Hey Babe, Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Today we took a walk on the exotic side. The dishes were fairly intricate - not stuff you would necessarily whip up for dinner. Perhaps something your private chef would be ordered to whip up for you? Let's see...

Sautéed Arctic Char with Citrus Vinaigrette, Mediterranean Salad & Fines Herbs Oil

What is arctic char, you ask? It's a fish in the salmon family - oily, pink colored flesh - that can live in both fresh and salt water. We left the skin on and scored it (thin cuts into the skin) to prevent it from curling up. What you want to do with a fish like this that has a lot of oil and fat in it is actually cook it like bacon. Start the heat off on the lower side and let the fat cook out a bit, then crisp it up. I am admittedly not a salmon lover so the arctic char was not my favorite, HOWEVER, the salad for this dish is really great: frisée, treviso, oranges, fennel, red onions, mint, and black olives mixed in with a vinaigrette of orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, blood orange juice, and a touch of dijon mustard. Top it off with an herb oil (parsley, chives, chervil, and tarragon) - it was really nice.

Pan Roasted Quail with Sweetbread Gastrique, Sautéed Foie Gras Crouton, & Cranberry Reduction Sauce

This dish had a lot going on. First of all, quail. What are they? They are these pigeon-esque looking birds in the pheasant family and they're super tiny. We browned them in a pan on both sides and finished them in the oven for 10 minutes. Honestly... tastes like chicken. In all seriousness, it is slightly more gamey and similar to the dark meat of a chicken, but for all intents and purposes it tastes like chicken so don't be scared to eat it!

Next - sweetbread. Ahh, but the name can be deceptive. Sweetbreads are the thymus glands of calves and/or lambs and they're those three little nuggets on the plate surrounding the quail. They are actually huge. Google them. I am not quite sure how they got their name; there are a few different stories floating around on the internet. They are very tender though and can be pretty tasty. Today we combined them with vinegar, wine, and sugar (gastrique), but if you have never had them I would recommend trying them sautéed or fried - it's probably the most benign way to have them. They're good, I promise! And quite expensive...

I'm not really even going to talk about the foie gras. It's the fattened liver of a duck or goose and, to be honest, (1) I'm not a huge fan of the taste and (2) I'm not really sure I agree with the whole force-feeding thing. Simply not my cup of tea.

Seared Venison Loin with Red Wine Reduction Sauce, Caramelized Chestnuts, Butternut Squash Puree, & Roasted Wild Mushrooms

Today, we ate Bambi. Or his mom. Whatever. Anyway, this was my favorite dish! Again, very similar to beef, but much leaner. And for those reasons, also much healthier for you than other cuts of red meat. The caramelized chestnuts were also very yummy: chestnuts, juniper berries (that we later removed), and equal parts red wine vinegar and sugar. Bring all of that to a boil and reduce it until it becomes a glaze. It's sweet, but when mixed with the red wine reduction and a piece of meat it has a really nice flavor. Plus, deer happen to also feed frequently off of juniper trees so it really is a nice pairing especially for venison. The mushrooms we simply cut, tossed with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper, and thrown in the oven until they roasted and got crispy. They were very good, considering I almost completely botched them. How could you possibly screw that up, you ask? HA. It's ok - they came out just lovely.