Bison en Croute, Victoria Sponge Sandwich, Stuffed Acorn Squash,

Bison en Croute

I invented this dish about 4 years ago; time to revive it again! This time I made it for Sally's Mum's 82nd birthday dinner. Bison is naturally 97% fat free and a wonderful protein to work with – just don't over-cook it!

"En Croute, of course means "in pastry". The most famous meaty example is Beef Wellington, where a steak or roast is coated with pate and a duxelle of mushrooms, then wrapped in puff pastry and baked until GBD --- Golden, Brown and Delicious.

Normally you don't want to cook bison more than medium-rare; otherwise it turns into a “hockey puck”. But because I added onion, mushrooms and other moist ingredients; and cooked it "en croute", I was able to cook it a bit more and still keep the meat moist.

20 oz pkg Ground Bison

½ cup diced Crimini mushrooms

¼ cup Panko

1/3 cup diced Onion

1 Shallot, minced

½ tsp Liquid Smoke (hickory)

½ tsp Worcheshire Sauce

1 Egg, beaten, for the meat mixture

1 sheet Puff Pastry

1 Egg, beaten, for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400F. Set puff pastry aside to thaw.

In a large bowl, bring together the ground meat and other ingredients except the puff pastry and egg wash. Mix well (hands are always best for this). Form the mixture into a log.

Roll the thawed puff pastry out thin enough to cover the meat. Carefully place the mixture on the pastry, and pull the pastry up around and over the meat. Trim away excess pastry, and seal the overlapping edges with a brush of egg wash. Carefully place the wrapped meat, seam side down, on a lined baking sheet, and pierce the top of the pastry with a knife 3 times. Egg wash the top of the pastry to help get that golden hue.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes and check for done-ness with a meat thermometer. When the interior temperature is 130-135F, remove the roll from the oven and allow it to rest 15 minutes to re-absorb the juices. 

Slice the roll into 1” rounds and serve with a dollop of mushroom gravy made from some Bistotm and leftover sauteed minced mushrooms.

Strawberry Victoria Sandwich

This is a classic English cake, named after Queen Victoria. Traditionally there are two layers with a jam and whipped cream filling between them, leaving the top unfrosted except for a dusting of confectioner's sugar. This version, from family friend Carmel, adds even more whipped cream on top and appropriate berries for garnish. 

 I got the basic ingredients and instructions from The Great British Bake Off cookbook and translated their measures and ingredients into American for you:

8oz (2 sticks) softened Unsalted Butter

8oz plain white Sugar

4 large Free-Range Eggs at room temp

1/2tsp Vanilla

1 cup sifted Self-Rising Flour

1 Tbsp Milk at room temp

Strawberry or Raspberry jam (not jelly)

Appropriate fresh berries, washed and hulled, perhaps halved

1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream

Preheat the oven to 350F. Break the eggs into a bowl, add the vanilla and beat lightly.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter for a minute until very smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the sugar, and continue beating for another 3-4 minutes until the mixture turns almost white and is very fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Slowly add the beaten eggs, beating the mixture well between additions.

Sift the flour a second time, gently folding it into the mixture with a large metal spoon. Stop when there are no streaks of flour in the mix or bottom of the bowl.

Spoon the mixture equally between two 8-inch baking pans (bottoms covered with parchment paper), by eye or by weight. Spread the mixture evenly, right to the edges. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and the sponges are springy when gently pressed.

Rest the cakes for a minute, then run a knife around the edges to loosen the sponges. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Set one sponge upside down on a plate, then spread the jam all over the top. Beat the cream into very stiff peaks then spread half of it on top of the jam.

Carefully place the second sponge, right side up, on top of the fillings, and top with the remaining whipped cream. Press the berries into the whipped topping and parade the cake for your guests.

Store air-tight, and eat within five days. Betcha can't make it last that long...

Turkey Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Here's a recipe that would go well on the Blood Sugar Diet. Very filling, yet each serving is only 376 calories, 17 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 47 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 17 g protein! Serves 2.

1 Acorn Squash, halved and seeded

4oz bulk Italian Turkey Sausage, hot or mild

1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

1/8 tsp Black Pepper

1 Leek, white part only, halved and sliced

1 clove Garlic, minced

2 cups packed Baby Kale

1/4 cup reduced-or-no sodium Chicken Broth

1/4 cup chopped Walnuts

2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp Panko

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cut a thin slice off of the round side of each squash half to create a stable base. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; coat with cooking spray. Place squash flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil; bake until golden and tender, 30 minutes. Remove from oven; flip over squash and set aside.

While the squash is baking... Heat a glug of EVOO in a skillet and cook the sausage, breaking it apart as it browns. Transfer to a bowl.

To same skillet, add another splash of oil cook the leek until it is soft. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Now add the and toss; add broth. Cover and cook until the kale is wilted. Stir in the sausage. Divide kale-sausage filling between the squash halves.

In a bowl, combine walnuts, Parmesan and panko; sprinkle evenly over the stuffed squash, and given them a shot of cooking spray. Broil until the panko is golden, 2 minutes or so.