making homemade deer/venison jerky

Since a friend of ours goes out deer hunting, he gave us some meat to try. My brother in Law was interested in making deer jerky since he tried it before and loved it. We have used the deer meat to make stews and chili and the result was good but still had a tough gamey smell. So we wanted to know what we could do more to enhance flavor and get rid of the gamey smell.

Instead of the traditional beef meat to make jerky we use Deer/Venision meat. This is very unique in that deer meat is tougher and has less fat. Also, instead of slicing the deer meat we grounded the meat then put in a curing solution then marinated it in different spice blends for different unique flavors. Then using a jerky gun we pumped out the grounded marinated deer meat into long strips. It is then placed into a 200F oven (oven set at lowest temperature) and left to cook for 3 hours to dehydrate and turn into jerky meat.

The final result is chewy, tender deer meat that is slightly salty but with a sweet taste (from the marinate used). The whole game meat smell is gone. (when making deer meat into stew or chili you still get a game like smell even though you have put other spices and sauces to try to mask the smell). People who tried it did not believe it was deer meat. They thought it was the traditional beeef. A very successful result.

This was so successful that we have made Deer jerky 2 other times. Below is a simple recipe to start anyone off to eating tasty, delicious deer jerky.

Deer Jerky
Ingredients:
approximately 4 lbs. Ground Deer meat
salt curing mixture (by a jerky curing mix, make according to package directions)
3-4 tablespoons crushed red peppers(optional)
2-3 tablespoons chili powder (optional)
2-3 tablespoons cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoon black pepper

Directions:
1. Clean the deer meat. Cut into small chunks. Using a food grinder, put the deer chunks in the machine and grind the meat.

2. Take grounded deer meat in a large bowl. Add the curing mixture. Mix thoroughly.

3. Add the soy sauce, sugar, garlic powder. if using, add the chili powder, cayenne, and crushed red peppers. Mix thoroughly.

4. Put the meat into the jerky gun and squeeze out sticks of grounded meat onto wire racks.

5. Preheat oven to lowest temperature on your oven, most are 200 F.

6. Put racks in the oven and let it cook for 3 hours or until desired chewiness.

Final product: Yummy, chewy, sweet, and spicy jerky flavor with no trace of gamey smell.

Venison/Deer Chili

Since getting venison from a friend's parent, I was looking up recipes to make with venison. I saw on Food Network website on a venison chili recipe by Emeril Lagasse. I really like his cooking and watched his show when it was on the Food Network. I decided to make his recipe but with a few tweeks—I added kidney beans, carrots, ground pork, and a bit more chili and cayenne pepper (I like my chili a bit spicier). I like the protein from the kidney beans and added carrots for more vegetables than just onions. The ground pork is to give some added fat since venison is very lean. The trick to making sure that the venison does not have a gamey taste is to brine the meat first in milk then a brine solution (I used salt, bay leaf, pepercorns, and water). This helps also make the meat a little tender. The resulting venision chili I made was very flavorful, the meat was still a bit chewy but much better than if I just chopped the venison meat without brining it. The use of tomatoes, the beans, and spices help to also add flavor and mask a bit of the venison smell/taste. Overall, if you have lots of Venison or have some this is worth a try. Recipe below.


Venison chili
Serves 6
adapted from Emeril Lagasse recipe on Food Network website

Ingredients
1-1 1/2 pounds leg or shoulder of venison, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 lb. ground pork
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup of diced carrots
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 cup water
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 chopped plum tomatoes
1 cup beef stock
Salt and pepper
Sour Cream
Grated cheddar cheese

Brining the venison meat:
Ingredients:
Milk
1 quart water
2 tablespoons cracked peppercorns
2 tablespoons salt1 bay leaf

Directions for bringing:
First put the Venison meat in a bowl and add just enough milk to cover the meat. Cover and refrigerate it for 5-6 hours. Drain the milk and wash the Venison meat. Then in another bowl add the water, cracked peppercorns, bay leaf and salt. Place the venison meat and cover in refridgerator for 6-8 hours. then drain and pat dry. Cut into desired chunks per recipe.

Directions for Venison chili:

In a dutch oven on medium heat, add oil then add the venison to the hot oil in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally and in batches if necessary, until well seared. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions, carrots and garlic and saute over medium-low heat until tender.

Stir in the water and the tomato paste. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the dry spices, chopped tomatoes and the beef stock. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the sauce is very thick and flavorful.

Add the venison to the pot and cook, stirring, until just cooked through and hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Check the seasoning and serve with the sour cream and grated cheese. Serve warm.

A flavorful and tasty way to use venison/deer meat.

