Where the Wild Things Are
Photography: Derek Smith
Jerry Garcia, Chez Betty
1637 Short Line Drive, 435.649.8181
ITEM: Venison
The sensibility at Chez Betty is all about the seasons. When Executive Chef Jerry Garcia and Sous-Chef Brent Whitford collaborate for the latest Chez Betty creations, it’s an entirely creative process in the kitchen. Come winter, their thoughts turn naturally to wild game. New Zealand venison, Utah red trout, lamb and elk come up in conversation and on diners’ plates. It’s not only the consistently good quality from Garcia’s kitchen, but the unexpectedly subtle flavors from something like this popular venison dish. Lacking any gamey stereotype, the lean meat and savory flavors expand in a red wine marinade featuring piney rosemary. Garcia keeps the theme wintry with the addition of lingon-berries or aromatic juniper berries. When working with venison at home, Garcia suggests you trim the silver skin (the whitish layer covering the cut of meat) with a knife, cutting your piece of meat into a rectangle and forming uniform medallions from that. A quick grilling until the meat is medium rare, and you’re ready for winter feasting.
CHEZ BETTY’S GRILLED MEDALLIONS OF NEW ZEALAND VENISON
Marinated in Red Wine
and Rosemary
For each guest, use two 2.5-ounce medallions of venison tenderloin.
Marinade:
4 cups red wine
3 sprigs whole fresh rosemary for each medallion
Salt and pepper
Place marinade in shallow pan. Place venison medallions in marinade and let sit for at least two hours, flipping steaks occasionally. Before grilling meat, season thoroughly with salt and pepper. Venison medallions should be served medium rare. Serve to your guests with your favorite mashed potato recipe (we make a garlic potato purée). Good luck and happy dining from Chef Jerry Garcia and Executive Sous-Chef Brent Whitford!
Zev’s Wine Pairing: 2003 DOMAINE LA SOUMADE CUVEE CONFIANCE RASTEAU ($34) -
My all-time favorite pairing with bigger game is the spicy and seductive wine of the Southern Rhone. With Chef Jerry’s straight-forward recipe accenting the depth and character of venison, the pairing that first comes to mind is the gorgeous and value-conscious wine of the Rasteau appellation. This wine breathes smoke wrapped in anise and the lush fruit of blackberry. The most seductive part of the wine is the slight hint of clove. 2003 was a bombshell of a vintage in the Rhone.
Bill Hufferd, Mustang Restaurant
890 Main Street, 435.658.3975
ITEM: Utah Red Trout
You could say that meat lovers have many things to love about Hufferd’s Main Street restaurant. Grilled filet mignon, marinated rib-eye steak and lamb shanks feature prominently, and rightly so. But the humble Utah red trout is a perennial favorite. A simple preparation of lemon butter sauce with capers and rosemary roasted potatoes highlights the now farmed-fish’s succulence. Because of the trout’s tender, flaky texture, Hufferd recommends pan searing to keep filets intact.
MUSTANG RESTAURANT’S UTAH RED TROUT
Serves 4
Four 8- to 10-ounce Utah red trout filets
Olive oil for sautéing
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 stick unsalted butter
Juice of two lemons
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons fine diced Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Season trout filets with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high flame and add olive oil. Add trout filets, skin side down and cook for four minutes. Flip each filet over and cook for another three to four minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm until ready to serve.
Sauté shallots in two tablespoons of butter. Add lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the sauce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Reduce heat to low and gradually add the rest of the butter in small chunks, whisking after each addition. Season with salt and pepper and spoon sauce over trout. Garnish with capers, diced tomato, chives and pine nuts.
Zev’s Wine Pairing: 2002 CHATEAU CHAMBOUREAU SAVENNIERES LES ROCHE AUX MOINES ($32) - The Loire Valley is one of the most diverse and unique wine regions in the world. Lush and green, this area is dotted with some of the oldest and most elegant castles in Europe. Some of the world’s best expressions of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc are made along the Loire River. Savennieres les Roche is a small and distinctive region that makes a dry Chenin Blanc-based wine that is packed with bright aromas of nuts, grass, and honey and has a richness that is unmatched. This wine is perfect for trout.
