hushpuppies. You need about three inches of frying oil to cook in, so this size is nice because you can cook a few pieces of dough at a time without using a lot of oil. For frying, you need a high heat oil. People typically use vegetable oil for frying, but you can also use canola or coconut oil (if you are looking for a little healthier frying options). I actually ran out of my usual frying oil and had to resort to using peanut oil. It smelled like roasted peanuts in the house, which was weird, but oddly enough the peanut fragrance did not carry over to the actual food. Anyway, heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and hold it there.
Add the cooked sausage to the dry ingredients and coat well. This will keep the sausage from sinking to the bottom of the ingredients once the liquids are added.
For the dough, in a large bowl mix together 1 and a half cups of cornmeal, ¾ a cup of flour, two tablespoons of baking powder, a teaspoon of salt, and the cooked elk sausage and onions. Give everything a quick mix, being sure to cover all the sausage with the dry ingredients, and continue to the next step.
To the dry ingredients, add one lightly beaten egg, 2/3 cup of your favorite beer, and 1/3 cup of buttermilk. Lightly combine everything, there is no need to over mix this batter, just stir until the dry ingredients are moistened. Let the bowl stand for 10 minutes.
For this batch of elk sausage hushpuppies, I added a golden ale. You could add any type of beer you wanted. A different beer, say a porter or a pilsner, will create a totally different flavor profile for your hushpuppy and all you are doing is changing one simple ingredient.
After ten minutes, the dough should look light and fluffy. It is now time to start frying!
Frying the Hushpuppies
I used an ice cream scoop to portion out my hushpuppies. This helped keep everything the right size and made the cooking time even between all the batches I did. Drop a scoop of the dough into the hot oil and allow to fry 1 and half to two minutes, you should see the sides peeking out of the oil browning. Flip the puppy to get the other side and allow to cook an additional 1 and half to two minutes.
It helps to use an ice cream scoop to make sure the hushpuppies all turn out the same size. Having them all the same size means the cooking time won’t need to be adjusted per batch.
I added about four dough scoops to the pot at a time. This was a good number for each batch size because it didn’t cause the oil to drop too much in temperature. You want to try and keep the oil as close as possible to 375. If you overcrowd the pot and drop the heat too much, your puppies will cook slower and be a lot greasier and possibly soggy. If you have the oil too hot you will wind up with a burnt outside and a raw inside. So, keeping the oil at the ideal temperature is key to a good hushpuppy.
Working in batches, continue to cook the hushpuppies. Allow the grease to drain off by placing them on a wire rack when they are done frying. You can keep them warm in the oven by putting it to a low 200 degrees.
This Cajun elk sausage hushpuppy was easy to make and very quick to throw together. It also made a delicious side dish to my smoked rib dinner. The spicy, savory crunch of the hushpuppies paired great with the smoky sweet ribs. Give these puppies a try and let me know how it goes for you!
One thing I find difficult to find at the grocery store is a good, solid sausage. There just aren’t many options when it comes to sausage spices. Sure, there are the traditional go-to sausages, like Jimmy Dean or Johnsonville, and don’t get me wrong, those are fine and they definitely get the job done when necessary. But they are just that: fine.
Frisco Sausage Spices and Seasonings!
I guess you could call what I am talking more about is a specialty sausage. Sure it might be labeled as Italian or chorizo, but it is a specialty sausage because it has its own unique twist. And while I think you can go to a butcher’s shop and find a great selection of sausages, you often times can’t beat simply mixing up your own batch of sausage.
And so, in the quest to have a good, solid sausage, I decided to start the adventure of making my own, home ground and blended elk and deer sausage. I think I will call it the Sausage Wars, and will include a couple of different posts on my blog with all the different varieties and tactics I am going to try over the next month.
I like to coarse grind the sausage once through and then add the fat and spices to the mixture.Freeze the sausage in portion sizes appropriate for your needs!
To start this quest, I decided to start with pre-packaged mixes I ordered from different companies. The first…mmm…victim is Frisco Spices. Frisco Spices is located in La Vista, Nebraska and started in the garage of E.G. Fransiscus in 1928. They carry spices, cures, marinades, mixes, and more at the stores and are easy to purchase on-line as well.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I purchased four spice mixes from Frisco: Italian, Hot Italian, Chorizo, and Cajun. For this round of sausage making, I followed the instructions and recommendations on the package, just to keep things easier on myself when deciding if I liked the mixes or not. For my sausage base, I ground elk chunk with bacon ends. I like to use the bacon ends because it adds a good fat flavor to the sausage, but it doesn’t come out quite as greasy as using just pork fat.
To create the sausage, I used a Cabelas meat grinder with a #8 plate and quarter inch holes. I wanted to have an even playing field, so I ground a large batch of meat and then rationed the spices. I ground nine pounds of elk, eight pounds of deer, and three pounds of bacon ends and pieces to make a burger of roughly 90% lean meat if you count the meat in the bacon. I like my sausage and burger lean as it is easier to use in different recipes without having to drain a bunch of fat oil. Also, I use the Wright brand 3-pound pack of bacon ends and pieces because it is cheap and has a very high fat content. I then mixed the hole batch by hand.
After that I mixed four five pound batches of sausage following the instructions on the packages.
Loved This! Give me More!
The Italian Sausage mixture was my favorite. The mixture contained what I consider to be the defining flavor of Italian sausage: fennel! I could really taste the fennel in the mixture and it gave the sausage a subtle sweetness but also that great black licorice punch that is so good in many Italian dishes. I also thought this mixture was not too salty, which can be a big turn-off with many sausages. I plan on using this Italian Sausage to make meatballs, lasagna, and a really big pot of zuppa!
It’s Growing on Me
Eating the Cajun Sausage was one of those experiences where at first I didn’t think much of it, but the second bite actually changed my mind. I didn’t really feel like I was chewing on a mouthful of Cajun flavor at the first bite, but I did immediately notice the heat. It was a good heat, the kind that lingers for just long enough but not the kind of heat that ruins your ability to taste other foods. By the second bite, I was becoming a much bigger fan of the Cajun seasoning. It is not an overly salty sausage, in fact I would consider even adding a little salt to this mix if I made it again, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing either. The flavors are subtle, not overpowering, but it actually seems to work when combined with the heat in this mixture. I know it would be great in a breakfast scramble or burrito you were looking to kick up a notch. I added it to some homemade hush puppies, and it was a fantastic little bite!
I Could Take It or Leave It
The Chorizo Sausage didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The sausage came out extremely salty, and behind the salt flavor I could pick up hints of chorizo flavors. There were small flecks of spicy heat mingled in with a touch of light smokiness, but overall it just wasn’t quite right to me. It was not a bad sausage, but something just wasn’t quite right for my liking. I do think the sausage I made will work well in a breakfast burrito though.
Not my Cup of Tea
The sausage I won’t be making again is the Hot Italian. The mixture was very uneventful. It didn’t really have a significant amount of heat to it, nor did it really have much of an Italian sausage flavor as they didn’t add the fennel. Nothing really popped with this sausage. I will use it as a filler in recipes where the sausage plays a minor roll.
