This dish is a worthy send-off, though.

Venison is a robust and flavorful meat, and I’ve noticed that a lot of grocery stores carry it around the holidays. I bought a 4-pack of D’Artagnan venison medallions for this preparation. Venison medallions come from the backstrap of the deer, and are sometimes compared to filets mignon from beef.

Another food you see crop up around Christmastime is the whole chestnut. These gorgeous brown beauties have a lovely soft nutmeat and a really unique flavor. Like the venison, they’re a bit “wild” tasting, so I thought they would be a great combination. I wasn’t disappointed!

Here’s your shopping list:

• 1 lb whole raw chestnuts
• ~1 lb venison medallions
• ~28g (1 oz) bacon
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

I didn’t add any salt here, because the bacon I used was cured and added plenty of saltiness on its own. My favorite method for using bacon is to keep a brick of very fatty bacon in the freezer and shave off bits to cook with. The shavings melt very quickly, and it’s a super convenient way to use bacon in cooking. You could also use about 1-2 tablespoons grease poured off of cooked bacon.

Combine your spices and rub the venison all over with them. Return to the refrigerator for one hour. During this time, roast the chestnuts.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Cut an X into each chestnut skin with a sharp knife – the chestnuts usually have a nice flat side to cut into. Place them in a single layer on a baking pan and cook for 10-15 minutes. The skins will begin to peel away from the meat.

Allow them to cool just enough to handle and then shuck off the outer skin and the inner, papery covering. Don’t worry about breaking the nutmeats.

Chop roughly and set aside until your venison has been curing in the spices for an hour.

Cook the bacon in an oven-safe pan over medium heat until the fat has rendered out completely and any meaty bits have begun to brown. Shake the pan slightly to spread the bacon grease out and turn the heat up to high. Definitely turn on your kitchen vent fan – this will smoke a bit!

Place the venison medallions in the pan directly from the refrigerator.

Sear the meat on both sides. Just after you’ve turned the medallions to sear the second side, add the chestnuts and cranberries and toss them a bit to coat with bacon grease. Place the pan in the oven for 3-5 minutes to finish.

The chestnuts and cranberries absorb a lot of great flavor from the bacon and make a rich, tangy accompaniment to the venison.

Fantastic. And very seasonal! The perfect last dish for 2012, I think.

I’ll see you when I see you, I guess. Thanks so much for following my food journey this year, and I hope to come back swinging. There are some plans in the works for a new direction for this blog (or a new “sister” blog for this one), but they’ve gone on hold while we’re out of the country, so I’m going to keep quiet and save them as a surprise

Have an amazing and delicious New Year, everybody!

Typically I dry-cure my meats before smoking, but I decided this turkey was going to be brined instead. Either method helps make for a more moist, flavorful final product. I used a “long brine” method, which calls for a weaker (less salty) brine and a longer soaking time. I started the brine on November 17th, so the turkey soaked for almost five full days. The finished product had a beautiful smokiness and a strong (but not overwhelming) bourbon flavor.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 fresh, all-natural (no added solution) turkey, between 15 and 18 lbs.
• 1 five gallon bucket (preferably with lid) and fridge space for said bucket
• 3.5 liters mid-grade bourbon
• 1/2 cup sea salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup black cardamom pods
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tsp whole allspice
• Roughly three gallons of cold water

Don’t spend a huge amount of money on your bourbon, but don’t buy the cheapest brand either. The really cheap rotgut will impart unpleasant flavors to your bird, and the top-shelf stuff is wasted on this application. I bought Evan Williams, which is a decent middle-grade brand.

Pour the bourbon into a large stock pot and add the salt, sugar, and spices. Bring it to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Allow to boil for 30-40 minutes, or until reduced by about 1/4.

Set this aside to cool to room temperature.

Prep your bird by removing the giblets and neck. I usually give my turkey a quick rinse just to get rid of the stickiness of a shrink-wrapped bird. If your turkey has a plastic bracket holding the legs in place, remove it. If your bird is tied with twine, you can leave it in place.

Lower the turkey into the bucket head-down, with the legs pointing upward. Carefully pour in the bourbon solution through a colander (to catch the spices) and then add cold water until the bird is completely submerged. Refrigerate.

