Posted by johngl
When I got the April Dai Due newsletter and saw this wild game type of dinner, I just had to go. Unfortunately, I waited too damn long to respond. When Chef Jesse told me they were already sold out, I contemplated suicide (for about 0.00001 seconds).
Fortunately for me, my good friend BigDMcC had snagged four of the darn things (no wonder I couldn’t get my own). I persuaded him to allow me to use one of them since my most glorious spousal unit didn’t want to stay out late on a Sunday since it’s a school night and all. (She is all over the upcoming Steak Dinner though!)
So, on the night of the this event, excited as a youngster in a candy shop, I grabbed my camera, a couple of bottles of wine, and headed out to what was to be some of the best purely wild game I have had since I was a kid.
Here’s Jesse, looking as though he is wanting me to go away
So, you may be wondering what this is all about. I have written about Dai Due several times already. Once for seafood, once for an all vegetarian meal, and now this. But just consider the diversity of those meals!
Chef Jesse creates some wonderful dishes out of purely local fare. His is a consummate locavore, and goes out of his way to sniff out the finest that Central Texas has to offer. One can’t help but admire the guy because he seems to derive great joy from walking up hill. All the time. In both directions.
The least I can do is eat his food. Oh, the sacrifice!
Venison Terrine, Cured Bison, Boar Rillettes with Herbed Mustard, and Spring Onion Jam, and Pickled Beets
The dinner started a bit after 7pm with the plate shown above. We were seated at the table with the Broken Arrow Ranch guys, Chris Hughes and John Dallas Michon, Jr, so they got an earful of questions from me. Lucky them.
I discovered that these deer, antelope, and boar are truly wild animals. They openly forage large ranches and the ranch owners call on Broken Arrow to help them with herd management. They have a state meat inspector on site during the harvests.
The animals they harvest are not native to Texas and aren’t classified in the same manner as Texas native species. This allows Broken Arrow Ranch some flexibility in marketing their products. They’ll deliver to your door!
You can read all about it at Broken Arrow Ranch.
Seared Blackbuck Antelope Filet served with an Artichoke, Nopal, Fava, and Fennel Salad
My, what a tasty animal. Since i had never had this particular type of antelope, I didn’t know what to expect. This ultra-lean tenderloin was wonderfully done and actual flavor of the meat shined. Not in the least bit chewy, I wanted more, just to get a better handle on the flavor.
Wild Boar Petite Salé with Cherokee Wax Beans and Pickled Onions.
What the heck is a Petite Salé?
Pronounced Sah-lay, it’s essentially a French phrase loosely translated as “small salted”. We could call it the “small piece of salted pork belly” but that wouldn’t be as interesting. Essentially, this is a really thick slice of bacon that hasn’t been smoked. It is slowly cooked to render out a lot of the fat. What’s left nearly melts in your mouth.
While this boar belly was mighty tasty, I couldn’t get over the beans. They were perfect. Somebody in Texas (Jesse) can actually cook beans! Who’d a thunk?
Anyway, I hadn’t had Cherokee Wax Beans before and in combination with the wild pig, these were just [expletive deleted] awesome! I slurped the juice from the bowl.
Antelope Stew with Spinach and Blue Corn Grits
The dish that followed the slurping of the beans was even more incredible. Holy Crap! I jumped into this “Antelope Stew” with a bite…and just stopped. Oh…my…god. I even forgot to take a picture (hence the fork buried in this gift from the food gods). No wolfing of this dish. I forced myself to slow down and savor every…single…bite. The blue corn grits were simply brilliant and the meat was so fall-apart tender and flavorful…Jesse needs an award for this one.
Sautéed Venison Liver with Spring Onions, Boar Bacon, Sage, and Sweet Potatoes
Coming off of the high induced by the boar/beans and antelope/grits courses, the liver…uh…I hate to say this, fell flat. I am a liver eater from way back (not the “Silence of the Lambs” type of liver eater) and I was really looking forward to this twist on liver and onions. The liver was just too cooked. Oh well, with two home runs preceding this, a strike was inevitable.
Braised Venison Shanks with Parsnips, Kale, and Rice Croquettes
And then, another home run! This twist on osso bucco (traditionally done with veal shanks) had some crunchy (rice croquettes), some bitterness (Kale), some sweetness (parsnips), and the great mouth feel of the venison itself. Tender, with a hint of chew, the flavor of the flesh was wonderful. Not even a hint of gaminess.
We found ourselves trying to figure out how to get that wonderful marrow out of the bone. The technique was actually similar to doing a one-hitter. Put the bone up to your lips with your finger over the other end of the bone. Create a little suction on the bone (get your minds OUT of the gutter, will you, please?), then let off the finger on the other end. Be careful, you really don’t want to inhale. You may have to carburate a few times to get it out. It was quite the sight with 4 or 5 people doing some serious bone sucking. Amy, a woman originally from New York City, made a comment that she never thought she would hear the word “carburate!” at the dinner table. It’s good to surprise a New Yorker occasionally, it keeps them humble.
Veldhuizen Aged Cow’s Milk Cheese, Farmer’s Cheese, Pure Luck Del Cielo, and Guajillo Honey
Damn! Cheese course already? If you haven’t tried Guajillo honey, give it a shot, it is well worth the extra price. The folks at Dai Due always pick some really great cheeses, too. I usually wind up seeking them out on my own soon after the dinners.
Strawberry, Rhubarb, and Champagne Sorbets with Guava Blossoms
Just a couple of sweet and tart bites to end the evening. We had this course with Riesling BA (Beerenauslese).
Overall, this was an absolutely wonderful meal. It was a good time with friends old and new. It was great to talk to the guys from Broken Arrow Ranch and I have a standing invitation to their facility in Ingram, TX (as do you…they are open every weekday and welcome visitors to their humble hamlet)
Since I am always trying to draw attention to the fact that a lot of our food comes from living, breathing things and don’t just magically appear on the shelves of mega-marts, below are a couple of photos of the type of beasts we consumed during this dinner.
Paraphrasing a quotation from Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma (that I discovered on the back of the dinner menu), humans should look at the animals they kill, regard them with reverence, and don’t consume them except with gratitude.
Nilgai Antelope (photo provided by Broken Arrow Ranch)
Axis Deer (photo provided by Broken Arrow Ranch)
Wild Boar in natural habitat (photo obtained from Wikipedia.org)
Thank you!