I’m a sucker for kitchen gadgets. So, when my sister and brother-in-law surprised me with a Joule for Christmas this year, I was excited to start cooking! For my first sous vide experience, I decided it was a good idea to start with a recipe from the collection included on the Joule app: Sous Vide Deer Steaks with Smoked Cherry Reduction by Chef David Draper.
So, I am guessing to start there are already questions like: What is a Joule? What is sous vide? Did you say smoked cherries? And is this really all as complicated as it sounds? I will answer that last question first. No, this is not as complicated as it sounds! It is actually quite easy and very fun!
Starting with what is probably running through your mind first: What is a Joule? To answer that, I actually need to start with the second question, which is what is sous vide. Sous vide is cooking process that results in using evenly distributed heat to reach perfectly consistent, restaurant quality foods. A French term translating to “under vacuum,” sous vide cooking uses a hot water bath with the food sealed in a bag to cook.
Which brings us back to the first question: What is a Joule? Created by ChefSteps, a Joule is a home-use sous vide tool. Using an app you download conveniently to your phone, you select how you would like your food cooked and then the app starts the Joule and times everything, resulting in perfectly cooked food.
Immediately after receiving my Joule, my brother-in-law tested it out on filet mignon steaks. The result was a perfectly cooked, juicy, moist piece of steak. For my first solo cooking experience with wild game, I decided to use a deer back strap I had, and follow a recipe found on the Joule app.
Cooking the Deer Steaks in Smoked Cherry Reduction
To start cooking, fill a large pot with water and set the Joule in the pot. Look through the photos on the app to decide how “well-done” you want your steak. I like deer steak to be medium-rare. After you select the “doneness,” answer the related questions like how thick is the steak. The Joule will then take the information and create a recommended cooking temperature and time. For my deer steaks, the temperature was suggested to be at 129.2 and cooking time was one hour. Press start on the app, and watch as the water preheats to the perfect temperature.
While the water is preheating, prepare the steaks. You will need a sealable bag for cooking in. Another convenience offered with sous vide cooking is you can infuse more flavors into your meats during the cooking process. Besides the deer steaks, to the cooking bag I added a tablespoon of butter, two cloves of smashed garlic, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Seal the bag, and once the water is preheated, clip it to the side of the pot and let it cook!
While the steaks are cooking, you can start on the smoked cherry sauce. This brings us to the third question posed: Did you say smoked cherries? And the answer is yes! I was skeptical of the smoked cherries for this recipe. I actually wanted to skip the entire step of smoking the cherries, but I am glad that I didn’t. With the smoker set to a very low temperature, between 170 – 180 degrees Fahrenheit, put in a few pieces of mesquite wood, and smoke a cup of whole cherries for thirty minutes. Since it was the middle of winter when I was making this recipe, I used frozen cherries and they worked perfectly fine.
Once the cherries are smoked, put them in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 3/4 cup of port wine, two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, one tablespoon minced fresh sage and a teaspoon of dried ground cloves. Mix everything together and bring to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, simmer the sauce until it thickens, about fifteen minutes. Keep the sauce warm for serving over the steaks.
Once the steaks are done in the sous vide, heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat and add a few swirls of olive oil. Pat the steaks dry, season generously with salt and pepper, and drop them into the hot pan. Cook the steak on each side for about a minute, resulting in a beautifully browned seal on the outside of the steak.
This is how the steaks will look straight out of the sous vide.I sear all the sides of the steak first and then move to larger surfaces.
Slice the steak into thin strips and dress it with the smoked cherry sauce. It is so beautiful on the plate and tastes even more amazing.
Conclusions!
The sous vide does create an amazingly even finish on the steaks. The deer back straps were cooked perfectly to medium-rare and it was consistent across the entire piece of meat. It also resulted in a very juicy cut of meat with a crunch seared outside.
The smoked cherry reduction by David Draper was delicious. I thought the balance between the sweetness of the cherry and the smoke would be weird, but it was surprisingly perfect. There was something tantalizing about the savory infused smoke flavor and the sweet added from the port wine and cherries. The balsamic vinegar blended everything together beautifully. I deviated a bit from the original recipe by adding the Worcestershire, and it was an appreciated addition by my diners. They liked the little bit of tang it added to the dish.
The final product! Doesn’t get more beautiful than that!
Hope ya’ll enjoy this dish as much as I did. And if you are thinking about getting a sous vide device, especially a Joule, I would highly recommend it!
Sous Vide Deer Steaks Topped with Smoked Cherry Reduction
Category:
Deer Recipes, Wild Game Recipes
4 servings
The final product! Doesn't get more beautiful than that!
Ingredients
4 Deer Steaks, such as tenderloins or back straps
8 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons butter
Handful fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh or frozen cherries
3/4 cup port wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
1 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
For the Sous Vide Deer Steaks
Using the Joule app, heat up the water to desired temperature and set the cooking time. Start the Joule preheating the water.
In one Ziploc baggie per steak, add one serving of steak, two crushed garlic cloves, one tablespoon of butter, and a few sprigs of thyme. Repeat with all four steaks.
Seal bags and clip to side of pot for cooking.
Allow to cook for recommended time, set by Joule.
*If you don't have a sous vide cooking device, this recipe works fine with just cooking the steaks in a pan as well.
Once steaks are finished cooking, heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat and add the olive oil.
Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and then generously season with salt and pepper.
Place steaks in piping hot pan, and sear each side for one minute.
Let rest for a few minutes and then thinly slice.
For Smoked Cherry Reduction
Heat smoker to 175 degrees Fahrenheit. Using mesquite wood, create smoke and add the cup of cherries. I put mine in a disposable pie tin for smoking.
Smoke cherries for 30 minutes.
Place smoked cherries in medium size sauce pan over medium-high heat.
Add the port wine, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, minced sage, and ground cloves.
Let the sauce simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until reduced and reaches your desired thickness.
To Plate
Lay thin slices of the deer steak on a plate and generously cover in smoked cherry reduction.
Yay! It’s September! And September means fall, and fall means comfort food. Comfort food means meatloaf time! And a little more specifically, it means elk meatloaf recipe time!
“I have a marvelous meatloaf recipe. All I have to do is mention it to my husband and he says, “Let’s eat out!” ~ Anonymous
Growing up, I hated meatloaf. To me, meatloaf was literally a lump of meat that tasted like it had been boiled and topped with ketchup. I was not a fan, and carried my disdain for meatloaf well into my adult life. Then something happened. I made my own meatloaf, and realized I not only like meatloaf, I love it. It was a meal that I actually looked forward to.
I think this shift in meatloaf mentality occurred because I realized that meatloaf is simply taking a ground burger base and creating any flavor profile your little heart desires. It is like the ultimate blank canvas, just waiting for you to pay it a little attention and create something amazing.
For this elk meatloaf recipe, I wanted to take some of my favorite earthy flavors, as I like to call them, and pair them with a great flavored meatloaf. So, what do I mean by earthy flavors? Well, I consider earthy flavors to be herbs and ingredients that remind me of sitting outside on a warm afternoon and taking in all the aromas of my yard and surrounding environment. They are flavors that draw one into the basic sense of where food comes from, that remind of farms and fruit trees, conjure up images of harvest time and working with your hands to provide. Those are what earthy flavors are to me, which might differ completely from someone’s idea, but at least it gives you an idea of how this recipe was conceived.
