A bit Offbeat, but Fun none the less!

It's winter in Rhode Island.  Its cold, dark, and we're all sick of it.  So, why not get everyone together, and empty out a freezer full of wild game??  Ok.  So who would be your ideal guests? Fellow hunters? Fishing buddies??  How about some of the biggest ball busters you know so they can heckle you all day long.  Yeah, lets do that!

Two of our close friends, lets call them "Chris" and "Steve", are not only good human beings, but excellent chefs in their own right.  Both work in the biz, and when they get together, it always makes for a good meal.  Through the year, we have had some good success in the field, and are lucky enough to have plenty of venison, wild boar, elk, pheasant, and duck on hand "to feed Coxey's Army" as my father would say.

Dinner begins, as many big meals do, the day before, with prep work, table settings, and sufficient planning.

Sunday was the big day... We prepped some more, got ready for a good ribbing, and started in on our 8 course menu.

Now, many of you have gone to game dinners, either for fundraisers or your own, and Im sure that many of you have your favorite dishes, but we tend to mix things up a bit, and really get some interesting recipes going.   Here is the menu rundown:

Apps:

-Terrine of Pheasant with a Cumberland sauce

-Smoked Goose breast sliders with Pecorino romano and lettuce

-Homemade Goose sausage with Caramelized Onions and asiago crisps

-Seared Duck Breast with Candied Bacon (yes... candied. More on that...) served over Johnnycakes

Mains:

-Boar Sausage over Rabe Broccoli and sun dried tomatoes w/ Gnocchi.

-Braised rabbit with Roasted red peppers and local greens.

-Venison Medallions with Local wild mushrooms and root vegetables.

-Elk Tenderloin with Brown sauce

Lets say we didn't go hungry....

A few of the dishes we served.  Top to bottom: Pheasant, Goose sausage, Duck Breast, Rabbit.  Starting at 1pm, we began with cocktails and cigars, started eating around 2:30 and wrapped up around 9pm.  Whew.....

As dinner wound on, we took a break from clogging our arteries when my Uncle, lets call him "Bob", decided he had a little speech to make.  

Now, to preface this, my Uncle is a consummate boater, but never got into fishing.  He and my father always go back and forth on this, and of course, whenever my Uncle is on the boat with us, we catch jack shit...  Especially if we tell him how good the fishing is...  Go figure.  We think he is a jinx, he says we suck at fishing.   This further played out while we were on our last trip with the new boat.  My uncle was expecting Wahoo and tuna to just start jumping in the boat, and of course....  Nada.  Great!  More fuel for the fire...  Anyhow, this is how it went down:

I wouldn't expect anything less... So now, for my first T-Shirt with the new boat, I have my "Knot Reel Fishermen" shirt, courtesy of these jackasses!  Priceless...  On top of that, another insult to injury, they decided that this would be a welcome addition to the dinner, seeing as how we were running low...

Oh, the shame of it all.  

Back to the candied bacon.  Candied Bacon....Mmmmmmmmmmmm.  Half cook your bacon in the oven, then remove it, pat it dry, and place it on a clean cookie sheet.  Brush with maple syrup and put back in the oven (say 400 deg. for 8 mins or so) flip and baste with the syrup as needed until crispy.  Its so good.  So freakin good.  Plain bacon is great.  This is slap your momma delicious.

I can still taste it... Damn.

We were so full at the end of the night, actually, I'm still full now as Im typing this.  What a meal.  It ended with basketball on the couch.

Some boat updates:  We are heading down to FL 4/3-4/9 for some work/play.  The play will entail, weather permitting, a Bahamas trip from 4/5-4/9.  Cross your fingers for good weather, because Im sick and tired of this New England winter.  Come on Bimini!

Bimini Big Game Club