Individual Asian Pear Tarts

I was on facebook and saw an AD that Cathay Pacific is doing on creating an Asian inspired dessert. I thought I can think of something. I like eating chinese Asian pears and using puff pastry but to add a kick to the dessert I decided to use guava paste. Guava paste is a sweet paste made mainly from guava pulp and sugar that is formed into a block. Asian pears are great because it adds sweetness but not so much that it is overly sweet. I was testing out how to present the pear tarts--I made a rectangular tart and as a turnover/small pie. I added some vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg for some added flavor that compliments the Asian pears without being overpowering. The resulting Asian pear tart came out golden brown, crispy, sweet, and not overpowering. This is an easy dessert to make since you use store bought puff pastry. Below is the recipe for the tart version. Hope that my dessert wins.

Also, please vote for my dessert at http://www.facebook.com/cathaypacificUS?v=app_168465223167646#!/cathaypacificUS?v=app_168465223167646
look for the Individual Asian pear tarts. Click like.

Individual Asian Pear Tarts

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 box puff pastry

3 Asian pears, sliced thin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Guava paste sauce:

1 container of guava paste, using only half the container

2 tablespoons lime juice

½ cup water, more if needed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.

Cut the guava paste in half and put one half of the guava paste with the lime juice and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until guava paste is a sauce like consistency and spreadable, about 4-5 minutes. Adding more water if mixture becomes too thick.

Unfold puff pastry. Roll into a 11 x 12 inch rectangle. Cut 1 inch strips on all sides of the puff pastry. This will be used later as borders around the tarts. You will end up with a 9 x 10 inch rectangle. Cut the rectangular puff pastry in half lengthwise then in half crosswise. You will have a total of 4 rectangles that are approximately 4.5 x 5 inches. Take the 1 inch strips of puff pastry and cut into ½ inch strip lengthwise. Take the ½ inch strip of puff pastry and cut it the same length and width of the rectangular puff pastries. Do the same to the other sheet of puff pastry. Put the rectangular sheets and strips of puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet and then in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

Take Asian pears and peel the skin. Slice the Asian pears in half, take out the center, and slice them into very thin slices. Place in a bowl. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg; toss to coat the slices evenly.

Brush the rectangular sheets of puff pastry with a thin layer of guava paste sauce. Place the strips all around the sides of the puff pastry sheets, pressing gently to adhere. Arrange the Asian pear slices straight across the puff pastry, overlapping the slices. Brush the tops of the Asian pears with the guava paste sauce.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown and the Asian pears have started to brown. Take out of the oven. Serve hot.

Scalloped potatoes

Since we had lots of cheese, milk, and potatoes to use up I decided to make scalloped potatoes. This is an easy side dish anyone can make. All it consist of is potatoes, cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, butter, and milk. Also it is very easy to assemble and all you need to do after putting it together is put in oven for 50-55 minutes. Out comes potatoes with cheesy goodness. You can also make this ahead and keep in fridge then take out and bake. Below is the recipe.


Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, cut into thin slices
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
garlic salt
pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Peel potatoes and cut into slices. Place in salted water so color does not turn brown and it releases some starch, about 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towel.
3. On stove heat milk, nutmeg, and 1 tablespoon of butter on medium heat. Stir and let milk mixture simmer until it has thickened a bit. Mix the two cheese together. Add a cup of the cheese to the milk mixture. Stir and simmer mixture until it is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside.
4. In a glass baking dish, place sliced potatoes in an overlapping circle. Add garlic salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 cup of cheese sauce mixture onto potatoes. Repeat with remaining potatoes and cheese sauce mixture. you will have 3 layers. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese mix.
5. Place in 350 degree oven for 50-55 minutes or until potatoes are tender, cheese is bubbly, and top has slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Baked butternut squash and potato fries

Fall is a great time of the year for squash vegetables-butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and yellow squash. I bought a nice size butternut squash at the local farmer's market. I usually either make butternut squash soup or make a puree. As I saw a posting on facebook about squash, I asked what else I could make. I also saw online an article about making butternut squash fries. This seemed like a nice way to get my nephews to eat vegetables with them not even knowing they are eating vegetables. (Also since most kids like to eat french fries, I thought butternut squash would be a nice change). The article was telling you the way to make the fries without them coming out soggy and not crispy. The secret was to salt the butternut squash because salt will bring out the moisture. It says to soak them in salt water for 10 minutes then pat dry. After that I decided to salt a bit more and let them sit another 10 minutes. (You might think this would make the squash salty but it did not). Then place the potato and butternut squash fries on an baking sheet lined with foil and oiled. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and just turning brown, flip the fries over halfway during the baking. The result I got was crispier and crunchier fries. I gave one to my nephew and he thought they were sweet potato fries. This will be one of my kid friendly recipes I will have to keep in my recipe collection. Below is the recipe.

Butternut and Potato French Fries

Ingredients:
Top half of butternut squash, cut into thin matchsticks
2-3 potatoes, cut into thin sticks
salt
pepper
Cooking oil spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees F

2. Cut butternut squash and potatoes into thin sticks. Place in bowl with water. Salt the water. Let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Drain water and pat the butternut squash and potato sticks dry with paper towels. Place in bowl and salt again. Let sit for another 10 minutes.

4. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the cooking oil all over the foil. Place the fries on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the fries with the cooking oil spray. Place in the preheated 400 degree F oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the fries are crispy and lightly browned.