Jean-Louis Montecot
Jean-Louis Restaurant
136 Heber Avenue, 435.200.0260
ITEM: Caribou
Even for seasoned wild game hunters and eaters, caribou is a bit of a novelty. So imagine the joy for diners at Jean-Louis when Montecot can actually get a shipment in from Arctic Canada. The coveted meat sometimes makes an appearance alongside Montecot’s other wild game options. It’s always a crowd pleaser when an item like the Park City Powder Platter arrives at the table with cuts of three different wild meats — what better way to cap off a mountain adventure vacation? According to Montecot, game works well for hearty appetites in the winter. And with preparations like his caribou with port wine sauce and truffles, it’s also big on the “wow” factor.
JEAN LOUIS’ GRILLED CARIBOU CHOPS WITH WILD BERRY DEMI GLACE
Serves 4
(Note: If wild berries aren’t accessible, substitute 2 cups of frozen blueberries, thawed.)
Nine 3-ounce caribou chops
4 teaspoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons juniper berry
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 cups veal stock (find in specialty groceries or www.clubsauce.com)
2 cups red wine
1 pint fresh wild berries
1/2 pound butter
Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl and marinate the caribou chops in this mixture. Prepare the sauce. Combine veal stock and red wine in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and continue to simmer until it has reduced by half. Add the berries and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid in a sieve lined with a cheesecloth. Whisk in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, grill the marinated chops to your liking and serve with the sauce.
Zev’s Wine Pairing: 2004 TABLAS CREEK COTES DE TABLAS ROUGE ($19) - This wine hails from California and is Rhone-styled, expressing the unique terroir of Paso Robles through the use of organic viticulture. It has all the spicy edge of a Rhone wine with the clean and bright fruit expression that marks the character of the region. Should be a nice pairing with this dish’s wild berry angle.
Zane Holmquist
Stein Eriksen Lodge
7700 Steins Way 435.645.6455
ITEM: Wild Game Chili
As the chef of a five-diamond, world-class lodge, Holmquist knows the allure of the area. Lots of fresh mountain air and recreation at guests’ fingertips work up hearty appetites. When the weather gets chilly, many diners think wild game. “We’re in the West; it’s part of our heritage,” Holmquist says. “It’s also nice to broaden our horizons and use meat with unique textures and flavors.” Stein’s Glitretind Restaurant winter menu features everything from muscovite duck to wild game chili to a tender elk osso buco. When home cooks work with any of these meats, Holmquist cautions them to practice proper sanitation and storage techniques before the cooking even begins. Seasonings like garlic, verdant herbs, and earthy mushrooms help to balance the robust flavors of wild game before cooking the meat to a medium-rare to medium doneness.
STEIN ERIKSEN LODGE WILD GAME CHILI
(makes two gallons)
1/4 cup olive oil or corn oil
2 pounds buffalo, diced in 3/4" cubes
2 pounds elk or venison, diced in 3/4” cubes
2 pounds wild boar or pork, diced in 3/4” cubes
2 pounds (4-5 ea) onions, medium diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
1/2 cup pasilla chile powder
1/2 cup New Mexican chili powder
2 cups coffee, brewed
2 bay leaves
36 ounces tomato juice
6 12-ounce cans diced tomatoes
4-1/2 cups beef stock or three 12-ounce cans of beer
1/2 gallon water
Method: Mix all the dry spices together and use half the mixture to season the meat. Heat the oil in pan (it can’t get hot enough). Brown the meat for 10 – 15 minutes in the pan. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add coffee, tomato juice, bay leaves, diced tomatoes, remainder of spice mixture, stock or beer, and water. Simmer for 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender. You may have to adjust the consistency with more stock or beer and check the seasonings. Garnish with sour cream and green onions before serving.
Zev’s Wine Pairing: 2003 REJADORADA NOVELLUM ($24) - The region of Toro in Central Spain is known for its pure use of a localized clone of Tempranillo called Tinto de Toro. These vines are strained by desert climate and are packed full of spice and dark fruit. The Novellum is a quintessential example, known for its clove, anise, and dried fruit flavors. The body of this wine is full, rich, and tannic and the finish seems to go on forever.
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