Archive for the ‘Huckleberry Main Dishes’ Category

A Recipe from Our Cookbook: Pan-Seared Squab with Huckleberries …

By Kyle
In Welcome to Michael’s, he explains that the huckleberry sauce provides a necessary tartness to balance out the richness of the squab, a complement he sought to achieve an ideal harmony of flavors. If you can’t find huckleberries, …

Pan-Seared Squab with Huckleberries, Onion Confit, and Wild Rice

Serves 4

• 4 squabs, boned except for leg and wing, quartered
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups Pinot Noir
• 1/4 cup cassis syrup
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 2 cups huckleberries or black currants
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or good-quality canned chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons salted butter, cut into several pieces
• 1/2 pound wild rice, cooked
• 1/2 cup Onion Confit (click here for the recipe)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

The night before you plan to serve the squabs, or up to 2 days before, put them in a dish or bowl. Season all over with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, add the thyme sprigs, and turn the squab pieces to coat them thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before cooking time.

When you’re ready to cook the squabs, remove them from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.

For the sauce, put the Pinot Noir, cassis syrup, shallots, and 1 1/2 cups of the huckleberries in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid had reduced by about three-quarters, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the stock and continue simmering until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  Strain the sauce through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing down on the solids with a wooden spoon. Rewarm the strained sauce over medium heat, then remove the pan from the heat, add 3 tablespoons of the butter pieces, and swirl the pan until the butter is incorporated, thickening the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

Wipe the marinade from the squabs and season them again with a little salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. When the butter starts to sizzle, add the squab pieces skin side down and sauté until the skin is golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Tturn the pieces over and continue cooking until medium-rare, 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Stir the remaining huckleberries into the warm sauce.  If necessary, gently rewarm the sauce.

To serve, mound some wild rice in the center of each serving plate. Place some of the onion confit on top of the rice. Arrange the squab quarters around the rice and spoon the sauce and berries over the squab. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.

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The following recipe is from my friend, Kris at the Greenbriar Inn and Catering — who also makes Wildbeary Products!

1 boneless pork loin or butt, about 5 pounds
1/4 cup butter melted
1/3 cup coarsely ground black pepper
1 C Wildbeary Huckleberry Vinegar

Trim as much fat from pork as possible. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer. Place roast in 400 degree oven. Mix butter, pepper and Wildbeary’s Huckleberry Vinegar together. Baste every 15 minutes for the first hour. When sauce begins to adhere to roast (35-40 minutes), reduce oven heat to 250 degrees and baste every 20 minutes for about 6 hours, or until meat thermometer registers 170 degrees. Add up to 3/4 C vinegar if sauce gets too greasy during basting period. A thick, peppery crust will form on outside of the roast.

4 Duck Legs
1/2 Yellow Onion, Diced
1 Carrot, Diced
1 Stalk Celery, Diced
2 cups Red Wine
6 Juniper Berries, Crushed
2 Bay Leaves
1 cup Brown Chicken Stock
1 cup Chestnuts, peeled
3/4 cup Huckleberries
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Trim the edges of the duck legs of any excess fat and season with salt and pepper. Place in a wide, heavy bottom pan, skin side down over high heat. Sear on both sides and remove from the pan. Drain off all but two tablespoons of the duck fat. Sauté the onion, carrot and celery for two to three minutes to soften. Add the red wine, juniper berries and bay leaves. Reduce by half. Return the duck legs to the pan, skin side up, along with enough chicken stock to cover three quarters of the duck. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the middle of the preheated oven. After one hour remove the lid and add the peeled chestnuts. Cook for an additional half hour, until duck is tender and starting to pull away from the bone. Remove the duck from the pan and return to the top of the stove. Add the huckleberries and reduce to a light sauce consistency. Using a ladle, skim off any fat that may have accumulated on top. Return the duck legs to the pan and warm through. Serve over wide ribbon noodles.

4 servings