[FROM OUR FOOD SECTION]

Panos' Noisettes of Venison With Huckleberry Sauce, served with Chestnut Confit and Celery Root Purée and Brussels Sprouts. Photos by Natalie Battaglia

The glory of game

BARBARA ROLEK
Times Correspondent

The air is crisp, the trees are exploding with color, and grocers' bins are overflowing with the bounty of farm, field and forest.

Fall shades reverberate in rusty brown Bosc pears, burgundy pomegranates, flaming tangerines and chartreuse apples with just a hint of blush on their cheeks.

Pungent, woodsy mushrooms are redolent with the aroma of the earth preparing for a long winter's nap, and dining tables are itching to be laden with the glory of game.

Game meat refers to the edible portion of any wild bird or mammal. Ostrich, squirrel and possum all count.

Venison always has been popular in the Midwest and, thanks to the availability of farm-raised, grain-fed deer meat, it's experiencing a renaissance with home cooks and professionals alike.

Chef Theodore Panos, of Schererville, who cut his culinary teeth on haute cuisine, likes to serve venison in the grand tradition of Escoffier with chestnut confit, celery-root purée, brussels sprouts and huckleberry sauce.

"A classically French game sauce is a grand veneur made with the blood of the animal for thickening, currant jelly and crème fraîche, but I like the flavor of wild blueberries with venison," Panos says.

Inside his home, chef Theodore Panos prepares Noisettes of Venison With Huckleberry Sauce, served with Chestnut Confit and Celery Root Purée and Brussels Sprouts.

Panos was introduced to cooking game as an intern for chef Jean-Claude Poilevey at Chicago's La Fontaine (now closed), while a student in the Kendall College culinary program.

Poilevey went on to own Le Bouchon and, later, La Sardine, and Panos continued his exposure to game with a three-year apprenticeship under chef Jean Joho at Everest.

"Working for Joho was quite an experience. He was demanding and strict but I learned so much. To this day, I answer 'Oui, chef,' to my superiors in the kitchen," Panos says.

"I started at 7 in the morning and Joho came in at 10. His office was right across from my station and he watched me like a hawk. But I welcomed it because I was so hungry for knowledge. He would say, 'Change your apron; clean as you go.' It made me a better chef," Panos says.

Knowing talent when he saw it, Joho selected Panos to assist noted chef Jean-Louis Palladin (now deceased) in the preparation of a James Beard dinner held at Charlie Trotter's restaurant in the early '90s.

Panos continued his culinary peripatetics as executive chef at Café Venezia in Merrillville for five years, head garde manger chef at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, and executive sous chef at Harrah's East Chicago Hotel and Casino.

He is exploring his pastry side at Venezia Bar & Grill, while keeping an eye out for the perfect location for his own restaurant.

After 17 years in the business, Panos disdains convenience items and still makes everything from scratch, including labor-intensive puff pastry and demi-glace, a distillation of stock until it is intensely flavored and almost syrupy in consistency.

"Fall is the time of year to pull out all the stops with root vegetables -- rutabagas, parsnips, celery root and squash. I love to visit the outdoor markets and talk to the farmers about different varieties and how they were grown," Panos says.

Panos favors New Zealand Cervena venison, which is available through Venison World in Texas and other distributors, but any farm-raised red deer meat will work.

"Flavor aside, venison is one red meat that's good for you. Its low-fat and high-protein content make it a good choice for a heart-healthy diet. But, because it's so lean, it must be cooked rare to medium-rare at the most," Panos says.

Charlie Trotter, of his namesake restaurant in Chicago, says today's chefs are taking a renewed interest in game as a viable protein alternative because they no longer view it as inferior meat.

"In Europe, game reserves were the domain of the powerful and wealthy. In the United States, however, game was more the food of the disadvantaged. Restaurants served what their public considered to be finer meats, staying away from wild game. But now, chefs are realizing the wonderful choices and flavors farm-raised game offers," Trotter says.

Trotter favors preserving the grand tradition of cooking game but lightening things with an Asian-minimalist influence, and no heavy, cloying sauces or excessively rich accompaniments.

Like Panos, Trotter likes to marry chestnuts with venison, saying their unique sweet and starchy flavor are a good foil for this rich, robust meat.

Hans Enderlin, chef-owner of Ludwig's Club Café in Hammond, grew up in the Black Forest of Germany and was raised on venison and wild boar.

