Foodist: Cookbook Reviews

Wild About Game

By Janie Hibler

Anyone looking around for a definition of what the "cuisine" of the Pacific Northwest might be need look no farther than Janie Hibler's wonderful cookbook Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers. It's all right there. And now she has accomplished much the same with game in Wild About Game.

Even the most reluctant cook can't help but be tempted to pick up a farm-raised pheasant at the market and give something like Sautéed Pheasant with Mushrooms and Lentils a try. Like all of her recipes, this one demonstrates Hibler's depth of knowledge. She grew up in a family of hunters. And then she married a hunter. She has been working with game in the kitchen her entire cook's life.

The book is divided into Birds; Large Game; Small and Exotic Game; Game Sausage, Pate, and Other Charcuterie; Game Pies and Turnover; Smoked Game; Marinades and Rubs; Sauces; Sides and Salads. Sources for game and nutritional data are listed in the back, as well as Hibler's usual thorough bibliography. Each chapter begins with detailed descriptions of each kind of game, including any special handling or cooking requirements.

Janie Hibler has opened up a whole new and invigorating landscape of flavor with Wild About Game. If there's only room for one game cookbook on your shelf, this book's the one to own.

Schuyler Ingle ...