So, a few of my basic earthy flavors are herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, and rosemary. And a few of my earthy ingredients are mushrooms and onions. I took all those basic ideas and created a meatloaf from elk centering around this particular flavor profile. This is a great base recipe for creating your own elk meatloaf fitting the likes of your family or friends because it easy to add or subtract ingredients from. Friends don’t like mushrooms, toss ’em out and add in carrots, corn, or another vegetable they like. You hate onions? They won’t be missed if you take them out. See, it is a very versatile elk meatloaf recipe!
To begin, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour a half cup of milk, any percentage you have on hand will do, and soak pieces of Italian bread in the milk until they have soaked it all up. Set the bread aside momentarily. It is also time to start the caramelized onions.
Caramelized onions are one of my favorites. They are so sweet, and the texture is soft and almost kind of chewy. They are so good! Cooking them isn’t really all that difficult, it just is a test of your patience. To get a really good caramelized onion, you have to let the onions cook on low for about thirty minutes. I always get tempted to turn the heat up in hopes of speeding up the process, but that idea is not a good one. Instead of sweet onions, you end up more frying the onions, which creates an entirely different flavor and texture than you are looking for.
To cook caramelized onion, heat up two or three tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over low heat. Add two large onions that have been thinly sliced and allow to slowly cook for about ten minutes. At ten minutes, I sprinkle in about two teaspoons of salt and give everything a stir. Allow to cook for twenty more minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should start to turn translucent and brown slightly on the edges. Sometimes I add a little sugar, like a teaspoon, or a tablespoon of vinegar to help with the caramelizing process. When the onions are done cooking, set aside and start on the meatloaf.
In a second mixing bowl, add two pounds of ground elk. I like to add bacon to my ground elk so I have a bit of fat in the meat, as elk is incredibly lean and tends to dry out if you don’t introduce a fat source. When grinding, I do a ratio of about 10% bacon to 90% elk, so for this recipe I did around two pounds of elk and about 3 ounces of bacon. You could also do beef fat, if that is available from your butcher. I like to do bacon because it adds a little bacon flavor to my meat, which is something I generally add anyway when making elk burgers or an elk meatloaf recipe, and so it is kind of a two-for-one deal in this situation.
To the ground elk, add a tablespoon of fennel, and two teaspoons each of dried sage, thyme, rosemary, and oregano. If you don’t have all those ingredients on hand, you could add two tablespoons of dried Italian seasoning and you will hit most or all of the dried herbs. Next, add three cloves of minced garlic, a half cup of tomato juice, and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Using your hands, give everything a quick mix.
Next, break three eggs into the bowl. Add in the milk soaked bread crumbs, and use your hands to really incorporate everything together. It’s time to add the dried breadcrumbs. I add the dried crumbs a cup at time, mixing after each addition and checking the consistency. Stop adding when the meatloaf is still moist but holds together in a ball in the palm of your hand. This time I used about three cups. Season with a little salt and pepper and then press out into a large rectangle on a sheet of wax paper. It’s time to start layering some flavor!
I first put down a layer of shredded cheese. I wanted to use Parmigiano-Reggiano, but my local grocery store doesn’t carry that particular cheese, so instead I went for an Italian cheese blend that had Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago. Parmesan is more of a generic American term for salty, harder cheeses, like Parmigiano-Reggiano. So when you buy a three cheese blend similar to the one I found it kind of counts as covering the idea of Parmigian-Reggiano. All three cheeses are salty based cheeses that are harder with a crumbly texture.
On top of the cheese, add the mushroom slices. I used baby portabellas for this recipe, but you can use whatever type of mushroom you like best. Shitakes would be fantastic, as would Cremini or even white button. Add the caramelized onions on top of the mushrooms. Starting at the edge closest to you and using the wax paper to help keep your hands from sticking, roll the meat and all its ingredients into a tidy little loaf. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Allow to cook for one hour.
While the meatloaf is cooking, it is time to make the gravy. This is a very simple brown gravy that has onions, mushrooms, and fresh thyme to help compliment the flavors of the actual elk meatloaf. I am not the greatest gravy person, in fact many times I struggle with getting a good texture and consistency; however this recipe was incredibly simple and turned out great.
Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about eight minutes. Then, add the onions and cook an additional three minutes. Sprinkle a tablespoon of flour over the mushrooms and onions and then whisk for about a minute into the juices and oils of the pan. Try and mix in all the flour, as you are creating a roux for you gravy base to help thicken the sauce. Cook for about a minute.
Slowly pour in two cups of beef broth, continuously whisking as you pour and breaking up any chunks that might develop. Bring to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the sauce to simmer for about ten minutes so it can reduce and thicken. In a small mixing cup, add a tablespoon of corn starch to a half cup of water. I added about a tablespoon of the corn starch mixture at a time to my gravy, stirring and then checking the consistency before I added more. I only added cornstarch until the gravy was thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, but it still dripped off and was somewhat at a liquid state. It should be glossy and shiny as well. Stir in a tablespoon of fresh minced thyme and some apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
To plate this ultimate comfort food dish up, add a healthy slice of the elk meatloaf to your plate and then drench it in the mushroom and onion gravy. For my side, I had a mashed sweet potato for a little color on my plate. Enjoy all those earthy flavors of mushroom, onion, rosemary, sage, and thyme in this elk meatloaf recipe! So good!
Elk Meatloaf Recipe: Onions, Mushrooms, and Italian Cheese
Category:
Deer Recipes, Elk Recipes, Wild Game Recipes
Ingredients
For Meatloaf
Two pounds ground elk meat
6 Slices Italian Style Bread
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Fennel Seed
2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme
2 Teaspoons Dried Sage
2 Teaspoons Dried Rosemary
1/2 Cup Tomato Juice
6 Cloves Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
3 Eggs
3 cups Dried Bread Crumbs, such as Panko
8 Ounces Baby Portabella Mushrooms
Caramelized Onions
2 Cups Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
For Caramelized Onions
Two Large Onions, Sliced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Salt
For Mushroom Thyme Gravy
2 Tablespoons Butter
8 Ounces Mushrooms
1/2 Large Onion, Sliced
1 Tablespoon Flour
2 Cups Beef Broth
2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch with 1/2 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Fresh Minced Thyme
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
For Caramelized Onion
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and allow to cook, slowly, for ten minutes.
After ten minutes, sprinkle the onions with the salt. Stir and allow to cook for an additional twenty minutes.
Stir the onions occasionally. You will know they are finished when the onions are translucent and slightly browned on the edges. They should taste sweet.
For the Meatloaf
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, break up the six Italian bread slices. Pour the half cup of milk over the bread and allow to soak. Set aside until ready to use.
In a large mixing bowl, add two pounds of ground elk meat. To the ground elk meat, add the fennel seed, sage, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. Mix everything once with hands.
To the large bowl, add the minced garlic, tomato juice, Dijon mustard. Mix again.
Finally, add the eggs and soaked bread crumbs. MIx everything thoroughly. Now start adding the dried bread crumbs cup by cup until desired consistency is reached. Meatloaf should be moist but hold together when formed into a ball in your hand.
