What: Wild Wine Dinner
Who: Zampieri's Harbor Grille and Marques De Gringon Winery and Estates
When: Wednesday, November 28th 2007 @ 7:00
Where: Zampieri's Harbor Grille, Harbor side Private Dining Room and outdoor lounge
Wild for Game -Destin, FL
Diners go wild over game, especially at Zampieri's Harbor Grille.
The Wild Game Wine Dinner will features an autumn culinary line-up featuring; venison, wild boar, elk, buffalo, and duck. A hearty hunters' harvest will be perfectly paired with savory Spanish wines with flavors ranging from a full bodied rich Cabernets to smooth and satiny smooth Petit Verdot.
Game offerings, which are generally low in fat and high in protein, have become so popular, that much is being farm-raised to meet increased demand, especially in restaurants.
Many cooks find that cooking game at home can be intimidating; others become experts at turning the hunter's bounty into treasured family traditions, such as wild turkey at Thanksgiving or venison roast or wild goose at Christmas. "I've hunted everywhere and eaten game all my life, "I love it as much as traditional steak. It has some of the best flavors of any meat I've ever tasted" says Michael Zampieri, owner of Zampieri's Harbor Grille, and avid lifetime hunter. "This dinner promises to be a unique culinary event, unlike anything this area has experienced"
The five course meal prepared by the creative culinary team at Zampieri's Harbor Grille, will be perfectly paired with wines from Spain, earthy and rich in taste, texture and color, these wines will complement the flavors of braised buffalo short ribs with local hearty autumn vegetables, broiled ostrich, lamb with roasted garlic and goat cheese, spiced meats and smoked duck in a blueberry demi-glace. A champagne reception will start the evening with spiced meats and smoked imported and local cheeses.
The Grande Finale; delicious house made desserts by Zampieri's pastry chef team,
fine cigars and a featured cordial, Navan, Vanilla Grande Marnier and other selected cordials and fresh ground gourmet coffees served under the stars on the harbor side deck.
Tips from the experts
Several chefs from Zampieri's Harbor Grille share the following tips for success:
Because venison and other game is very lean, it should be cooked slowly over low heat, or roasted at about 300 or 325 degrees until it is done. Overcooking is a sin. Venison should never be cooked more than medium-rare.
Roast a rack of venison about 25 minutes at 425 degrees. Some venison cooks like to sear it quickly over high heat, then reduce the heat and complete the cooking slowly. Never let the meat simmer or steam, says Chef Dennes Weber, who also cautions against crowding the pan when cooking venison medallions. Marinating is optional. Most chefs who use farm-raised venison do not marinate it. If you are working with wild venison, you may want to use a marinade for tenderness and enhanced flavor. Milk or buttermilk may be used as a marinade for venison. Chef marinates wild goose or duck in milk. To keep venison moist, sometimes Chef lards it with salt pork, inserted every two inches with a larding needle. He lards a whole saddle of venison with salt pork, roasts it at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduces the heat to 350 degrees and finishes roasting it for about 30 minutes.
Quail and pheasant can be wrapped in bacon or rubbed with olive oil before roasting. Prepare a chili rub of chipotle and Anaheim chilies that have been pulverized to a paste with olive oil, paprika, chili powder and Thai red chili paste, rub the deboned quail with the mixture and lets it sit in the refrigerator, covered, about 30 minutes, then sear it at high heat in a nonstick skillet. The quail can be served on a salad of spinach and tender mustard greens or arugula with a garnish of whole cherry tomatoes. Use natural seasonings that are compatible with the animal's diet --berries, herbs, fruits and nuts. Dried cherries are particularly good with venison in marinades and sauces.
Mirepoix (mihr-PWAH), a mixture of diced onions, carrots, celery and garlic, cooked until caramelized in the vegetables' own sugar, is a good base or addition to sauces for game.
The Zampieri's Harbor Grille Team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about cooking with game meat.
tHE The culinary experience is $ 75.00 per person, seating is limited, ring 850-650-3900 or 850-585-5451 for details on menu go to
www.harborgrille.net.
