RECIPES: Baked pheasant with wild rice dresssing ... Stuffed doves ... Venison burgers

• Venison burger

Venison burger
• Stuffed doves

Stuffed doves
• Whole grilled fish

Whole grilled fish

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Baked Pheasant with Wild Rice Dressing

6 to 8 deboned pheasant breasts 1 onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

1 to 1½ cups wild rice

1 10½-ounce can cream of mushroom with roasted garlic soup

½ to 1 cup red wine

½ cup cooking sherry

½ pint half and half

2 cups flour

2 tablespoons poultry seasoning

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon Louisiana Cajun seasoning

½ cup olive oil

1 cup water

Mix the flour, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and Louisiana Cajun spice in a bowl. Roll pheasant breasts in flour mixture and brown in olive oil.

Mix the onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms and wild rice with red wine, soup and water in a large roasting pan. When you are finished browning the breasts, place them atop the wild rice mixture. Deglaze the frying pan with the cooking sherry and pour over the pheasants. Top with the cream.

Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until done. If rice mixture gets a little dry, occasionally add some water. Serve with a vegetable and salad.

Source: Jeff Tiedeman.

Stuffed Doves

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 slices bread, finely diced

1 egg, beaten

2 teaspoons dried sage

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 teaspoon caraway seed

2 tablespoons milk

Zest of 1 lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 whole doves, quail, or snipe, plucked and gutted

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 slices high-quality bacon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, bread, egg, sage, garlic, caraway, milk and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let sit for a few minutes.

Rub each bird with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Stuff each bird with as much stuffing as it will hold, then wrap a slice of bacon around each breast, tucking the bacon under the wings so that the wings are exposed to more heat and will crisp nicely.

Place the birds in a single layer in an ovenproof dish or cast-iron pan. Roast on the top rack of the oven until the bacon is cooked and the birds are firm but still pink on the inside, 15 to 20 minutes. Let the birds rest for a couple minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 4.

Source: “AFIELD: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish,” by Jesse Griffiths (Hardcover, Welcome Books, $40).

Venison Burgers

1½ pounds ground venison

6 ounces bacon or pancetta, ground

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 egg yolks

Dash (or more) Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 slices Emmentaler cheese

4 good-quality hamburger buns, toasted or grilled

Coarse ground mustard

Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

Sliced dill pickles

A handful of arugula

Build a really hot fire in a grill or preheat a large cast-iron pan over high heat.

In a bowl, combine the venison, bacon, salt, pepper, egg yolks, and Worcestershire sauce, mixing well. Divide the meat into 4 balls and form 4 large, 1½ inch-thick patties.

Brush the grill or pan with a little oil and grill or sear the patties until very well-browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the burgers and add the cheese to the top. Cook about 3 minutes more for medium rare to medium. Serve on buns with mustard, mayonnaise, pickles and arugula.

Source: “AFIELD: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish,” by Jesse Griffiths (Hardcover, Welcome Books, $40).

Mayonnaise

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk, from reputable chickens

1 cup olive oil

1 cup neutral oil, such as safflower, canola or grape seed

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt

Place a towel under a steep-sided bowl to keep it in place. Whisk together the egg and egg yolk until combined. In a cup with a pour spout, combine the olive oil and neutral oil. Very slowly, a drop at a time, add the oil, whisking until all of the oil is incorporated.

Squeeze the lemon juice into the mayonnaise and whisk to combine. Season with salt. Add water, if needed, to give the mayonnaise a creamy not-too-stiff consistency. Add chopped herbs or other garnish. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Yield: 1 cup.

Source: “AFIELD: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish,” by Jesse Griffiths (Hardcover, Welcome Books, $40).

Whole Grilled Fish

2 medium-size fish or several panfish, about 3 pounds total, whole, gutted, and scaled

Olive oil, for brushing

Kosher salt

1 lemon, halved

HERB MAYONNAISE:

¾ cup Mayonnaise (see above) or Aioli (recipe follows)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, basil, chives, tarragon, dill or mint or a combination

Make a hot fire in a charcoal grill or set a gas grill on high heat. Take care that the grill grate is clean.

Dry the fish very well with paper towels and brush them all over with olive oil. Season well with salt, including the cavity.

Brush the grate with olive oil. Lay the whole fish on the hottest part of the grill and cook, without moving the fish at all, for about 8 minutes; 6 minutes for smaller panfish.

Gingerly lift up the fish with a wide, metal spatula and see if it is nicely browned, even a little charred in spots. If so, gently flip the fish and cook on the other side for about 8 minutes. If not, let the fish cook for another 2 to 3 minutes and check again.

Once the meat near the head at the thickest part of the shoulders flakes easily and is cooked through, transfer the fish from the grill to a platter.

Mix together the mayonnaise and herbs in a small bowl.

Squeeze the lemon over the fish and serve immediately with the herb mayonnaise on the side.

Source: “AFIELD: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish,” by Jesse Griffiths (Hardcover, Welcome Books, $40).

Aioli

12 garlic cloves

Kosher salt

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk

1 cup olive oil

Mash the garlic with the salt with the wide of a heavy knife until it is a thick paste. Add this to the egg and egg yolk and whisk well. Follow the directions in the mayonnaise recipe, whisking the olive oil in slowly until a thick emulsion is formed. Aioli is traditionally not seasoned with lemon or thinned with water, but you may do as you will.

Source: “AFIELD: A Chef’s Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish,” by Jesse Griffiths (Hardcover, Welcome Books, $40).

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