Coincidentally, Chef Tad and Catherine of the Frog Leg Inn in Erie went to the West Side Market in Cleveland today and picked up some incredible smoked turkey that we figured had been smoked at least twelve hours! You should have seen Chef Tad in the kitchen back here in Erie with a santoku knife, cutting thin slices off a huge 1-2/3 lb (I weighed the thing) smoked turkey leg, munching on piece after piece, giving it out saying, “You gotta try this!”, then going back for more. Long-term smoking is a definite option for a good turkey.

For something like this though, I defer to Dixie Dave. Up in Birch Run at his Old Dixie Inn at the corner of Birch Run Rd. and Dixie Hwy, Chef Dave Minar serves nothing but game. His cookbook is available over at Cabela’s in Dundee. From that cookbook (which I highly recommend) comes a recipe I’m waiting to try:

Wild Turkey Steaks with Strawberries & Cream
(4 portions)

8 ounces turkey breast per person
1 quart fresh strawberries
2 cups fresh mushrooms, diced
2 cups chicken or turkey stock
2 ounces heavy cream
2 ounces strawberry schnapps
1/3 cup onion, diced fine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
flour
unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Slice and pound turkey steaks between plastic wrap to tenderize. Dredge steaks in flour and sauté in melted butter 2 minutes per side. Remove steaks from pan. Sauté onions in butter in the same pan and simmer for 1 minute with schnapps. Add stock and boil to reduce volume by one quarter. Add cream, berries and mushrooms to onions. Mix cornstarch with water and add slowly to mixture until desired thickness. Return steaks to pan and cook 2 - 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Top with parsley and serve with wild rice and steamed asparagus.