They Got Game
In the fall, dining is a little wilder
by Suzanne Podhaizer (11/07/07).
Church suppers — Vermont cuisine doesn't get much more down-home. Driving along the state's rural roads, you'll find unassuming places of worship with marker-scrawled signs announcing "Spaghetti dinner next Saturday, $6" or "Baked Ham Supper, with all the fixins." For a traveler on a cold autumn night, the price is right and the company is pleasant. Plus, there's nothing as comforting as a plate of . . . raccoon?
Yep. As hunting season gets under way, that old standby chicken pie gives way to duck ragout, and pot roast to roasted bear. With a few ultra-specific exceptions, it's illegal to sell wild game, because it hasn't been inspected and pronounced disease- free by the feds. But churches and nonprofits circumvent the law by offering game dinners funded solely with voluntary donations. Another legal way to cater to game gourmets is to serve farm-raised meat. (The term "game" simply designates animals that weren't traditionally domesticated, and can still be caught wild today.) Using these farm-raised beasts, fancy restaurants are getting in on the wild times, too.
The most famous wild-game supper takes place in November at the United Church of Christ in Bradford, a town of 2600 near the New Hampshire border. According to a 1988 New York Times article by local scribe Marialisa Calta, it was "once called 'the Superbowl of church suppers' by the writer Calvin Trillin." This year, the event's 52nd, more than 100 volunteers will prepare dinner for 900 visitors from all over the U.S. and abroad. According to one helper, Barbara Green, the church used to feed well over a thousand people, but had to impose a limit when crowds got overwhelming. At $25 a head for adults, the savory food goes a long way toward funding "really big church projects," says Green.
And what gamey goodies do they feed the masses? Green describes dishes such as roast beaver, bear sausage and raccoon pie, which she insists, "are not exotic." "We do a buffet line, and we tell everybody to try everything," she says. "When you get it on your plate, you wouldn't know one from another." To help out folks who don't want to confuse beaver with bear, the Bradfordites stab each dish with colored toothpicks and hand out "keys" to help diners decode the piles on their plates. Everyone can ID the side dishes, which are autumnal faves such as mashed potatoes, squash and cabbage. "It's quite a full meal," says David McLum, co-chair of this year's dinner.
Some may wonder how the church acquires huge chunks of moose flesh, or bits of bear. "A lot of it is donated by hunters," McLum explains. "Some venison, bear and moose comes from the state as road kill. We're in touch with the game wardens, and if there's something and they don't know where to take it, we process it and get it ready to serve."
The church offers some farmed game, too, mainly rabbits and buffalo. "We go through 350 pounds of dressed rabbit
. . . wild rabbit isn't really feasible," McLum says. But wild beaver is. "Nuisance beavers that trappers catch" are the dam builders unlucky enough to end up as dinner.
You won't find troublesome beaver on Doug Mack's menu, but you will find antelope, elk and alligator. This will be the 11th year that the chef-owner of Mary's at the Inn at Baldwin Creek has come up with creative ways to cook uncommon critters. The Wine & Game Dinner, scheduled for November 16, has sold out every time. So have two of Mack's cooking classes, in which pupils learn how to make rabbit stew, venison pâté and quail salad.
"About 50 percent of the people who come to the game dinner come back each year," boasts Mack. "People are already calling about next year's, and we haven't even put it on the calendar yet." How does he continue to tantalize tasters? "You have to throw them a bone and serve them something different," Mack confides. His "wild card" dish this year is alligator tempura on a bed of spinach, with tamarind sauce and mango chutney.
Despite this year's exotic offering, Chef Mack is a longstanding localvore and a founder of the Vermont Fresh Network; many of the meats he'll use come from Vermont farms. But this year, he's got competition, from another restaurant known nationwide for its commitment to Vermont products. Craig Tresser and Eric Warnstedt, chef-owners of Hen of the Wood at the Grist Mill in Waterbury, are hosting a Hunters' Table Wine Dinner in mid-November. "We're all about seasonal American food, and being the fall and hunting season as well, we thought it would fit well with the time of year," says Tresser. "We've done a couple of other theme dinners, and people have really eaten up the idea, so to speak."
At Mr. Pickwick's Pub in Stowe, game is on the menu every single day. "We've actually been serving game for about 20 years now," says owner Christopher Francis, who guesses that game dishes — including ostrich, pheasant, duck and boar — account for about 50 percent of his sales. Wild beasts are popular in Francis' native England, and he appreciates the distinctive flavors that don't "fall into that mundane category of the typical farmed meats that people get every day." He maintains it's good for you, too: "Game is very healthy eating; it is not tortured with growth hormones or antibiotics, so . . . we started serving it a lot."
If 80-year-old church ladies and young chefs can be believed, "wild things" make good grub, whether they're from the backwoods or from animal farms. The woodsy critters will just be a little leaner than the raised ones. Read on to learn more about doin' up duck and making moose balls, with rough-and-ready recipes from hunters and one formal one from a chef. If you're not a cook, but want to chow down on 'coon with other like-minded eaters, we've got a list of upcoming game dinners.
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Which Wine?
An oenophile offers some tips
Joerg Klauck of Vermont Wine Merchants will provide the wine pairings for the game dinner at Mary's restaurant. Here are a few of his thoughts on pairing wine with game:
"Whether it's game or any other dish, I try to rely on two basic principles. Balance the weight of the food and the wine and the mouth feel of each. Balance or contrast the wine with the seasonings and flavors of the food. This will liberate people to think beyond red with one food and white with another."
Recommended wines for . . .
Rabbit: A lighter red, such as a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Or a fuller-bodied white, like one from the Rhône.