"Traditional ingredients used in cooking game are juniper berries, bay leaf, gin, Kirschwasser, Grand Marnier, wines, loganberry, cranberry, boysenberry, black currant and other fruit sauces," Enderlin says.

And whether it's wild game or conventional meat, he says to apply the same cooking method of marinating and braising tough cuts and barely threatening the tender ones.

It's the iron overtones in venison that chef Rick Tramonto, of TRU Restaurant in Chicago, likes to play off with a marriage of sweet-tart huckleberries and earthy chestnuts, walnuts and almonds.
"Game is a staple on our menu all year. Right now we are running an espresso-crusted roasted loin of venison with vanilla huckleberry sauce, a ginger scallion pancake and broccoflower," Tramonto says.

In using game, people need to take baby steps, he says, starting with venison and building up to rabbit, squab and ostrich.

"There's a lot of crazy game out there coming from questionable and illegal sources, like lion and bear, so don't become a part of the problem. Be cautious and buy from a reputable distributor," says Tramonto, who recommends Whole Foods and Treasure Island grocery stores in Chicago.

Chef Theodore Panos Noisettes of Venison With Huckleberry Sauce, served with Chestnut Confit and Celery Root Purée and Brussels Sprouts.

Chef Theodore Panos' Noisettes of Venison With Huckleberry Sauce Accompanied by Chestnut Confit, Celery Root Purée and Brussels Sprouts [full recipe]

1 boneless loin of venison (about 2 pounds)

Marinade:
1 pint dry red wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Pinch of crushed juniper berries
Pinch of crushed black peppercorns
2 bay leaves, cracked in half
* Combine marinade ingredients and place in a glass or ceramic bowl. Add meat, coating all sides, cover with plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for two days. Remove venison from marinade and drain on paper towels. Cut into 8 noisettes or medallions. Season with salt and black pepper.
* Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet; add 1 tablespoon grape seed oil (or other high flash point oil) and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Sear one side of meat about 2 minutes, turn, sear another 2 minutes. Take out of pan and let it rest on a grate in a warm area, catching the exuded juices.

Huckleberry Sauce
2 pounds venison bones (or veal bones)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 cups dry red wine
Pinch of crushed juniper berries
Pinch of crushed black peppercorns
2 sprigs thyme
2 quarts veal stock
1 cup fresh huckleberries or blueberries
* Brown venison bones in oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add vegetables. Sauté until lightly browned. Add wine and spices, bring to a boil and reduce by three-fourths. Add veal stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly for 2 to 3 hours. Strain through a fine sieve. This intense, almost syrupy sauce is known as a demi-glace. Reserve.
* Discard fat from pan venison was seared in; add exuded meat juices, strained marinade and reduce; add a few tablespoons of the demi-glace. Reduce slightly. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Remove from fire, add huckleberries and serve immediately.

Chestnut Confit and Purée
1 pound fresh chestnuts
1/2 cup canned duck fat (see note)
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and white pepper
* Make an X incision in the shells of chestnuts and boil in small amount of water for a few minutes. Remove from heat and peel off shell and skin. Slowly cook 1 cup shelled and peeled chestnuts in duck fat on low flame until tender, about 30 minutes. Reserve for garnish.
* Meanwhile, boil the remainder of the shelled and skinned chestnuts in cream with salt and white pepper to taste until tender, about 40 minutes. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Keep warm or reheat when ready to serve.
Note: Duck fat and other classic French ingredients are available through LeFrancais Gourmet Online at www.gourmet2000.co.uk, or at select specialty shops.

Celery Root Purée
2 pounds celery root
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and white pepper
* Peel and quarter celery root. Place in cream, add nutmeg, salt and white pepper to taste and cook over low heat until tender, about 30 minutes. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Keep warm or reheat when ready to serve.

Brussels Sprouts
1-1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
1 cup peeled butternut squash, diced fine
1 tablespoon duck fat
1 tablespoon diced bacon
Salt and white pepper
* Bring 2 quarts salted water to boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready to shock cooked vegetables to keep them from becoming overdone.
* Cut off stems and any bruised outer leaves of brussels sprouts and make an X incision in the base. Blanch brussels sprouts in water until tender and shock them in ice bath. Drain and dry with a clean towel. Blanch, shock, drain and dry squash the same way. Quarter the brussels sprouts.
* In a sauté pan, melt duck fat and bacon until fat begins to render out. Add squash and sprouts, coating with fat and heating until warm. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
* Assembly: Place 2 medallions of venison on each of four plates, nap with huckleberry sauce and surround with chestnut puree topped with a whole chestnut, celery root purée and brussels sprouts.

