Emergency reference needed

[Callipygos]

Okay. My beloved's birthday is in two days. I decided to make him dinner, and grandly said, "you name it, I'll cook it. Anything you want."

Little did I know he was going to request:

Venison.

Artichokes.

Hearts of Palm.

....Oh my.

The artichokes and hearts of palm I can cheat, I think, and just make a salad with the hearts of palm and have steamed artichokes. (I've never made them, but at least I can grasp the concept, and I have recipes. and I know where to find them.)

As for the venison -- I live in New York City. It is Sunday morning. I have 48 hours to obtain and learn how to prepare a modest sized portion of venison -- I have no idea where to BUY this, for starters. And I don't want to serve a whole leg for an intimate dinner for two. Searching online yielded recipes that involved lots of smothering it with mushroom soup and such, and I don't think that's what the gent is looking for.

So.

1. Anyone in the New York City area know where I can FIND smaller cuts of venison? A steak, perhaps?

2. Anyone have a recipe that's novice-friendly?

Just to make everything more fun, this is the only full day I have to shop for food. Tomorrow and Tuesday (B-day), I work from 9-6 and can't run around tracking down rare ingredients, and will need advance notice for recipes involving marinating and such.

HELP.

Edited September 21, 2003 by Callipygos (log)

[Jinmyo]

You might want to post on the NYC board as well.

The reason for sauces (often involving fruit) for venison is that it's pretty tasteless unless it's actual game that's been shot and hung properly. Most of the venison you can buy will be raised and for most people the reason for eaing it is because of the low fat content which means of course low flavour. The sauces supply some relief rom the pointlessness.

Whatever you do, beat it up with a mallet and either wrap or drape it in bacon or bard it with lardons.

[Callipygos]

Is this the kind of thing where I can obtain just small steaks or chops or something, or am I going to have to roast an entire leg?

And, barring my not being able to find it, what would be a close enough approximation? I found a recipe for veal shoulder braised in the style of venison, but that's still "serves 8." I'm looking more for "serves 2." Plus it also called for juniper berries, and that gives me a new problem.

[Dave the Cook]

Lots of choices here.

D'Artagnan products are carried at a number of NY venues, though I don't know if venison is common among them. You could have it sent next-day delivery (I gather cost is the least of your problems) and have it in time. Or, D'Artagnan is in Newark -- not so far away for you, maybe.

[Bux]

If you like, I can move this to the NY forum where you are far more likely to get local sources for venison, or you could ask here about recipes and post in the NY forum about places to buy venison. To roast veal so it's like venison, is to deal with the properties of veal and not those of venison, so other than the flavorings, I would not follow that recipe. Veal would be at the opposite end of the meat spectrum to venison in my opinion, although of course venison will not be as fatty as beef or lamb which may be closer in taste. Of course there's a difference between wild game and farm raised game.

Where are you in NYC? My guess is that on Monday moring there will be several butchers open around the city where you may find venison and likely as chops as well. How many will have fresh venison and how many will only have frozen cuts to offer is another story.

In the Village, I'd try Ottomanelli's. The upper east side is likely to have several butchers offering venison. Whole Foods in Chelsea also seems a possibility. I'd call first and use the Yellow Pages.

[pho]

In my opinion, what you want is a Venison loin. Here is a recipe I use frequently that always pleases:

Roast Venison Loin w/ Fig Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Venison:

2 lb Venison loin or substitute Lean beef

Salad oil

Salt/pepper

Sauce:

4 Figs; diced

1 c Port wine

2 c Veal demiglace

Few drops of lemon juice

To make venison: Pre-heat oven to 400-degrees. Place a heavy skillet on high heat and add just enough salad oil to coat the bottom of the pan. While the pan is heating, season the venison loin with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, sear off the venison on all sides. Transfer to the oven and roast for approximately 10 minutes (medium rare) or until desired doneness. Remove venison from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes before slicing.

To prepare fig and port wine sauce: Add diced figs to the pan and cook over low heat until soft; add port wine and reduce in volume by 3/4. Add veal demiglace and simmer until it has reduced by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Keep the sauce hot.