Spread the meat mixture onto a piece of wax paper, forming a large rectangle about an inch thick.
On top of the meat mixture, lay the cheese, mushrooms, and caramelized onions. Using the paper to help you, roll the meat and toppings in a loaf and set on baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for one hour.
For the Mushroom Thyme Gravy
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and allow to sauté for eight minutes.
Add the sliced onions and cook an additional three minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and onions. Using a whisk, dissolve the flour entirely in the juices and oils of the pan. Cook for one minute.
Slowly add the beef broth and whisk constantly while adding. Bring the a gentle boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and allow to simmer for ten minutes.
Add the cornstarch tablespoon by tablespoon until the gravy is desired thickness and is glossy.
Remove from heat and add apple cider vinegar and fresh minced thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
To plate, cut yourself a beautiful slice of meatloaf and drench in mushroom gravy!
“People get a little bolder and more wild in summer. You’ve got things going on kabobs, things cooking on the bone. There’s something about standing over a grill or outside with the family that inspires us.” ~Guy Fieri
Living in the middle of a desert, seafood isn’t always the best choice. Anytime I order fish or other seafood from a restaurant, I can almost taste the freezer burn. I can actually see it on the crab legs when I am at the grocery store. Don’t get me wrong, I still buy those crab legs and cook them up as a special treat every once in awhile, but I am still saying that in the middle of the desert, seafood is not like seafood you get other places.
That being said, oddly enough our little town has a sushi restaurant. If you had opened up a sushi restaurant in this simple little uranium mining town thirty years ago, you would have been laughed out of town. And most likely gone bankrupt, because I can’t imagine the tables would have been full. However, as the town has blossomed, or actually a better word is probably exploded, into a tourist destination quickly over the last ten years, the cuisine has evolved. There are several Thai restaurants, a handful of Mexican places, and even this sushi restaurant.
Anyway, for being a sushi restaurant sitting in a barren dust bowl of red blow sand, cactus, and sweltering heat, it is actually pretty good. The fish is flown in daily from Hawaii, and they try to source local ingredients for the rest of their ingredients, such as vegetables and fruits. I think the local produce is part of what appeals to me when I dine at the sushi place, and in particular I like their La Sal Roll. Named after the mountains to the west of the town, the La Sal Roll is a salmon based roll with asparagus, lime, cucumber, and avocado. The roll has a refreshing bite from the lime and cucumber, but is also hearty from the avocado.
This roll is the inspiration for this deer steak dish. With summer dragging in an extra long heat wave this year, eating has been…challenging. It feels so hot that steak sounds awful. But it is also summer, the season of grilling, which makes steak sound appealing. It’s a confusing state to live in. This deer steak is a great compromise. It takes the refreshing flavors of lime and cilantro and pairs it with the kick of jalapenos, creamy avocados, and a bit of spicy ginger.
For the steaks, I used deer backstrap and cut it into four medallions about three inches thick. It would also work great with tenderloin or another steak cut. Another substitution would be to use elk, moose, or pronghorn. I think this sauce would pair great with any of those steaks. Let the steaks rest at room temperature for ten to fifteen minutes. Then season them liberally with salt and pepper.
While the steaks are resting, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed cookie sheet or in a roasting pan, place some cherry tomatoes and asparagus. I usually do four to five cherry tomatoes and half a bundle of asparagus per person. Drizzle a little olive oil over everything, season with salt and pepper, give everything a quick mix using your hands, and throw those puppies in the oven. They should take about twelve to fifteen minutes to cook. You will know they are ready with the tomatoes are just starting to burst.
Next, prepare the sauce. To a large bowl, add two big handfuls of cilantro, just torn with your hands into chunks, one jalapeno sliced into rings (if you aren’t a fan of spicy, remove the seeds before you slice up the pepper), two teaspoons of grated fresh ginger root (which I suggest purchasing a microplane to use. They are the best, and can be used on cheese, garlic, nutmeg, or for zesting fruit), two cloves of garlic (which can also be grated on the microplane!), the juice of three limes, and four tablespoons of coconut aminos. I like to use coconut aminos for this recipe because it adds that salty soy sauce taste, but it also adds a hint of sweetness. If you don’t have coconut aminos you can always just substitute in soy sauce or tamari. Whisk everything together and set aside.
To cook the steaks, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Wait until the pan is good and hot before adding the steaks. This will create a really nice crust to the steaks. I like to actually time my steaks when cooking them. Since these steaks were fairly thick, I let them go for three minutes per side, for a total of six minutes cooking time. That resulted in a medium rare steak. If you are more of a medium person, add a minute. More of a rare person? Subtract a minute. If your steaks are thinner than three inches, subtract a minute.
Once you have cooked both sides, it is time to add the sauce. Leave the pan on medium high heat and slowly drizzly the sauce into the pan and over the steaks. The pan should be hot enough when the sauce hits the pan, it sizzles. You are almost caramelizing the sauce for a minute. Let it bubble around the steaks for about thirty seconds and then turn the heat off. Let the pan sit while you prepare the plates.
For plate preparation, dice up half an avocado per person. Make the pieces bite size chunks. Lay two medallions onto each plate. Place the roasted cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and avocado around the steak. Pour the sauce over everything and garnish with a little fresh cilantro.
So, if you are looking for fresh twist on steak, give this recipe a try. I love the heat you get from the jalapenos, the spicy little kick of the ginger, and the sweet hints from coconut aminos. Enjoy!
Seared Deer Steaks in a Cilantro, Lime, Jalapeno Sauce: Kick Summer Up a Notch!
Category:
Deer Recipes, Elk Recipes, Wild Game Recipes
2
Ingredients
4 deer steak medallions, about three inches thick
Cherry Tomatoes
Asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
Avocado
Steak Sauce
2 handfuls torn cilantro
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 inch piece ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 limes, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons coconut aminos
salt and pepper
Instructions
Cut deer steaks into about three inch thick medallions. Allow to rest at room temperature for fifteen minutes. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Place tomatoes and asparagus on a rimmed cookie sheet, coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place to 400 degree preheated oven for fifteen minutes, or until tomatoes begin to burst.
For the sauce, whisk together cilantro, jalapeno, ginger, garlic, limes, olive oil, and coconut aminos.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is preheated, place seasoned steaks down for three minutes per side.
Pour sauce over cooked steaks, allow to come to a bubble for thirty seconds. Turn heat off.
On a plate, set two steak medallions, four to five cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and diced avocado. Pour sauce over top and enjoy!
“You gotta try your luck at least once a day, because you could be going around lucky all day and not even know it.” ~ Jimmy Dean
Every year for St. Patrick’s Day, I put a corned beef in the crock pot to slowly cook throughout the day, make a loaf of Irish soda bread filled with caraway seeds and raisins, and mix up a couple of green beers. It is a St. Patty’s Day tradition around our house, even though we are not of Irish heritage.