Water fowl: A more full-bodied Pinot Noir, Côtes du Rhône, Syrah or Shiraz.
Venison: Cabernet; Merlot; a nice, full-bodied Zinfandel.
Bear: Big Australian Shiraz, Cabernet.
Boar: Merlot, Chianti, Barolo or Barbaresco.
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Out of the Frypan . . .
Hunters and chefs share their recipes
Helen Rounds, secretary of the Neshobe Sportsman Club in Brandon:
Venison Stew
"Usually you cube the meat out just like a regular beef stew. I cut up my carrots and put them in the bottom of the Crock-Pot, and put in some onions and diced potatoes. I put the venison on the very top and pour in a can of chicken broth, and put in 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. Then I let it cook all day."
Moose Balls
"We had some moose that was given to us by the game warden. It got hit by a car. We ground it up and made it into hamburger. We put a little oatmeal in it. You fry them first in a frying pan, and then put them in a Crock-Pot with a sweet-and-sour sauce made out of cocktail sauce and grape jelly. They really soak up the flavor."
Pulled Bear
"Bear can be a little tough. We smoked it first in the smoker. That kind of tenderized it. We put it in a barbecue sauce we made with ketchup, Worcestershire, lemon, garlic and honey. Again, you let it cook all day in a Crock-Pot, and it comes out very, very tender. It's almost like pulled pork, 'cause the meat kind of softens up. Or you can serve it on some hamburger rolls like a sloppy Joe."
John Buck, wildlife biologist with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife:
Duck Scaloppine
"I stir-fry onions, mushrooms, garlic and peppers in butter or olive oil and reduce them to a sautéed consistency. I might add a little water, too, to make sure I have a good amount of liquid in there. Then I dice up the mallard breasts into bite-sized pieces. I put them in, cover it, and let it simmer over very low heat until the meat is done. You can probably do this in half an hour from start to finish. For a base, I like egg noodles; I like brown rice, something hearty to go with the hearty dark meat."
Braised Venison
"Sometimes venison can be tough, depending on what cut it is. Stick it in the Crock-Pot with onions, turnips, squash, peas. Make a salad out of it, basically. I also put in red wine, a Merlot, or something rich, and Worcestershire and soy. Garlic, of course. Add all of this to your own personal taste; just keep adding till you like it. You just don't want to overpower everything with one flavor. Let that cook for 24 hours, and you'll make a lot of friends."
From The United Church of Christ Game Dinner Cookbook:
Bear Sausage
Like pork, the trimmings from roasts, chops or any small pieces can be ground into sausage. Grind the pieces as for making sausage or hamburg. For 10 pounds of ground meat, add the following seasonings.
1 1/2 oz. ground sage
1 1/2 oz. poultry seasoning
1 oz. pepper
2 1/2 oz. salt
1 oz. sugar
Add seasonings to ground meat and mix well with hands. It may be quite sticky. Form into small roll, or put into a bag as pork sausage, or form into small patties. As it is nearly all lean meat, a little oil or bacon fat needs to be added to the fry pan when frying.
Doug Mack, chef-owner of Mary's Restaurant at the Inn at Baldwin Creek:
Rabbit Stew (serves four)
One rabbit, about 3 pounds, cut up
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped celery
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
One bay leaf
4 cups water
4 cups dry red wine
2 cups diced carrots
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
4 oz. sliced mushrooms, sautéed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
Preparation:
Dredge rabbit pieces with 1/2 cup flour. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; brown rabbit pieces on all sides. Add celery, onion, salt, pepper, bay leaf, 4 cups water and wine; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer rabbit stew for 2 hours. Add carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms; cook for about 25 to 30 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Combine 1/4 cup flour and 1/3 cup water; stir until well blended and smooth. Stir flour mixture into the broth; cook and stir until thickened.
Supper Club
Eating options on the wild side
Saturday, November 10
Location: Pawlet Firehouse, Pawlet Village
Event: Annual Chicken Pie & Wild Game Supper
Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under
Info: tjonespawlet@yahoo.com
Tuesday, November 13
Location: Hen of the Wood at the Grist Mill, Waterbury
Event: The Hunter's Table Wine Dinner. Four courses paired with wine.
Cost: $80 + tax and gratuity
Info: 244-7300
Wednesday, November 14
Location: Gracie's, Stowe
Event: Game Dinner Night
Cost: a lá carte
Info: 253-8741
Thursday, November 15
Location: Danville United Methodist Church, Danville
Event: Danville Old-Fashioned Game Supper
Cost: $12 for adults, $8 for children 12 and under
Info: 684-3666
Friday, November 16
Location: Mary's at the Inn at Baldwin Creek, Bristol
Event: Wine & Game Dinner. Appetizers and five courses, paired with wine
Cost: $69 + tax and gratuity
Info: 453-2432
Saturday, November 17
Location: United Church of Christ, Bradford
Event: Wild Game Church Supper
Cost: $25 for adults
Info: 222-4670
Saturday, January 19
Location: Cliff House Restaurant, Stowe
Event: The Cliff House Summit Series Game Dinner
Cost: $90 + tax and gratuity (wine not included)
Info: 253-3000
OTHER HUNTING STORIES IN THIS ISSUE:
Open Season: The Hunting Issue
Intro by Paula Routly
Of Elk and Men: A Northeast Kingdom "farm" fights for the right to raise fenced game
by Mike Ives
Killer Instinct: News editor Patrick Ripley confesses his oft-taboo passion
by Patrick Ripley
Picture Book Helps Kids Prepare for Opening Day
by Margot Harrison
DIY Deer: A mini course in gutting and cutting
by Suzanne Podhaizer
