Winter Native Dinner for the French’s, Doreen, Bill and Guest
January 11, 2009

Menu

*Depending on availability

First Course

Mesquite Rabbit Rillette with Acorn, Masa Sage Crackers

Second Course

A Selection of Winter and Native Greens, Native Tuber, Toasted Pepitos

Douglas Fir Vinaigrette

Entree

Mussels steamed in Black Walnut Broth with a Chayote Relish on a Salmon Patty

Acorn squash and Grains of the Americas

Dessert

Berry Cobbler with Prickly Pear Whipping Cream

Chef John Farais

Mesquite Seared Rabbit

• 1 whole rabbit or cut into pieces
• 1 cup Amaranth flour
• 1 cup Hazelnut flour
• 1 cup Mesquite flour
• Sea salt and Pepper
• 3 tbs. Sunflower oil
• 3 cups Rabbit or other stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Combine amaranth, hazelnut and mesquite flours into container. Heat up pan on high flame. Add oil. Dredge rabbit through flour, making sure to get inside crevice and under legs, if leaving whole. Carefully place rabbit in pan and sear each side, top and bottom until brown, about 4-5 minutes each side. Take out of pan, place into baking pan. Add ¾ rabbit stock and put into oven. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Turn down heat to 350. Cook, covered, for 1 ½ -2 hours, adding rest of stock as needed, Cool and pull meat from bones. You can freeze bones for future stock. Meat can be reheated in stock or in sauce.

Venison, Bison, Rabbit, or Duck Rillettes

Take any amount of the meat, chopped, brown in pan, add:

• Your choice of favorite seasoning
• Dried elderberries, or other dried fruit, chopped finely
• Toasted Sunflower seeds finely chopped
• 4 tbs. mesquite flour
• Sunflower oil, enough to cook
• ½ cup broth

Finish slow cooking in pan, add broth as needed to prevent drying. When well cooked, drain liquid, keep liquid to the side. Chop finely and then pound in a mortar. Put into container and seal with the cooking fat. Store in refrigerator and eat like a pate’ or spread on a crostini. Dry out pounded meat and add more dried fruit and nuts for pemmican.

• 1 wild rabbit with the meat removed from the bone
• 100g smoked pork belly, rind removed
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 2tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2tsp Maldon sea salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• ½ tsp rosemary leaves, chopped
• 200g goose or duck fat

Preheat the oven to 150°C/ 300°F/gas mark 2. Put all the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed oven- or hob-proof dish (a Le Creuset-type casserole is perfect), pour in 150ml of cold water and gently bring the contents of the pan up to a simmer. Cover with a lid and put into the oven for 3 to 31/2 hours. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if the liquid has evaporated. The meat is done when it’s falling apart. Empty the contents of the pan into a colander or sieve placed over a bowl. Allow to cool a little and remove the bay leaves. With a fork or very clean fingers break up the pieces of meat into shreds; any large remaining pieces of fat will have to be chopped up with a knife or broken up in a blender. Transfer into a clean bowl, then mix in enough of the drained fat to form a creamy paste. Add more salt and pepper if required.Transfer the mix into little individual pots, a sterilised Kilner jar or suitable serving dish. Spoon a little more fat on top, especially if you plan to keep it for some time. Pack them into a cool box and serve spooned on to crusty baguette with crunchy cornichons.

Walnut Soup or Minestra di Noci (Broth For Mussels)

• 1 1/3 pounds of walnuts
• 1 cup whole milk or cream
• 2 quarts beef broth
• Slices of day old bread
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for browning the bread
• Salt and pepper to taste

Shell the walnuts, blanch the nuts in salted water, drain them, and peel away the walnut skins. Grind the walnuts in a mortar, or blend them (short bursts to keep from liquefying them), and combine them with the milk, to obtain a liquid cream. Bring the broth to a boil, and while it’s heating toast the slices of bread in the butter. Stir the walnut cream into the broth, dust it with pepper to taste, and cook it for a few minutes, then serve it steaming hot with the sliced bread.

Cornmeal Sage Cracker

• ¾ cup Acorn flour
• 1 Cup Chopped Sage
• ¾ cup AP flour
• 1 Cup boiling water slightly cooled
• ½ cup Cornmeal
• 3 tbs. Soft Butter
• ½ cup Toasted Sunflower seeds
• 1 tps. Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients and mix. Add butter, a slice at a time and work mixture with hand(s) into small balls. Add boiling water, a little at a time until you have a pliable dough but is not sticking to your fingers. Add water if too dry or flour if too wet. Dough should absorb any dough at bottom of bowl and should not stick to fingers. Take a small ball of the dough and roll out thin. Fit on any flat pans (ungreased) and bake for 30 35 minutes until crisp.

Chayote Relish

• 1 small Chayote fruit
• 1 small Clove garlic — minced
• 1 Serrano chile (deribbed) seeded and minced
• 2 tsp. Fresh cilantro — chopped
• 4 tbsp.Mango or papaya — diced
• 2 Scallions (white part only)thinly sliced
• ¼ cup Fresh corn kernels roasted
• 2 tsp. Lime juice – freshly squeezed
• 2 tsp. White wine — fine quality
• 2 tbsp. Vinaigrette dressing
• Salt — to taste

Peel the chayote, cut in half, and remove the seed with a knife. Cut into 1/4-inch dice and place in a mixing bowl. Combine with the remaining ingredients. Let sit for at least 1 hour. Before serving, check the seasonings and adjust if necessary. Makes about 2 cups of relish. 6 Servings

Berry Cobbler

• ½ cup Milk
• 1 egg, Beaten
• 2tbsp. Butter
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• ¾ tsp. Salt11/4 cups cornmeal
• ¾ cup Honey
• 1 qt. Fresh or Frozen Berries

Preheat oven to375. In a mixing bowl, combine milk, egg, butter, baking powder, and salt. Stir in cornmeal and ½ cup of the honey to make a batter. Place berries in the bottom of a buttered baking dish and spoon remaining honey over them. Drop batter tablespoonfuls over berries and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until berries are hot and bubbling and crust is golden. Serves 6

Prickly Pear Whipped Cream

• 2 cups Heavy cream
• 1 cup Prickly pear juice

Combine cream and juice in a bowl and beat until peaks are formed.