This year, I wanted to create a few twists on traditional St Patrick’s Day menu items and substitute the meat with wild game. I started doing some research on customary Irish foods, and learned a few things that kind of flipped my world momentarily upside down. First, in Ireland they do not traditionally eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s Day. They usually serve lamb or bacon. That really put a twist in my plans. Second, the green beer thing is not actually a thing in the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Ireland. In fact, many of the traditions I have learned since I was a kid, like pinching anyone that did not don green, are customs and traditions that evolved in Irish-American cultures.
One of the biggest things I love about cooking is the connections created between the food and customs, traditions, or even just interesting facts that pop up. While my research into traditional St. Patrick’s Day foods was not what I expected it to be, the mere task of looking up some ways to work differently with corned beef directed me into a full on discovery of how St. Patrick’s Day was founded, which traditions are from Ireland and which grew from Irish-American cultures, and even the different celebrations that occur around the world for St. Patrick’s Day.
For this recipe, I stuck with the Irish-American tradition of corned beef. I love the flavor profile created in a corned beef. It is a salty, sweet, and pickled taste. I wanted to try that kind of seasoning on wild game. So, with from a chunk of elk meat, some corned beef seasonings, and a dry stout beer brewed in Ireland, I made an elk hand pie. This meal is a twist on two other meals: corned beef and cabbage, and Guinness pot pie.
To start, place a pound of potatoes in a large pot of water. I used fingerling potatoes and kept the skins on. You could also use red, Yukon, or russet potatoes. I think a fun twist for next time will be to replace the potato with a sweet potato. Also, you can peel the potatoes if you aren’t a fan of the skins. Turn the heat to high and bring the potatoes to a boil. Once the water is boiling, place a lid over the pot, turn the heat off, and allow the potatoes to cook for five minutes. Set the timer for this part, because you only want to parboil, or partially cook, the potatoes. For this dish, you want the potatoes to remain somewhat firm, not mushy, and also they will continue to cook more in the meat mixture and finally in the oven. After five minutes, drain the potatoes and set them aside to cool down.
For the elk meat, I ran mine through a coarse grind one time. For this recipe, I used the 3/8″ hole meat grinder plate. It is also a good idea to have the meat at a relatively cold temperature, or even partially frozen, when grinding. This will help to prevent the machine from pulverizing the meat, or as some people term it, “mashing” the meat through the plate. I made a pound of ground elk for this recipe, and had enough mixture by the end to create about a dozen hand pies. You could easily cut this recipe in half if you don’t want that many pies, but they freeze really well so I always make a big batch and eat the rest later.
Preheat a large skillet with one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add a medium size onion, chopped into bite size pieces, and allow to sauté for three minutes. Add two cups of shredded cabbage, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook an additional five to seven minutes. The cabbage should be soft by now, and the onions should be starting to turn translucent. Remove the cabbage and onions from the pan and set aside.
To the already preheated skillet, drop in the pound of ground elk meat. Season the meat with a teaspoon each of ground cloves, ground mustard seed, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, all spice, and dill weed. Cook the elk until it is browned, about seven minutes. While the meat is browning, dice up the now cooled potatoes into bite size pieces in preparation for adding to the skillet.
Deglaze the skillet with the bottle of Irish dry stout beer. Also add in two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and return the cabbage and onions to the pan. Add the diced potatoes as well. Keep the heat high, and allow the beer to reduce down by half, which takes about five minutes. Turn off the skillet and let the mixture cool down.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While waiting, roll out the pre-made pie crusts. I rolled the dough a bit thinner so I could get more pies from the crusts. If you like a thicker crust on your pies, simply buy a couple of boxes of the premade dough. Use a biscuit cutter to make circles for the hand pies. I actually don’t own a biscuit cutter, so I used a bowl and a knife. A cup also works well in this situation. Place the dough circles on an ungreased cookie sheet. I lined my sheet with aluminum foil to make the clean-up a bit easier. Pile each circle with a couple of spoonfuls of the meat mixture and then top with a second circle. Pinch around the edges using a fork, poke a small vent in the top, and brush each pie with an egg wash.
Bake the pies in the oven for 12 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
Well, I hope you enjoy this St. Patrick’s Day recipe with a twist on corned beef and cabbage. The pies, with their flaky crusts, give hints of corned beef seasonings paired with the sweetness of cabbage. Each bite is like a full meal, with potatoes, onions, meat, and cabbage. Enjoy!
Preheat large skillet with olive oil over medium high heat. Add diced onions and sauté for three minutes.
Add cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and cook for five to seven minutes. Cook until cabbage and onions are soft.
Remove cabbage and onions from skillet.
Add ground elk and cook until just brown, about five minutes.
Season ground elk with cloves, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, all spice, dill, and mustard seed. Season with salt. Cook additional two to three minutes.
Deglaze the pan with beer.
Add potatoes and cabbage back to pan.
Add Worcestershire sauce.
Cook until liquid has reduced by half, about five minutes.
Turn off meat mixture and allow to cool.
Cut pastry dough into circles using extra large biscuit cutter.
Preheat oven to 400.
Place half of circles on an ungreased baking sheet. Pile each circle with a couple spoonsful of the meat and cabbage mixture. Top each circle with second pastry second and pinch edges with fork.
Brush each pastry egg wash. Cut small vent holes in the top of each pastry circle.
Bake in oven for ten to twelve minutes, until tops of pastries are golden brown.
“The four characteristics of humanism are curiosity, a free mind, belief in good taste, and belief in the human race.” ~ E.M. Forster
Growing up, I hated mushrooms with a passion. My dad loved them. He would always order pizza with everything on it, including white button mushrooms. I could smell those white button mushrooms before the box was even open. And then I would complain, and whine, and moan, and let him know that not only had he ruined the pizza but my life as well. You know, a typically six year-old meltdown that somehow starts with mushrooms and evolves to a young life being destroyed by the mere presence of mushrooms in the home.
My mom would tell me to just pick them off. I would grumpily, using only two fingers, pull them off and place them as far away from my pizza slice as possible.
“I can still taste them,” I would whine. “And see where they were on my pizza!”
My parents would ignore me.
Eventually, I would start to reluctantly eat my slice because I was hungry, and well because I was six and it was pizza. What six year old can turn down pizza? Everything would be going fine until I realized that not only were there mushrooms on this pizza, but there were also onions. And I had just eaten one. Return to complain, whine, moan mode with probably a little crying because my dad had “tricked” me into eating onions and my life was once again ruined.
Nowadays, I love mushrooms and onions. I actually think of ways I can add them to my meal. Six year-old me would definitely be red-faced scolding me right now, hands in little tight fists, and a massive melt-down just around the corner. Luckily, she isn’t here, and I get to share this amazing, savory whiskey rosemary cream sauce over deer steak and mushrooms dish with you!
To start, select the cut of deer steak you want to serve for this dish. I used tenderloin, but this dish works well with any steak from the deer. Other suggestions I have are the back strap, the infraspinatus found in the shoulder of the deer, or a sirloin, which is cut from the hind quarter. To help get a better sear on my steaks, I usually pat them with a paper towel quickly to remove any moisture on the outside of the steak. Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub the cut side over the outside of the steaks. Season liberally with salt and pepper and place in the hot pan, which is my favorite part of cooking steak. I love that sizzling sound of the meat first hitting the pan.