The night before you intend to smoke your turkey, place 2 cups of wood chips in a bowl with sufficient water to cover. I used cherry wood this year, and really liked the results, but I’ve also smoked poultry with apple and hickory and they’re both excellent. I’ve heard that oak is nice for turkey, but I’ve never tried it.

Heat your smoker to about 250°. While the smoker is warming up, remove the turkey from the brine and let it sit at room temperature. Once the smoker has heated up, drop the set temperature to about 215-220° and place the bird inside. Cook the turkey breast-side up. I’d recommend buying one of those metal racks with handles they sell around the holidays for just this purpose. It made it much easier to remove the turkey from the smoker when it was done cooking.

Smoke at this temperature for 6-8 hours, replenishing the wood about every 2. Don’t worry about internal temperature – the turkey will definitely reach 165°.

This method results in a very dark skin on the turkey. It’s not burned! The skin doesn’t take on the nice crispy texture you would get from roasting at a higher temperature, and has a tougher consistency and a VERY smoky taste. No one in my family particularly likes to eat the skin anyway.

Smoked turkeys are a little easier to carve than roasted, as the connective tissue has begun to break down. The meat also keeps a lot longer in the refrigerator. I’d say the only downside to smoked turkey is that it seems to dry out in the fridge more easily than roasted turkey, but you can submerge it in gravy to prevent this.

This bird had a definite bourbon flavor. It was not so strong as to be overwhelming, and between cooking the brine and cooking the bird I wasn’t worried about any remaining alcohol content. Just a nice little hint of bourbon and spice.

Mussels are best cooked live in a quick steam, though I’ve also cooked them in the smoker (which was delicious, if quite different than steamed). The heat causes them to open their shells, making them easy to extract and eat. You don’t want to eat a mussel that doesn’t open on its own, or one with a broken shell (broken either before or after cooking). A fresh, live mussel will snap closed if you run fresh water over it, and you should throw away any raw mussels that remain open after rinsing. Check the dates on the packaging and only buy mussels from stores whose seafood departments you trust, and you should end up with very few “dead soldiers” in your kitchen trash can.

This version of steamed mussels is one of my favorites. Here’s what you’ll need to serve two people:

• 2 lbs raw mussels
• 1 cup fresh basil (I used a mix of Thai, lemon, and Italian)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 cups white wine (1 750 ml bottle)
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• Salt to taste
• Crusty fresh bread

Start by checking over your mussels. Use a pair of kitchen shears or needle-nose pliers to remove any “beards” that remain on the outside of the shell. Rinse off any visible dirt.

Combine the basil, broth, wine, and tomatoes in a large stock pot and bring them to a boil, stirring frequently. Allow to reduce by 2/3. Turn the heat down to medium-high and drop a steamer basket or colander down into the pot. Gently pour your mussels into the basket and lid the pot. A glass lid is useful here because you can see when the mussels begin to open. This should only take a few minutes. Don’t overcook your mussels! They turn tough very easily.

Once the majority of the shells have opened, remove the steamer basket (carefully!) and let the broth stay on the heat while you check over the cooked mussels. Discard those that haven’t opened.

Arrange the mussels in a bowl or soup plate and pour the cooking broth over top. Serve with a few slices of bread and provide a bowl for discarded shells. A narrow fork is the best way to remove the mussels from their shells.

A pound of mussels per person is enough to make this a full meal, or you can serve these as an appetizer in smaller portions. They’re also great over pasta.

Hopefully these next few recipes will more than make up for the silence.

This hearty soup came together on Halloween (which shows you just how far behind I am). Halloween came just after Hurricane Sandy, and though we (thankfully!) didn’t see much of the storm, it was cold and windy and rainy the entire weekend beforehand. We ended up with a tree down and a lot of mud, and a strong desire for something warm and filling to eat. I also needed to use up the last of my fresh pumpkin.

You will need:

• 3 cups broth or stock
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup minced onions
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 cup half and half or cream
• Salt to taste

Sweat the onions and spices in the oil over medium heat until they become translucent. Add the peanut butter and then the broth, stirring until thoroughly combined. Now, add the rice, reduce the heat to mid-low, and lid the pot for 20-30 minutes or until the rice softens. Stir in the pumpkin and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove from the stove and carefully stir in the half and half, and serve.

