Wild Holiday

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM MILLIRON // STYLING BY ANA KELLY

Membrillo (Quince Paste)

Recipe by Chef Daniel Aguera

2 lbs. quince, peeled, cored, and chopped

3 3/4 cups sugar

Cover quince with water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes. Let it cool down in the water. Drain the water and add sugar. Cook on low heat until the sugar mixes in with the fruit. Stir with a wooden spoon from time to time. This should take about ten minutes. Liquefy fruit and sugar using an immersion blender. Keep cooking on low and stirring from time to time until the spoon stays straight on its own. The quince paste will firm up as it cools down. Pour into containers while still fluid.

Pears with Spicebush Berries

Recipe by Chef Daniel Aguera

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp. spicebush berries, ground

6 pears, medium sized

1. Bring water, sugar, and berries to a boil in a pot large enough to hold the pears. Cover pot and remove from heat. Peel, core, and cut pears in half. Add pears to the liquid. Cook pears at medium heat covered until tender.

2. Remove pears from liquid. Reduce cooking liquid by half and pour onto pears.

Goat Cheese Dredged in Sumac and Honey

From Chef Daniel Aguera

3/4 cup fresh goat cheese

1 tsp. sumac berries

3 tbsp. local honey

Form the goat cheese into a flat disk. Dust with sumac berries, and drizzle generously with local honey.

Venison Sloppies

Recipe by Chef Daniel Aguera

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 green bell or poblano pepper, diced 

2 garlic cloves

1 lb. ground venison

8 oz. canned diced tomatoes

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground chipotle 

2 cups red wine

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, peppers, and garlic and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add venison and cook through, breaking apart with a wooden spoon. Once meat is browned add tomatoes, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, cumin, chipotle. Reduce heat to low and simmer until mixture thickens, about 25 minutes. Add wine and reduce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in a slider, a hamburger bun, or over rice.

Quick-Pickled Winter Vegetables

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup salt

3 cloves  garlic

1 tsp. black mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. black peppercorns

1 tsp. pink peppercorns

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

8 cups winter vegetables, whole or cut in bite-sized pieces (cauliflower, radishes, fennel, bell peppers, brussels sprouts, parsnips, etc.)

Truffled Popcorn

Recipe by Bridges & Bourbon

5 oz. butter

1 1/4 tsp. black truffle oil

7 oz. grapeseed oil

1/4 lb. popping corn

Melt the butter over low heat. Add black truffle oil. Let the mixture rest for at least an hour. Skim off milk solids with a spoon. Once ready, in a medium saucepan with tight-fitting lid, heat grapeseed oil over high heat. Add popcorn. Once the popping begins, reduce heat to medium and cook until the popping slows and stops. You can also use no-butter microwave popcorn. Once popped, toss in black truffle butter and parsley, salt and pepper to taste.

Hot Honey-Lacquered Duck Breast With Sous Vide Baby Yam, Brown Butter Pecans, Queso Fresco Coriander

Recipe by Chef Kristin Butterworth at Lautrec

Hot Honey

2 cups local wildflower honey

3 jalapeños, halved

3 cloves garlic, smashed

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over low heat for 30 minutes. Allow the honey to cool before straining, but do not refrigerate.

Sous Vide Baby Yam

4 baby yams, washed and scrubbed, left whole

1/2 onion, sliced

1/4 lb. butter

1 tsp. salt

Place the baby yams in a vacuum bag with the onion, butter, and salt. Vacuum-seal and sous vide at 184 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from the water bath and shock in ice water. Reheat by placing in a 350-degree oven until hot throughout, or by placing the yams back in the water bath right before serving. For best results, split the yams in two, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with more of the hot honey.

Sous Vide Footprints Farm Duck

4 duck breasts, cleaned

Salt, as needed

Pepper, as needed

Rice bran oil, as needed

1. Season the skin side of the duck breast with salt and pepper and set aside. In a medium cast-iron pan, place a small amount of rice bran oil just to cover the bottom and allow to heat over medium-high heat.