Deer, like other wild game steaks, is best when cooked on the rare side of doneness. Deer is a very lean meat, and without the extra fat on the steaks, like is found on beef, it tends to dry out quickly when cooked. A well-done deer steak will be very tough and have an unpleasant texture, almost rubbery. So, I suggest cooking deer steaks to medium-rare or less. I like mine medium-rare and reach that cooking the steak about five minutes per side.
Once the steaks are finished cooking, plate them under a loosely constructed aluminum foil tent. Allow the steaks to rest under the tent while you finish the cream sauce. A proper meat resting, which is about ten minutes, allows the juices to reabsorb into the meat. While cooking the meat, the moisture tends to move towards the surface of the steak, and if you immediately pull the meat from the heat source and cut into it, the juices will rush out of steak. This resting time stops that from happening and results in a moist, juicy steak.
While the steaks are resting, add four tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Once the butter is melted, drop in the diced onion and sauté for three minutes, allowing the onions to become soft. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional two minutes. Watch the garlic closely. If it starts to brown, drop the temperature on the skillet, as browned garlic adds a bitter taste to the dish.
Time to add the mushrooms! Roughly chop your favorite mushroom and add it to the onions and garlic. I used shiitakes this time, but I have also prepared this meal with baby portabellas or cremini mushrooms. Be sure to clean the mushrooms before using by taking a damp paper towel and gently rubbing the surface of the mushroom to remove any dirt. Also, with the portabellas or cremini, pull the stems from the mushrooms before chopping. Season the skillet with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms with the garlic and onions for five minutes.
Once the mushrooms have cooked down a bit, remove the pan from the heat source and deglaze with a half cup of whiskey. This is also one of those moments I love. When the whiskey hits the pan, it sizzles! Such a great sound! And I should mention that the kitchen will be smelling amazing at this point! The aromas created from the whiskey, onions and mushrooms together is intoxicating, and if you weren’t hungry when you started cooking this meal, you will be after those smells start mingling around the kitchen.
Return the skillet to the heat source, and allow the whiskey to cook down for about two minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and continue reducing the liquids for an additional two minutes.
Finally, add in 3/4 cup of cream, the minced fresh rosemary, and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Give everything a quick stir, reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow the sauce to simmer for five minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of spoon. It should be creamy and glossy.
To serve, slice the steaks against the grain into thick slabs, cover generously in the whiskey cream sauce, making sure to get a heaping serving of the mushrooms on each plate, and add a suitable side. I like to add a side of asparagus because it pairs wonderfully with the cream sauce. A side of mashed potatoes would also be delicious for absorbing some of the sauce.
I love this meal because it has simple flavors that highlight the tender, juicy deer steak. The earthy hints of rosemary and mushrooms pair great with the flavor from the deer, and the onions and cream add a savory but almost slightly sweet hit to the dish.
Prepare the steaks by taking the whole clove of garlic, cutting it in half, and rubbing the cut edge over the deer steaks. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Place the steaks in the preheated pan and cook to medium-rare (or your preference). These steaks were somewhat thinner cuts, about 3/4 to a full inch thick, and I cooked them for two minutes per side.
After steaks have cooked, tent them loosely under aluminum foil and allow to rest while you start the sauce.
To the same pan the steaks were cooked in, add four tablespoon of butter and melt.
Once the butter is bubbly and melted, add the diced onion. Allow to cook for three to four minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook an additional two minutes. Watch the garlic, if it starts to brown, drop the heat on the pan.
Add the roughly chopped mushrooms and cook for five minutes. By this point, the mushrooms and onions should both be soft.
Season the mixture with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Turn the heat off from the pan and pour in the half cup of whiskey. Allow to boil for two minutes and then add the balsamic vinegar. Boil gently an additional two minutes.
Pour in the 3/4 cup of cream and the Dijon mustard. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add the rosemary.
Allow the cream to reduce slight by simmering the mixture for five minutes.
Slice the deer steak into thick chunks, cutting against the grain of the meat.
To plate, arrange deer on serving platter and generously cover in whiskey cream sauce.
“It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.” ~ Elon Musk
Those are truly great meals that you eat slow, share stories, and possibly go back for seconds, or thirds depending on how long you decide to wait before you make the effort to actually put on pants.
Breakfasts like those long Saturday morning ones seem like the perfect opportunity to share a wild game meal; however, I find that breakfast is the area I struggle the most with when using wild game. If I do add deer or elk to the table, I tend to follow the same pattern each time: deer breakfast sausage. I might get inventive and make a burrito from the sausage or some type of scramble, and don’t get me wrong, those are fantastic meals and I gobble up every satisfying bite, but sometimes I want to share something that is a little different, a little unexpected.
This past weekend, I awoke for my late Saturday morning breakfast, still in my pajamas, and decided it was time to try out a new wild game breakfast item. I thought about how to best add wild game to the meal without getting too strange, and decided on taking one of my favorite classics and putting a wild game spin to it: the deer eggs benedict.
First popularized in New York, eggs benedict is a savory breakfast dish composed of a toasted English muffin topped with Canadian ham or bacon, a poached egg, and creamy Hollandaise sauce. Many variations of the dish exist, including substituting the Hollandaise sauce for a Béarnaise sauce, and switching the ham for salmon, steak or chorizo, adding spinach, tomatoes, or avocado. The meal base eggs benedict creates is a wonderful starting part for experimenting, especially when it comes to adding in some wild game.
Eggs benedict is the perfect lazy Saturday meal. It is not a particularly difficult meal to pull together, but it does require a bit of time. And honestly, it also makes quite the kitchen mess with the necessity for so many pots, pans, and utensils. But that is what makes it the perfect Saturday breakfast, as there will be plenty of time to clean-up after this meal is shared, bellies are full, and maybe an early afternoon nap happens.
To start, pre-heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Season your deer steaks liberally with salt and pepper. Compared to beef, deer is a very lean meat, and when steaks are cooked to medium or well-done the texture tends to become very rubbery and chewy, for this reason, I recommend eating deer rare or medium-rare. For this benedict breakfast, I used deer tenderloin steaks that were about an inch and half thick., so I cooked each side for about four minutes and then tented the steaks under aluminum foil. When you are ready to slice the meat, work across the grain and make about quarter to half inch slices.
While the steaks are resting, prepare the béarnaise sauce. Traditionally, eggs benedict is served drizzled in Hollandaise sauce. I switched the Hollandaise for Béarnaise in the this recipe. Hollandaise and Béarnaise are both quite similar, as both are lusciously rich and creamy sauces with a cheerful yellow color. The preparation base is the same for both sauces: eggs yolks emulsified in warm, melted butter and a hit of acid. Where the sauces differ is the type of acid used and the addition of flavors. Hollandaise gets it acid from lemon juice, and a slight heat is typically enhanced in the sauce with the addition of white pepper or cayenne. Béarnaise sauce gets is acid from white wine vinegar, and it’s flavor profile is further developed with the addition of fresh herbs and shallots. I love the combination of the lightly licorice flavored tarragon herb with deer, so I decided to make a tarragon béarnaise for this eggs benedict.