The result:

Delicious, warm, and filling.

This made for a great one-dish dinner. It’s filling without being heavy.

You’ll need:

• 1 lb. chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 cups prepared couscous
• 1 1/2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the oil, parsley, and onions over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes and then add the chicken. Continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through (about 10 minutes). Stir in the couscous and serve.

It’s no secret that I love squash, and I’m always looking for new ways to use it in recipes. We went out to Hollin Farms a couple of weekends ago and I brought home a pile of pumpkins. This recipe is the result of some tinkering with my usual brownie recipe, which is already very fudge-like in texture, but these are even more like fudge – soft and moist, and not particularly cakey, even though I doubled the amount of flour I usually use.

If you don’t have a fresh pumpkin, a regular 15-oz can of pie filling should sub in just fine.

• 3 oz dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups cooked pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat your oven to 325°.

I know that seems like a lot of spice, but I started out with less and it almost vanished in the finished brownies. You could probably use twice as much without it being overwhelming.

Melt your chocolate and butter on low heat. While those are melting, mix the egg, sugar, and pumpkin in a large mixing bowl. Combine the flour, salt, and spices in a separate container.

Remove the chocolate and butter from the heat and combine with the other wet ingredients. Once these are mixed, gradually add in the flour mixture and stir until totally smooth.

Pour into a greased 8″ pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean.

Allow the brownies to cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

That’s what I’ve been doing lately. It’s sucked away some of the time and creative energy needed to come up with new recipes, so I’m sorry if the food part of the blog has tapered off a bit. In the near future I hope to start doing some craft tutorials here, but I promise the food won’t go away. The Recipes page is getting pretty unwieldy, too – I’ll reorganize it soon.

I’ve also been knee-deep in costume work. My biggest, most labor-intensive costume is Jadis, the White Witch (from the Chronicles of Narnia). I’ve been posting my progress on that costume in this thread over on the RPF. If you want to build movie and TV props and costumes, the RPF is the place to be.

Cheers!

Traditionally, osso bucco is simmered on the stove, but I made this batch of osso bucco in the crock pot. It’s typically browned first, but I ran out of time in the morning before I tossed everything in to cook. I haven’t found that it makes as much difference as some people claim.

You will need:

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs beef shanks
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 cups white wine
• 3/4 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper

Salt the meat thoroughly and let rest for at least one hour, overnight at best. Pat dry.

Dump your veggies in the bottom of the crock pot and arrange the meat on top of them, touching the sides as little as possible. Nestle the bay leaf and the rosemary in with the veggies, crack some fresh pepper over top, and add in the liquids. Cook on the low setting of your crock pot for the better part of the day and then serve with rice.

The glaze I used is great for just about any cut of pork, and would be well-suited to chicken or turkey as well. This recipe makes enough for three pork roasts, and freezes well if you won’t be using it all up within a week or two. Using orange juice concentrate instead of regular orange juice helps pack in a lot of orange flavor.

• 1 can orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder

Thaw your orange juice concentrate completely. Mix all of the above ingredients together.

Rub all surfaces of the meat with the glaze. For a pork roast I recommend making several small cuts in the fat layer before applying the glaze. If you’re using this on a whole bird, rub the inside of the cavity with the glaze and work some under the skin for the best flavor.

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup carrot rounds
• 1 cup diced potatoes
• 6 oz fresh spinach
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 6 empanada wrappers

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Brown the beef with the olive oil and set aside. Cook the carrots and potatoes until soft, then add the spinach, parsley, and salt and pepper. Sweat the spinach down for about 2-3 minutes. Combine with the beef and remove from heat.

I buy frozen empanada wrappers at the local ethnic grocery store because I’m way too lazy to make them fresh – it is a LOT of work.

Spoon the filling onto the empanada wrappers and fold in half. Moisten the edge of the wrapper with water and turn up the edge to close the wrapper. Pinch the two sides together firmly.

Brush the top of the empanada with melted butter and cut several vent slits in the top. Bake for 25 minutes.

Eat carefully – the filling will be hot!