'Tis Hunting Time—A smallish blog

[Smithy]

I hope your guys have managed some luck despite the weather. One of Dad's most gratifying moments was when he managed to sneak up on a doe in wind like you're describing. She didn't know he was there until he slapped her on the rump with his hat and yelled! 😄

 

Yesterday I smoked a venison backstrap using this recipe from Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook. I was quite pleased with the result. I rarely get access to backstrap and was afraid I'd wreck such a delicacy, but we both liked it. This was especially gratifying because my darling purports not to like venison in any form. My questions to you are:

• what do you do with the backstrap?
• have you ever tried the recipe by Hank Shaw's that I linked above?

[Shelby]

13 hours ago, Smithy said:

I hope your guys have managed some luck despite the weather. One of Dad's most gratifying moments was when he managed to sneak up on a doe in wind like you're describing. She didn't know he was there until he slapped her on the rump with his hat and yelled! 😄

 

Yesterday I smoked a venison backstrap using this recipe from Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook. I was quite pleased with the result. I rarely get access to backstrap and was afraid I'd wreck such a delicacy, but we both liked it. This was especially gratifying because my darling purports not to like venison in any form. My questions to you are:

• what do you do with the backstrap?
• have you ever tried the recipe by Hank Shaw's that I linked above?

That is hilarious!  No luck yesterday.  All they got was a wind burn on their faces lol.

 

I haven't ever seen that recipe on there and I thought I had seen them all!  Thank you for linking to it.  I think we would really like this.  Did you do the salt cure?

 

We always just cut steaks out of it and grill or do them in a hot cast iron skillet.  

 

The wind finally laid down during the night.  But it's coooooooold

 

 

11F--they said it was a very cold walk in to the shooting house.

 

Sunrise

 

 

I suspect they will get something today.  Deer should be hungry and out and about.

 

Back to yesterday.  I made a board using some of the goodies from Murray's Cheese

 

My favorite Harbison cheese on the left.  Then some Havarti, smoked gouda, pepper jack and the truffle brie I was talking about yesterday.  It was good.  At the regular price of $65 a pound good?  Maybe not lol.  But fun to try.  Both that and the Harbison were deliciously runny.  Spiced pecans sprinkled throughout.  Crackers were excellent....one was a fig cracker that I swear I took a picture of the box so I could remember the name but it's not on my phone.  The other was an everything bagel cracker --and then just some plain water crackers. On the very right is a duck and fig terrine.  

 

Dinner was salad and pizzas

 

 

 

Tonight will be venison steaks if they get one....if not then I dunno.  I'm moving around very slowly this morning.  Can't go back to bed because we're playing in the World Cup soon!

[Smithy]

22 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I haven't ever seen that recipe on there and I thought I had seen them all!  Thank you for linking to it.  I think we would really like this.  Did you do the salt cure?

 

We always just cut steaks out of it and grill or do them in a hot cast iron skillet.  

 

I did the salt cure. It was salty, but not too much so, and the salt/smoke combination is nice. Since he doesn't much care for venison, this treatment allowed it to go nicely into tacos one night, and maybe a dinner salad soon. 

 

Speaking of salads: yours looks sooo good! What are the little green things? Capers? They look too small to be olives.

 

Your cheese board looks very artful. I love seeing things like that. I'm usually too lazy to put such effort into arrangement of the plate...then again, we haven't had company for a long time!

[Shelby]

19 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

I did the salt cure. It was salty, but not too much so, and the salt/smoke combination is nice. Since he doesn't much care for venison, this treatment allowed it to go nicely into tacos one night, and maybe a dinner salad soon. 

 

Speaking of salads: yours looks sooo good! What are the little green things? Capers? They look too small to be olives.

 

Your cheese board looks very artful. I love seeing things like that. I'm usually too lazy to put such effort into arrangement of the plate...then again, we haven't had company for a long time!

Yes capers.  I love capers.

 

Thank you!

[kayb]

I wouldn’t turn down anything I’ve seen (except maybe the spinach), but I’d settle for just a charcuterie/cheese board like that.

[KennethT]

@ShelbyHave you had their Epoisses?  If you like runny kind of cheeses, it is my favorite.  The one Murray's gets is really good too (at least it was, I haven't had it in years) just make sure it's really ripe.

[Shelby]

49 minutes ago, KennethT said:

@ShelbyHave you had their Epoisses?  If you like runny kind of cheeses, it is my favorite.  The one Murray's gets is really good too (at least it was, I haven't had it in years) just make sure it's really ripe.

I haven't.  I'll write that down for next time.

 

A deer has been gotten!

[Okanagancook]

11 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I haven't.  I'll write that down for next time.