[twodogs]

laurent gras at the fifth floor serves roasted venison with cooked and raw hearts of palm with a coconut sauce and dusts it with lime zest

food for thought

cheers

[Callipygos]

In my opinion, what you want is a Venison loin.  Here is a recipe I use frequently that always pleases:

And it sounds WONDERFUL. My God.

And easier to prepare than anything I've found, and easy to adapt down to two. (I don't have too much room for leftovers.) I also have limited prep time.

I've been advised to try Otomanelli in the Village; will try that tomorrow. I live on the Lower East Side, am on somewhat limited means and am only used to shopping at places like Key Food....

Edited September 21, 2003 by Callipygos (log)

[Verbena-NZ]

You might want to post on the NYC board as well.

The reason for sauces (often involving fruit) for venison is that it's pretty tasteless unless it's actual game that's been shot and hung properly. Most of the venison you can buy will be raised and for most people the reason for eaing it is because of the low fat content which means of course low flavour. The sauces supply some relief rom the pointlessness.

Whatever you do, beat it up with a mallet and either wrap or drape it in bacon or bard it with lardons.

Venison ....tasteless...without hanging....

Explain Cervena to me then ????

[Jinmyo]

I've heard of Cervena but haven't worked with it. It's a New Zealand breed. I don't know if it's even available here in Canada.

[Callipygos]

Placed a couple calls -- found a couple of good sources.

Taking into account the state of my pocketbook and storage space, and the likelihood of purchasing other ingredients, I'm leaning towards buying some venison medallions tonight for preparing tomorrow. It seems that medallions would be easiest to prepare quickly (the other option was stew, and I won't be able to start the prep work until after work tomorrow, which would be 7 in the evening; I'd hate to start something that requires two hours' or so cooking time or something, and have him show up and we're both so totally ravenous by dinnertime that we wolf it down and may just as well have been eating burgers).

So --

PHo, is that loin recipe adaptable to medallions? If not, anyone else have any other ideas?

Edited September 22, 2003 by Callipygos (log)

[pho]

Absolutely. Medallions are just slices of the loin. It'll be perfect.

[Verbena-NZ]

I've heard of Cervena but haven't worked with it. It's a New Zealand breed. I don't know if it's even available here in Canada.

Well being a Kiwi I can tell you that it's from the "red deer" and was developed{marketed} under the idea that the gamie taste wasn't needed to enjoy the flavour or taste of the meat.

I personally prefur cervena to wild venison as it's more consistant and also has a greater range of cooking otions.

look the web site up.well worth it and also it is available in Canada.

[NeroW]

You can do the medallions with a blueberry-rosemary risotto, for something a little different.

[Suzi Edwards]

i have a slightly similar problem to this. perhaps some people might have some ideas.

i have friends coming over for supper tomorrow night. i am going to cook the venison that my butcher talked me into buying. (don't ask)

i have a 4lb piece of roasting venison. would i treat this just like an off the bone beef joint? i've only ever had venison steak/medallions before so i am keen to try it as a whole piece. but i'm not sure if it should be served rare or welldone or what :-)

i've never found venison to be tasteless as described above. i was thinking of roasting it plain and then serving a cumberland style gravy with it. given that's a pretty huge hunk of meat, would people suggest maybe marinading it beforehand to give the flavour a helping hand? any ideas on a good marinade? any ideas on a way to update the cumberland sauce idea?

[budrichard]

I assume that you don't have the loin but something like a shoulder. For loin or a steak, rare and hot is the answer. As venison cools, it's flavor changes.

For your roast, I would certainly prepare a wine or soy or whatever marinade with oinions/garlic/aromatics, whole pepper corns, bay leaves, juniper berries and whatever flavors/aromas you like. Moist cooking is needed and you have to reach a middle ground between cooked but tough and over cooked like mush in a crockpot. Use the cooking liquid to reduce and add Madera or something for a sauce with a thickening agent. Good luck! -Dick