Stuffing is For the Birds!

In Northern Michigan, hunting is very popular, so I was not surprised to see quail stuffed with venison on the menu of a restaurant on a lazy summer evening.  It was a quaint old lakeside inn with a charming dining room and plenty of windows to welcome in the evening sun providing peaceful views of the lake and lawn outside.

The company was delightful. The family joked and laughed together as only families can do, knowing each other so well.  We ordered two appetizers that seemed fitting to share and  were true to the region; white fish terrine and venison sausage.  Both were good, and everyone dug in heartily.

No one, however, was impressed with the  entrees.  The steaks were overcooked and under seasoned, the risotto sticky and mushy, and the white fish unflavorful and swamped with dried herbs.  I ordered the quail stuffed with venison.  Upon tasting this dish I discovered that the bird was suffering greatly from the deer.

The venison overpowered the squab with strong flavors of iron and bitterness.  The quail was glazed with a sauce that was very sweet, as if to compensate, and the whole bundle was overcooked and dry.[pullquote]a large animal should never be stuffed inside of a smaller animal![/pullquote]

Had this dish been prepared more correctly, I’m sure it would have benefited greatly, but I saw an inherent flaw in the basic concept of the dish–a large animal should never be stuffed inside of a smaller animal!

It surely cannot be prudent to stuff beef inside of chicken, or bison in a duck, and elk inside of a pig seems rather un-kosher as well.  When considering seafood, stuffing a fish with crab meat may be delightful, yet stuffing fish inside of squid may result in something frightful.

A pork stuffing can improve a dish in nearly any case, yet I usually prefer a few strips of bacon outside a fillet or hen to baste the meat with its juices and kiss the dish with an unctuous, smoky taste.

There is no doubt that a good, fat duck or goose liver can be a satisfying stuffing for any bird, yet I would argue that the most fitting place for a giblet to be served is within the animal from which it came!

Cooks from the south sing the praises of stuffing smaller animals inside of larger ones by making  an elaborate roast called a turducken.  What could be more festive than a partially de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken with layers of bread stuffing in between?

Great game meat can be wonderful to eat, and a great stuffing can be a real delight when done right, but a word of advice to hunter-chefs: let the venison become burgers, stews, and steaks, and leave the stuffing for the birds!