5. Take out of oven and let cool. Place in serving bowl and serve. If not serving immediately, just before serving reheat in 200 degree oven for 5-7 minutes until hot.

Homemade beef and pork empanadas

My mom's health aide is from Colombia and likes to cook. One day she brought empanadas to eat. I asked her where she got them and she said she made them. I told her I always wanted to know how to make them. She said she would teach me one day. So, last Saturday she and I decided to finally make empanadas. These are the traditional Colombian beef and pork empanadas that are made with a masa (cornmeal) crust not the pie dough kind. Masa crust makes a crispier and crunchy crust with a corn taste. These had a pork and beef filling. Very simple to make with lots of tasty flavorful ingredients. It takes a bit of practice to be able to shape the empanadas and make sure you have an even thin layer of crust for top and bottom so when you fry the empanadas the filling does not come out. The only thing about making empanadas is that they take time to prepare and it is best to eat them the day of. Below is the recipe I wrote from what she told me and showed me how to make. Hope you enjoy and try to make them yourself. You will never buy empanadas again or buy the pie dough version.



Beef and Pork Empanadas

Ingredients:
1 lb. pork, cut into bite size chunks
1 lb. london broil beef, cut into bite size chunks
1 tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
4 potatoes, diced small
5 green onions, finely chopped
salt
black pepper
3 packages sazon goya mix
1 bag masa
1½ to 2 cups warm water

Directions:

1. Take beef and pork and put in heavy pot. Add green onions, potatoes, cilantro, tomatoes, sazon goya mix, salt, black pepper, and a little oil. Cook on medium high heat.
2. Stir and let cook until meat is tender and potatoes have cooked down and mixture turns thick and creamy. Turn off heat and let mixture cool.

3. Make masa crust by pouring whole bag into a mixing bowl add about 1 ½ to 2 cups of warm water. mix with hands, adding more water if needed to get a smooth consistency that is not to wet and not too dry.

4. Place a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Take a golf ball size of masa and place on plastic wrap. fold over the top of plastic wrap. Using your hands flatten out the masa to an even thin layer. Take off the plastic wrap and add a tablespoon of the meat mixture in the center. Fold over the masa to enclose the meat. Using a glass, put the top of the glass down on the empanada just halfway creating a moon shaped empanada. Press down to seal and cut. Continue with the rest of the Masa and meat mixture to make empanadas.

5. Heat a heavy high sided pot halfway with oil. Heat until oil reaches 375 degrees F. Place 5-6 empanadas in the oil to fry. Fry until golden brown. Place on a towel lined plate. Continue to fry the rest of the empanadas until all done. Cool slightly then serve.

Homemade Lychee cheesecake

I was watching TV and it was talking about the famous Junior's cheesecake. They were talking about having a contest for the people to create the next Junior's cheesecake. So I decided to try to experiment to see if I could enter. I asked a friend about it and we were thinking of ideas--green tea, chia tea, and early grey tea. Then she said how about lychee and I was like sounds good. aI also said to do almond cookie crust instead of the traditional graham cracker crust. She thought it might be overpowering but I wanted to test it out. So I decided to make a lychee cheesecake with chopped lychees in the cheesecake base, an almond cookie crust, and a lychee puree gelatin on top. I baked the cheesecake then let it cook and then put the lychee puree gelatin on top. The result was a smooth and light flavored cheesecake. The almond cookie crust did not overpower the cheesecake and complimented the whole cheesecake. It was yummy (even my 5 year old nephew loved it). Below is the recipe I came up with and made. Next time I will try to experiment with puree lychees in the cheesecake base. I will definitely enter this into the contest.


Baked Lychee Cheesecake

Crust:

7 almond cookies

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

2-8 oz package cream cheese

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

1 can lychee, chopped

½ cup lychee syrup from can

Topping:

lychee puree from 1/2 can of lychees

1 tablespoon gelatin

½ cup boiling water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Wrap aluminum foil on bottom of springform pan and up the sides of the pan. Butter bottom and sides of a springform pan.
2. In food processor, pulse almond cookies until finely grounded. Slowly add the melted butter until it just comes together. Press cookie crumbs onto the bottom of springform pan. Place in oven and bake for 5-7 minutes. Let cool.
3. In electric mixer, add cream cheese, lychee syrup and sugar. Beat until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add the chopped lychees and mix until incorporated and smooth.
4. Pour cheesecake mixture into the prepared pan with crust. Put springform pan in a baking pan. Pour hot water in the pan just enough to go halfway up the springform pan.
5. Bake cheesecake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until set. Take out oven and let cool then chill in fridge while making topping.
6. Cut 2 lychees in half and put in center in a circle on top of cheesecake.
7. Mix the gelatin and boiling water in a bowl. Set aside for gelatin to dissolve. Puree 1 can of lychee in food processor. Strain into a bowl. Add the gelatin and mix. Pour on top of the cheesecake and chill for at least 2 hours until firm. Serve.