2. Once the pan is heated, lower the heat to low and place the duck breast skin side down and cook for 5 minutes, checking occasionally for browning. The low heat will allow the fat to render and get crispy so the lower the heat is, the better.

3. Once the skin is crispy and slightly rendered, place the duck in a vacuum bag and vacuum seal. Preheat a thermal circulator to 140 degrees. 

4. Place the duck breasts into the circulator and cook for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes remove from the water bath and shock the duck in the bag in ice water. When ready to prepare the duck: repeat steps one and two, placing the breast skin side down in the hot pan. This time, taking a metal spoon, baste the duck breast as the skin crisps and renders until the duck is medium.

5. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 4 to 5 minutes before slicing. Plate with baby yams and drizzle with hot honey.

Pan-Sautéed Trout

1 filleted trout

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 tbsp. butter

Fresh lemon

Fresh parsley

Pat dry filleted trout with paper towels. Heat skillet with oil. Mix flour, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika in a large flat platter. Dredge both sides of room-temperature fish in the flour mixture so that it is covered in flour. Shake a little to remove any excess. Warm a skillet large enough for the fish to lay flat. Add olive oil and butter. When butter crackles, place the fish skin side down and cook for approximately 4 minutes. Peek underneath for golden brown color before turning. Flip and repeat. You’ll know it’s done when both sides are golden brown, and the flesh is white and flaky. Sprinkle with fresh lemon and fresh parsley. Serve hot.

Polenta With Mushrooms and Wild Mushroom Gravy

Mushrooms

1 1/2 lb. wild mushrooms (seasonal mix of chanterelle, hen of the woods), largest chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

4 tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil (possibly a touch more)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Gravy

3 handfuls wild mushrooms

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

1 1/2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

1 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

Polenta

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups polenta

3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmigiano cheese

2 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. pepper

1. Place wild mushrooms in a bowl with 1 cup warm water and let them soften for about 30 minutes. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Save the flavorful water! Chop the mushrooms and set aside.

2. While the mushrooms are macerating, preheat oven to 400 degrees. On 2 to 3 rimmed metal baking trays, gently toss mushrooms with parsley, oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a saucepan, and sauté garlic for a minute or two. Add wine, bay leaf, and thyme, and simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce the wine. Add chopped mushrooms, stock, and the water used to soak the mushrooms. Simmer until you have just over a cup left. Take out the bay leaf.

4. In a small bowl, stir butter and flour together until it forms a paste. Whisk the butter mixture into the mushroom sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes until sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste. You might enjoy a peppery zing here, so be generous.

5. Bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add salt. Lower the heat and add the polenta, whisking as you go to remove lumps. Stirring every couple of minutes with a wooden spoon, cook 15 to 20 minutes until thick. Turn off the stove. Stir in the cheese and butter, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately with gravy and roasted mushrooms.

Wild Mushroom-Crusted Wild Boar

Recipe by David Bulman, Chef and Owner of Seasons

1 egg white, beaten with a bit of water until smooth

Rack or loin of boar Handful dried porcini mushrooms

1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

1 tbsp. cooking oil

Beat the egg white with a bit of water until smooth. Brush the loin or rack with it, season liberally with salt and thyme. Grind mushrooms in food processor until very fine. Roll meat all over in the powder. Meanwhile, heat the cooking oil in a cast-iron or heavy pan. Brown the meat on one side, then the other. Continue searing all over, being careful not to break the crust, until rare to medium-rare, then allow to rest for a few minutes.

Root Vegetable Porridge 

Recipe by David Bulman, Chef and Owner of Seasons

1 yukon gold potato, large 

2 tbsp. olive oil 

1 leek, washed and thinly sliced

1 celery root, diced small

2 carrots, diced small

1 turnip, peeled and finely diced

1 apple, peeled, cored and finely diced

3 cups stock (vegetable, beef, or chicken) 

1 tbsp. honey 

1/2 cup cream 

2 tbsp. butter

Fresh herbs: chives, thyme, parsley, or chervil

Salt 

1. Measure and prepare all ingredients as noted. 

2. Wash the potato well. Poke holes in it all over with a fork, place in a microwave, and cook on high for 5 to 7 minutes or until very tender. Remove skin and pass the potato through a food mill or strainer. Reserve 1/4 cup of the potato puree. The rest can be used for something else. 