 

A deer has been gotten!

👏

Fresh venison liver.  Do you like that?  I remember having fresh, as in still warm, venison liver that my FIL made back in Quebec in the fall.  So tender and flavourful.

 

[TicTac]

23 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I haven't.  I'll write that down for next time.

 

A deer has been gotten!

Awesome!

 

Add to your shopping list, if you like strong, soft cheeses - Taleggio. 

 

Oh, and the king of soft stink - Reblochon.

[Duvel]

1 hour ago, KennethT said:

@ShelbyHave you had their Epoisses?  If you like runny kind of cheeses, it is my favorite.  The one Murray's gets is really good too (at least it was, I haven't had it in years) just make sure it's really ripe.

A really ripe Époisses classifies as a biological weapon (and is surely a thing of beauty 🤗) …

[Duvel]

27 minutes ago, TicTac said:

 

Oh, and the king of soft stink - Reblochon.

I do love Reblochon (especially in a Tartiflette), but at least for my nose an overripe Munster or the magnificent Pont l’Eveque are in a higher league (smell-wise, at least 😷) …

[KennethT]

15 minutes ago, Duvel said:

I do love Reblochon (especially in a Tartiflette), but at least for my nose an overripe Munster or the magnificent Pont l’Eveque are in a higher league (smell-wise, at least 😷) …

Oh pont l'eveque how I love thee... The ones I can get here are ok, but nothing like what I've had in France 

[FauxPas]

 

  

3 hours ago, Shelby said:

Crackers were excellent....one was a fig cracker that I swear I took a picture of the box so I could remember the name but it's not on my phone.

 

 

Was it the one in the photo below? The Raincoast Crisps? (started in Canada by a Vancouver chef) I adore those, I think @Anna Nonce shared a recipe for making a similar cracker.

 

If it's the right one, you can see more about varieties, some suggested pairings and recipes at Lesley Stowe's website. 

 

 

On 12/2/2022 at 6:07 AM, Shelby said:

 

 

 

Edited to add: Actually, there seem to be lots of recipes for copycat Raincoast Crisps. I just did a Google search and found several. 

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by FauxPas
To add Google search info (log)

[Shelby]

36 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

  

 

 

Was it the one in the photo below? The Raincoast Crisps? (started in Canada by a Vancouver chef) I adore those, I think @Anna Nonce shared a recipe for making a similar cracker.

 

If it's the right one, you can see more about varieties, some suggested pairings and recipes at Lesley Stowe's website. 

 

 

 

 

Edited to add: Actually, there seem to be lots of recipes for copycat Raincoast Crisps. I just did a Google search and found several. 

 

Yes!!!  You're amazing!!!  Thank you!!!

 

Fig and Olive.  I reallllly like them.  Never thought about making them myself......

 

 

Making an apple pie for dessert.  

 

[TicTac]

4 hours ago, Duvel said:

I do love Reblochon (especially in a Tartiflette), but at least for my nose an overripe Munster or the magnificent Pont l’Eveque are in a higher league (smell-wise, at least 😷) …

Munster does not do much for me.  Admittedly I have not had Pont l'Eveque.  Not sure I have seen it here in Toronto...

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

On 12/2/2022 at 10:08 AM, Shelby said:

Yes, I used both jars (minus what ever Newman stole when I stepped away for a minute 🙄) you want a total of 5 oz. of dried beef.  I usually find it in the grocery store isle that has the canned meats --this was near the Spam.  Sometimes it's not in jars and it's in packets.  Hormel also does a dried beef.

 

Here is the recipe:

 

Cheese ball

 

2 dried beef packets (5 oz total)

1 softened cream cheese

2 chopped green onions

Dash of worcestershire sauce

Dash of onion juice

Dice the dried beef. Mix in all other ingredients and form into a ball. You can roll it in chopped parsley if you wish.

 

I don't ever have onion juice so I skip that and a add a couple dashes of Worcestershire.

 

The fish really didn't make a mess.  Chicken and gizzards make the most mess for me.  I see a few splatters that I need to clean but really not bad.  I just use my cast iron skillet with about 2 inches or so of veg. oil.  Get it to 350F and fry.   These crappie are pretty thin so it doesn't take long to get them done...maybe that's why it's less mess.

 

I bought too much cheese.  One was a major splurge but it's seasonal and I've been looking at it for several years.  I got 1/2 a pound so it wasn't toooooooo bad at 25% off.  I'll say more about it later.  I hope we don't hate it lol.

My mother would cut an onion and just scrape the knife along the surface to make onion juice. 

[Shelby]

11 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

My mother would cut an onion and just scrape the knife along the surface to make onion juice. 

Why didn't I think of that????

