Cooking game once was no more challenging than cooking chicken or beef. Not so today.
Where domesticated cattle and chickens once were allowed to roam freely, almost like animals in their natural state, today`s chickens are raised in one-cubic-foot cages, never touching the ground, and cattle are fed controlled diets to maximize growth and ensure tenderness. These differences require different cooking techniques.
Game is defined as wild animals or birds hunted for sport or food. But what we consider game today often includes game birds and furred animals that are raised commercially, much like cattle and poultry. In this country it is not legal to sell wild game commercially (before this law was passed, our wild game population was well on its way to extinction).
So unless you know or are related to a generous amateur hunter, you`ll have to be content with farm-raised game. This could mean an antelope chop that tastes a lot like beef or lamb.
Categories of game
Game breaks down into two basic groups-furred and feathered. There are two categories of furred game-large, such as deer and wild boar; and small, such as wild rabbits and hare. There are two categories of feathered game also-that which is plucked and drawn (gutted and cleaned) before cooking, and that which is plucked and not drawn, as in the case of very small birds.
With game, several basic cooking procedures generally are used: Furred game, both large and small, usually is marinated. Haunches, or hams, of boar are roasted. Fillets (from the saddle) and chops (from the loin) are sauteed. And you make a stew or ``jug`` of shoulder and breast meat.
Techniques for cooking different-sized feathered game are roasting of young birds, which are most tender when rare; braises, or salmis, and molds and pies of mature birds.
Larding and barding
Because game meat has very little fat in it, it`s likely to turn out dry unless it is larded or barded before cooking. Larding is a technique in which strips of fat are threaded into pieces of meat, along the grain, to provide moistness and tenderness. This technique once was used more commonly-in pot roasts, for instance-but with today`s emphasis on decreasing cholesterol, larding game is appropriate only in some cases.
Barding is a technique in which leaves of fat, usually pork fatback, are tied to the outside of meat or game (or used to line a terrine) to give the meat more flavor and moisture. Bacon sometimes is used; but unless you especially want the distinctive flavor of bacon in the finished dish, it`s best to use pork fatback, sliced by your butcher into thin leaves.
The pheasant probably is the most favored of game birds, yet it may easily present disappointment. At one of Paris` finest restaurants I`ve had pheasant that was slightly dry and rubbery-certainly no treat. Because of this proclivity, pheasant is not everyone`s favorite. But with the proper preparation and treatment, pheasant can be spectacular. It is definitely worth having for any festive occasion.
Note: Recipes for pheasant, partridge and grouse can be used interchangeably.
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Roasting time: 1 hour
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Young pheasants have short rounded claws, older ones long sharp ones. The younger ones are better for roasting, the older ones for braising. Age young pheasants at least four days in the refrigerator; older birds should be aged at least a week. Singe any remaining feathers and clean the pheasant. Stuff it with any savory stuffing or just a pat of butter. One pheasant, usually weighing 2 pounds 1/2 ounces to 3 pounds, will serve 2 to 3
1 young pheasant, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, reserve giblets
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Additional butter and/or safflower oil for basting
1 1/2-ounce cups good chicken stock
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Truss the bird, then tie the barding fat to the bird and truss it; put a tablespoon of butter inside. Rub any exposed skin with softened butter or safflower oil.
2. Put bird on a rack in a roasting pan on its side with another tablespoon of butter in pan. Roast for 15 minutes, then baste with safflower oil or melted butter and turn onto its other side.
3. Roast another 15 minutes, baste and turn breast side up or until it is done. To test for doneness, lift pheasant up and let juices from cavity run out; when juices are clear, without any rosy tint, the bird is done.
4. Meanwhile, chop pheasant giblets and boil then in chicken stock for 30 minutes until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. Strain. Blend flour and remaining tablespoon of butter together and set aside.
5. When pheasant is done, transfer to a warmed serving platter and cover with foil. Add shallot to roasting pan and cook over a low heat until translucent, about 2 minutes. Pour off excess fat.