3. Place the leek in a heavy-bottom saucepan or very wide sauté pan with enough oil to coat the bottom lightly; add a little bit of salt. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and sweet. Do not brown. Add the celery root, carrots, turnip, and apple and continue to sauté for a couple minutes. Place heat on high and add stock. It should be enough to cover the vegetables completely by a ¼ inch. The amount needed will vary based on the size and shape of the pan. Bring to a fast simmer and cook uncovered until almost all the liquid is gone. 

4. With the heat still on high add cream and potato puree. Mix well. Simmer for a couple minutes until mixture is thick and resembles risotto or oatmeal. When thickened to desired consistency, and the vegetables are quite tender, remove from heat. Rest for a couple minutes and cool. 

5. Add the butter and stir until it’s completely mixed in. Season to taste with honey, salt, and herbs of your choice. 

Rabbit Confit with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Eggplant Compote

Recipe by Chef Austin Dorn, The Fluted Mushroom

Rabbit confit

1/2 cup salt

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 whole skinned rabbit

1 qt. duck fat (you may substitute a higher quality blended oil)

5 thyme sprigs

4 garlic cloves

Combine salt and sugar, rub over the skinned rabbit, and let sit for about 4 hours.

After 4 hours, rinse the rabbit with cool water and pat dry with a towel. Place rabbit in Dutch oven with melted duck fat, thyme sprigs, and garlic cloves. Cover and place in a 275-degree oven for 3 hours. When the rabbit is finished it should be tender and pulling away from the bone. Let cool slightly, pull the rabbit meat, and discard the bones. Drain and chill the duck fat (you may use one more time). 

Chanterelle mushrooms

1 tbsp. blended oil

1/2 lb. medium chanterelle mushrooms

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat sauté pan over medium heat and add oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the mushrooms. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, add butter, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Eggplant compote

1 tsp. shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 medium eggplants, peeled, medium-dice

3 plum tomatoes, medium-dice

1/2 tsp. green peppercorn, chopped

1 tsp. cilantro, chopped

1 tsp. italian parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

1 tbsp. white wine vinegar

Salt, to taste

In a medium saucepot over medium heat place a small amount of oil and add the shallots, garlic, and eggplant. Let cook until eggplant begins to brown. Add tomatoes, and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and let cook for 20 minutes, uncovered, or until most of the liquid has cooked out.

Plating:

Place eggplant compote in the center of the plate, then a small amount of rabbit confit directly on top, creating height. Place the chanterelle mushrooms around the pile of eggplant and rabbit confit. Optional: garnish the dish with wild watercress or wild arugula.

Serves 4

Roasted Pheasant 

1 pheasant 

1 lemon

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove pheasant from the fridge and pat dry. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while the oven is heating. Halve the lemon and stick each half into the grouse. Smear butter all over the grouse.

2. Place the bird in a roasting pan or cast-iron frying pan and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350 degrees and turn the pheasant on one side. Baste it thoroughly with the melted butter in the pan. Roast for another 10 minutes. Repeat by turning the pheasant on the other side. Be sure to baste again. Roast for 10 more minutes.

3. Remove the bird from the oven and let rest on a cutting board, covered in foil, for 10 minutes.

Pheasant gravy

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

2 large cloves of fresh garlic, finely minced

All drippings from roasted pheasant 

8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup marsala cooking wine

1 tbsp. fresh thyme

1/2 tbsp. ground black pepper

32 oz. beef stock

1 tbsp. corn starch with 1 tsp. water (slurry)

Salt, to taste

In a large saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in pheasant drippings until almost tender. Add mushrooms and sauté until cooked. Add all other ingredients to the pot, and let simmer, stirring frequently until it reaches the thickness you desire.

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