To create the Béarnaise sauce, melt two sticks of unsalted butter, or 1 cup. Let the butter cool just slightly. You want it to be warm enough to emulsify the egg yolks, but you don’t want it so hot that it actually cooks the egg yolks, which will result in a lumpy sauce. Add egg yolks and the white wine vinegar to a blender and turn the blender on a medium speed. Once the yolks are broken up and mixed a bit, slowly start drizzling in the warm butter. As the butter and eggs start working together, the sauce should thicken. Once all the butter is added, drop in the shallots, minced tarragon, and season with salt and pepper. Let everything blend for a few more seconds. I leave the sauce in the blender after I have prepared it, this way it will stay warm.
After the steaks are cooked and the Béarnaise sauce is ready, it is time to poach the eggs. There are several egg poaching techniques out there. Some people add vinegar to the water, other people poach in a shallow pan of water, and some even use a giant pot of boiling water. The technique I am sharing is the easiest for me. In a large pot, bring about five to six cups of water to a gentle boil. Have your eggs broken into separate bowls or ramekins in preparation for addition to the boiling pot. Using a large wooden spoon, create a whirlpool in the pot. Drop the eggs one at time into the swirling water, and watch as the eggs fall apart and then, almost magically, start to pull together into perfectly poached eggs. Allow the eggs to cook in the water for two and half minutes before removing with a slotted spoon.
Okay, after all that mess making, it is time to assemble the benedicts! Toast a slice of sourdough bread and brush on a little butter. To the buttered bread, add a thick, juicy slice of beefsteak tomato. Top that with two or three thin slices of the deer steak. Carefully balance the poached egg on top of the stack, and finally drizzle on a healthy pour of the Béarnaise sauce.
I love a beautifully cooked deer steak served with a side of potatoes or asparagus, but this deer eggs benedict really opened my eyes to all the possibilities of working with wild game. Breakfast can be more than steak and eggs or breakfast burritos. This meal is creamy and savory, with a hint of tartness, and even a little sweet from the tomato. It makes for a great lazy Saturday breakfast that is sure to impress all your diners. And it is pretty great for the chef as well!
Deer Tenderloin Eggs Benedict with a Tarragon Béarnaise Sauce
Category:
Deer Recipes, Elk Recipes
4
Ingredients
2 deer steaks (your choice of cut, but I used tenderloin!)
4 eggs
4 slices of sourdough bread
1 beefsteak tomato
For Tarragon Béarnaise Sauce
2 sticks (or 1 cup) butter, melted and still warm
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 minced shallot
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the deer steaks
Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat.
Season the deer steak with salt and pepper.
Place the steak in the preheated pan. Cook the steak to medium-rare. The time will depend on the thickness of the steak. For these steaks, which were between an inch and two inches thick, I cooked each side for four minutes.
Remove the steak from the heat and light tent in tin foil, allowing the steak to properly rest.
For the Tarragon Béarnaise
Melt the two sticks of butter and let cool slightly. You don't want the butter bubbling hot, but you want it to still be warm.
Place the egg yolks in a blender and pulse a few times to break them up.
With the blender running, add the white wine vinegar and mix for a few seconds.
With the blender running, slowly stream in the warm butter. Once all the butter is added, continue to blend for a minute.
Add the fresh tarragon, and salt and pepper. Blend for another minute. Keep the sauce warm with the lid on the blender.
For poached eggs
In a large pot, bring to a light boil about three cups of water.
Once the pot is gently boiling, use a large spoon to create a whirlpool in the water. With the water spinning, drop the cracked eggs, one at a time, into the pot.
Allow the eggs to cook for two to two and half minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon
For the Benedict
Brush the sour dough bread slices lightly with olive oil and toast on a griddle until golden brown.
“I wanted to be a skinny little ballerina but I was a voluptuous little Italian girl whose dad had meatballs on the table every night.” ~ Lady Gaga
I am not always the best pre-planner. If I am headed on vacation, I am the one packing my bags thirty minutes before we are scheduled to leave. I tend to forget essentials, you know, like my tooth brush. I do not know why I have to wait until thirty minutes before our scheduled departure to start preparing for my trip, but I do it every time. And every time, as I am realizing I don’t have any clean socks to pack, because that would require a pre-check of my dresser drawers to ensure there are socks available for my trip, I curse myself for procrastinating. You would think I would learn my lesson. Arriving at your destination without pants to wear can be quite unfortunate. But every vacation, no matter what, I still find myself packing that bag thirty minutes before jumping in the car and hastily roaring away, most likely with a pair of dirty socks, no toothbrush, and pant-less.
This incredible skill of procrastination is also useful in other situations. This past New Year’s Eve, I was invited to a late night celebration. I was invited well over a week in advance, and was told to bring three simple things: myself, a drink to share, and an appetizer dish to share. Guess what was ready with an hour before party time? Nothing. Not my drink to share, not my appetizer dish, and certainly not myself.
Realizing people would probably not care if I stopped at the store and grabbed a bottle of some drink to share and that I was dressed like a slob (with dirty socks of course), I did think people would notice if I arrived with no appetizer in hand. I contemplated buying one of those pre-made vegetable or meat and cheese trays, but I figured my fellow procrastinators would also devise this plan and arrive with the same appetizer.
I opened my refrigerator in search of something to throw together, and luck would have it, there was a pack of elk chunk waiting to become my quick, throw together New Year’s Eve appetizer. I quickly ran the chunk through my meat grinder. It resulted in about a pound of ground elk. To the ground elk, I added a cup of panko bread crumbs, some fresh chopped parsley, and a little nutmeg. I also seasoned generously with salt and pepper. I also added in one beaten egg and two tablespoons of milk.
I find the best tactic for mixing meatballs is to just dig right in with your hands. This gets everything incorporated really thoroughly. Also, it allows you to test the consistency of the meatballs. If the meatballs feel too wet and things aren’t really sticking together, add more panko bread crumbs. If things feel to dry, add in more milk.
Since this was a quick throw together appetizer, I used what was available in my pantry to make my meatballs. If you don’t have, or maybe you don’t like, panko bread crumbs, traditional bread crumbs will also work. Also, I don’t always have fresh parsley on hand. I actually never have it on hand, but for some reason on this particular evening I did. If you don’t have fresh parsley, dried would also work. You would only need a tablespoon of dried parsley instead of a quarter cup like with the fresh.
Roll the meatballs into balls using about a tablespoon of the meat mixture. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet. For easier clean-up, line the sheet with aluminum foil. Bake the meatballs in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes. The meatballs should be slightly browned and your kitchen should smell delicious!
While the meatballs are roasting away, pull out a crockpot. Set the crockpot on low heat.
To the pot, add 3/4 to 1 cup of hoisin sauce. I started with 3/4 of a cup and then added more at the end of I wanted more of the hoisin flavor to stand out. A beautiful dark amber color, hoisin is a sweet and salty sauce commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It is a pungent sauce packed with a ton of flavor, so start with less and you can always add more.