 

Just came in from hanging with the outside cats.  It's not as cold this morning.  Very still.

 

On to the food!

 

The ever classic onion dip and pickle roll-ups.  They came home early to watch football so I thought this went well with that.

 

 

They chose teal and doves for dinner.  It was so cold that I just roasted them inside instead of grilling.

 

Teal stuffed with lemons and thyme

 

 

 

Doves with the usual jalapeños and onions wrapped in bacon

 

 

 

Broccoli, cheese and baked potatoes

 

 

 

Apple pie for dessert

 

 

 

Apple pie is getting ready to be my breakfast

 

 

[Smithy]

Those birds are things of beauty. Did you oil the teal before seasoning? It doesn't look like a very fatty skin, but I've never handled teal and may be off base.

 

Remind me please about the doves. Do you just use the breast meat for those bacon-wrapped goodies? If so, have you ever made stock from the remainder?

[Shelby]

43 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Those birds are things of beauty. Did you oil the teal before seasoning? It doesn't look like a very fatty skin, but I've never handled teal and may be off base.

 

Remind me please about the doves. Do you just use the breast meat for those bacon-wrapped goodies? If so, have you ever made stock from the remainder?

Thank you!  I didn't oil or anything this time.  Sometimes I rub them with a little butter.  You're right, the skin isn't fatty at all.

 

Those doves are whole.  You can cut the breasts off but we just gnaw the meat off lol. I've never made stock.....there really isn't much left after you eat on it.

 

The guys are back already.  I suspect they are going to work on the deer and watch football.  I forgot to take a picture but they made themselves leftover pizza with an egg on top.

 

This was the rest of their breakfast:

 

 

 

 

[SLB]

Top of the morning to ya'!  It's been a strong week! 

Edited December 4, 2022 by SLB (log)

[FauxPas]

16 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

My mother would cut an onion and just scrape the knife along the surface to make onion juice. 

 

Or if you use a grater on the onion, you get a mix of onion and juice. You can separate the juice out. 

[TicTac]

Pickle flavoured vodka!?  Now I have seen it all!

 

Those teal are perfectly pink inside....taste similar to quail?

 

 

[Shelby]

17 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Pickle flavoured vodka!?  Now I have seen it all!

 

Those teal are perfectly pink inside....taste similar to quail?

 

 

No,  they are ducky....mildly ducky  

[MaryIsobel]

On 12/3/2022 at 10:41 AM, FauxPas said:

 

  

 

 

Was it the one in the photo below? The Raincoast Crisps? (started in Canada by a Vancouver chef) I adore those, I think @Anna Nonce shared a recipe for making a similar cracker.

 

If it's the right one, you can see more about varieties, some suggested pairings and recipes at Lesley Stowe's website. 

 

 

 

 

Edited to add: Actually, there seem to be lots of recipes for copycat Raincoast Crisps. I just did a Google search and found several. 

 

I love those too and have made them a couple of times with different ingredients. No terribly difficult - you just need a sharp knife. I bake them in mini loaf pans for the initial bake. This is my base recipe. https://theviewfromgreatisland.com/copycat-raincoast-crisps-crackers/

[Shelby]

Good morning!

 

The guys are off to the airport.  Everyone had a great time.  They saw some amazing bucks and other wildlife.  Not too cold not too hot.  Just a nice hunt all the way around. 

 

I was putzing around in the kitchen, watching football etc.  yesterday when it hit me I didn't take pictures of the second deer that they got--I went out and they already had it all cut up and put away!  Soooooo sorry about that but you've seen it all before......it was a tough one.  We will make burger out of all of it except the tenderloins which are in the fridge.  I think burger grinding is on the slate for tomorrow.  Today I hope to have a long, delicious nap.

 

Yesterday:

 

I made another meat and cheese board -everything the same as the earlier one except I added a really good havarti dill.

 

 

Our friend wanted spaghetti and venison meatballs for dinner.  And, as you all know, I will never turn that down!

 

Meatball mix:

Venison/pork mix

Grated onion and garlic

Torn up white bread soaked in a bit of milk

Two eggs

Italian seasoning

Lawry's salt

Black pepper

 

 

Baked at 350F for about 30 mins

 

 

The turned out nice and light.  Best ones I've made in a while.

 

Homemade pasta--man I had trouble with the dough this time.  I had to really work with it.  Finally got it manageable.

 

 

Salad

 

Our friends plate

 

And eggnog and Frangelica sprinkled with nutmeg for an after dinner drink!

 

 

Many thanks to everyone for keeping me company again this week!  What would I do without you???

 

I might take a few pictures of the burger grinding so I'll add those within the next couple days.

 

Again, thank you!!!