Venison cooking tips
* Preheat pan, oven or grill and never salt meat before cooking. This inhibits browning and draws the juices out of the meat.

Approximate cooking times:
Stir-fry -- 30 seconds per side
Kabobs (1/2-inch cubes) -- 1 minute per side
Medallions, steaks (1-inch thick) -- 2 to 3 minutes per side
Rack, hind leg roasts -- Brown first, then cook 3 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness in a 425-degree oven
Source: Old World Venison Co.

Where to find USDA-inspected farm-raised venison
Whole Foods or Treasure Island stores in Chicago
Online:
Double T Ranch, 2913 Hollow Branch Trail, Martinsville, Ind., (765) 349-1889 or (317) 882-2688, www.venison-farm.com
Old World Venison Company, Randall, Minn., (320) 749-2197, www.oldworldvenison.com
Shaffer Venison Farms Inc., Herndon, Penn., (800) 446-3745, www.shafferfarms.com
Venison World Inc., Eden, Texas, (877) 4-VENISON, www.venisonworld.com

Where to find huckleberries
Coosemans-Denver Inc., 5135 Peoria St., Denver, CO 80239, (303) 371-3130, www.coosemansdenver.com

Chef Theodore Panos' Organic Squash Souffle With Allspice Anglaise.

Chef Theodore Panos' Squash Soufflé With Allspice Anglaise [full recipe]

For the squash:
2 pounds winter squash (kabocha, acorn, pumpkin) (see note)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* Quarter squash, remove seeds (reserve if using pumpkin) and place on a grate in roasting pan. Sprinkle with sugar and allspice and place 1/2 tablespoon soft butter on each quarter.
* Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1-1/2 hours at 350 degrees or until fork tender. Let squash cool and scoop out pulp. Puree in a food processor and set aside.
Note: You also can use one 14-1/2-ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix).

For the soufflé base:
2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean split and scraped or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 egg yolks
2 ounces white sugar
1 ounce flour, sifted
* Place milk, scraped vanilla seeds, pod and allspice in a saucepot and bring to a boil. In separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar to the ribbon stage and pale yellow in color. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Add boiled milk gradually to egg-yolk mixture to temper, whisking well.
* Quickly pour back into saucepot and return to fire. Stir constantly with heat-resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, remove vanilla pod (see note) and pour out on a tray and spread to cool. Coat with a film of butter to prevent a skin from forming. When cool, transfer to a covered bowl and refrigerate.
Note: Rinse used vanilla pods, dry and place them in sugar to make vanilla sugar.

For the pumpkin-seed praline:
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sugar
2 ounces water
* Combine sugar and water in saucepot. Heat on high until sugar begins to turn amber in color. Add pumpkin seeds and stir constantly until sugar turns dark caramel in color. Remove from heat and cool completely on a tray. Pulse seeds roughly in a food processor.

For the soufflé:
8 egg whites
2 ounces soufflé base
2 ounces squash purée
4 tablespoons pumpkin praline
* Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat four 4-ounce ramekins with butter and dust with sugar. Whisk egg whites until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Combine soufflé base and purée and stir in one-third of egg whites to lighten mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites and pumpkin praline. * Pour into prepared ramekins. Level top and, using your thumb, run it through the batter around the perimeter of the ramekin to create a collar.
* Place in oven and close door carefully. Bake for 20 minutes. Take out of oven, dust with powdered sugar and serve at once.
At table, split soufflé with two spoons and pour in some allspice anglaise (recipe follows). You will probably have leftover soufflé base and purée for another time. Simply beat 8 egg whites and proceed as above.

For the allspice anglaise:
2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, as above
1 teaspoon allspice
8 egg yolks
4 ounces sugar
* Place milk, allspice, scraped vanilla seeds and pod in saucepot and bring to boil. In separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar to the ribbon stage and pale yellow in color. Add boiled milk gradually to egg-yolk mixture to temper, whisking well.
* Quickly pour back into saucepot and return to a medium-high flame. Stir constantly with heat-resistant rubber spatula or wooden spoon until mixture is thick enough to coat the back (about 165 degrees). Remove from heat, remove vanilla pod, strain through a fine mesh sieve and cool in an ice bath.
* These recipes make 4 servings.