Being a lean and very flavorful meat, bison should usually be cooked
medium rare. Beyond this, it tends to be a bit dry. Letting the meat
rest allows the interior juices to redistribute, making for a more
tender, flavorful roast.
This rich, earthy gratin could stand on its own at a meatless
Thanksgiving celebration as well as being a perfect foil for roasted
bison. Make this a day ahead and reheat it when you’re ready to serve.
Serves 8.
This rich stuffing is very nice with the roasted duck and some chutney.
Be sure to make plenty for leftover fried rice (see below) for
breakfast the next day. Cook the rice while you cook the duck, that way
you can add the delicious caramelized bits from the roasting pan (and a
bit of the duck fat—it’s Thanksgiving!) to the rice as it bakes.
Chutney is an all-encompassing and delicious use for leftover
vegetables, bumper crops, or those big bags of fruit given to you as a
gift. It can be made with anything. I prefer a mix of sweet fruit, some
vegetables, raisins, sugar, vinegar and spices. The technique is
nothing more than cooking everything down to a paste and seasoning to
your liking to achieve that nice balance between sweet, spicy and sour.
I have used apples, pears, green tomatoes, overgrown zucchini, plums,
onions, kumquats, peaches and sweet potatoes with varying success. The
great part is that you can make it a month ahead of time—it keeps well
in the fridge and gets better with age.
Working in the comfort of their home kitchens, Brett Anderson and Andrea VanScoy convert a classic Barr Mansion wedding cake into a stunning holiday centerpiece.
I got this old family recipe from D’Hanis hog farmer, deer hunter and sausage-maker Dennis Herrmann. Use this recipe as a guide, but if you’re serious about making sausage, try to get invited to a few sausage-making parties, where you can learn from the pros. I consider sausage-making a culinary art that takes time, persistence and a good smokehouse. It’s also a great reason to get together with friends and family to celebrate a Texas food tradition. (Equipment note: The equipment for sausage-making is a big investment. At the very least, you will need a meat grinder with a sausage-stuffer attachment.).—Amy Crowell
I love to bake using eggs from my own chickens. As a local-food enthusiast, I am currently researching other local sources (beyond my backyard) of essential baking ingredients such as flour, sugar, butter and salt. I was happy to discover Butter Cup Farms butter and creamy milk at the Austin Farmers Market. I encourage folks to seek out and use local cheeses, eggs, spinach and tomatoes in this recipe as well.
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