To the hoisin, add one tablespoon of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sesame seed oil, two cloves of minced garlic, and a teaspoon of ground ginger. To help liven up the flavor of the spices in the hoisin sauce, add a tablespoon or two of rice wine vinegar. Give everything a stir and a quick taste. The sauce should taste salty and a bit spicy. Now it is time develop the sweetness of this sauce. I always taste things before I start adding my sweetener to see where things are at. This is important with the hoisin because it also adds sweetness to the dish, and you don’t want the meatballs tasting like lollipops! Anyway, slowly add the honey in a drizzle at a time, tasting as you go, until the sauce is where you want it. If you desire a bit more salt, add a little more soy sauce. If you want more hoisin flavor, drizzle some more of that in. I ended up with about a tablespoon of honey at the end.
After the meatballs are done cooking, add them to the hoisin sauce, making sure to coat all the meatballs with the sauce, and you are ready to party! I took the entire crockpot to the gathering with me, this way everything stayed nice and warm. To serve the meatballs, sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top.
Meatballs are a great party appetizer. A pound of meat and a few simple ingredients make a deliciously quick treat. They can be served using only toothpicks, so there is no need for utensils or plates. They can also be made in advance and then just added to the crock-pot to heat back up.
These salty and sweet Asian-style meatballs received lots of praise at the party, and no one suspected they were a product of procrastination.
Asian Style Elk Meatballs: A Perfect Party Appetizer
Category:
Deer Recipes, Elk Recipes, Wild Game Recipes
20-25 meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
1 pound ground elk
1 cup panko bread crumbs (more as needed)
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons milk
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
For Hoisin Sauce
3/4 to 1 cup hoisin sauce
1-2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
For Meatballs
Preheat the oven to 400. For easier clean up, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
In a large bowl, mix together the ground elk, panko bread crumbs, parsley, nutmeg, milk, beaten egg, and salt and pepper. Use your hands to thoroughly incorporate all the ingredients. If meatballs seem to wet, add more panko. If meatballs feel to dry, add more milk.
With around a tablespoon size scoop of meat, rolls the meatballs and place on the baking sheet.
Bake in oven for 12 minutes, until meatballs are browned.
For Hoisin Sauce
Turn the slow cooker on low.
In a large bowl, whisk together the hoisin, rice vinegar, soy sauce , sesame seed oil, garlic, ginger, and honey. Taste to see if it is as sweet or salty as you desire. If you want it a bit sweeter, add a little more hoisin or honey. If you want things a bit saltier add a little more soy sauce. If you want more acid, add a little more vinegar.
Once things taste how you want it, pour the bowl into the crock pot. Add the meatballs.
Allow meatballs to cook in crock pot for ten minutes before serving so everything is evenly warm. Garnish meatballs with sesame seeds and serve using toothpicks!
“Sometimes hunting isn’t about hunting at all.” ~ Anonymous
Hey all! I have the pleasure of sharing a deer recipe from a guest blogger this week. Pepper Jack Venison Steak and Onion Sandwiches is a recipe created by Amanda from the website Deer Recipes: Keeping it Simple.
Amanda is a “deer meat-acholic” and she created her blog with the goal of showing family, friends, and the rest of the world “deer meat is delicious.” Amanda does all her own game processing and also creates her own recipes.
The Pepper Jack Venison Steak and Onion Sandwich is my favorite creation. It’s so full of flavor your mouth won’t know what hit it! The pepper jack cheese gives it a spicy hot kick. Add spicy venison backstrap and fried onions and you have perfection.
This is one sandwich that you’ll make time and time again and the whole family will love it! This is a “whenever” sandwich–it’s great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack or whenever and it’s good as leftovers, too. You can make them the night before and have a nice lunch the next day.
Just let it completely cool and wrap it well in a paper towel and then put it in a lunch bag. Then unwrap and heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds, turn it over and heat another 20 seconds. Then watch out because the smell will attract your co-workers!
1 lb venison backstrap or tenderloin, cut into small thin slices
1 12 oz bottle of Stubb's Chicken Marinade, Citrus & Onion
8 slices of Pepper Jack Cheese
8 slices of Flowers or Sunbeam white Texas Toast
1/4 cup of butter
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 tsp. olive oil
Instructions
First, fix the small thin slices of venison backstrap or tenderloin. Place them in a bowl and add Stubb's Chicken Marinade, Citrus & Onion and mix it well.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Then drain the liquid from the tenderloin slices.
Preheat a large electric skillet to 350 F and add 1 tsp. of olive oil.
Fry the deer slices for no longer than a minute per side--just long enough to be done.
When done, remove them from the heat and place them on a paper towel lined plate for later.
Take a few paper towels and clean the pan using your spatula.
Heat the pan to 250 F and slice the onion and add 1 tsp. of olive oil to the pan.
Lightly fry the onions, which should only take a few minutes.
Set the onions aside for later.
Again, wipe the pan with paper towels and then preheat it to 300 F.
Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and once it's melted, lay two pieces of Texas Toast in the pan, making sure each piece is in butter.
Next, layer the ingredients on one piece of the toast as follows: 1 full slice of pepper jack cheese, tenderloin, onions, 1/2 slice of pepper jack cheese, tenderloin, onions, and then the other 1/2 slice of pepper jack cheese.
Then place the other piece of Texas Toast on top with the buttered side out and put the lid on the skillet so the cheese will melt nicely.
Leave it for about 2 minutes. Use a spatula and lift up the corner of the sandwich and look to see if it is nicely browned. If so, gently turn it over and brown the other side, which should take about two minutes as well.
When done, place the sandwiches in a platter lined with paper towels. This will keep them from getting soggy and will remove any excess butter.
Nutrition Facts
Pepper Jack Venison Steak and Onion Sandwich
Serves 1 Sandwich
Amount Per Serving
Calories
624
% Daily Value*
Total Fat30.5g
46.9%
Saturated Fat
0
Trans Fat
Cholesterol
0
Sodium
0
Total Carbohydrate
0
Dietary Fiber
0
Sugars
Protein
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Calcium
Iron
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Grilled Venison Steak and Onion Sandwich is low in sugar.
It’s also high in saturated fat.
Please read below, after the nutrition facts, to learn how to make this recipe more diet-friendly.
Pepper Jack Venison Steak and Onion Sandwich
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Grade: D+
Yields: 4 Sandwiches
Serving: 1 Sandwich
Calories 624
Calories from fat 275
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30.5g
47%
Saturated Fat 16.6g
83%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 76mg
25%
Sodium 758mg
32%
Potassium 58mg
2%
Total Carbohydrates 41.5g
14%
Dietary Fiber 2.8g
11%
Sugars 5.6g
Protein 42.0g
Vitamin A 16%
Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 35%
Iron 12%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
To make this recipe more diet-friendly…
You could use less cheese. Instead of two pieces of cheese to each sandwich, use only one.
You could use a healthier, thinner bread, such as Sara Lee® Delightful™ Healthy Multi-Grain Bread, which only has 45 calories per slice.
You could use a butter substitute or completely omit the butter.
This would create a toasted sandwich.
All of the changes above would dramatically reduce the bad points about this sandwich and make it a diet-friendly sandwich. The calories drop to 248 instead of 624, calories from fat to 92 instead of 275, total fat to 10.2g, saturated fat to 4.8g, cholesterol to 23mg, sodium to 129mg, carbs to 3.5g and Sugars 1.6g. The nutrition grade would still be D+ but that’s because of the lack of essential vitamins.
