Three weeks ago I didn't consider myself a picky eater. Three weeks ago, I considered myself to have a pretty varied palette. Enter: Britt's Bizarre Bites. My big mouth got me into trouble and it seems my mouth was the one punished.
I said I'd eat anything and now I can see that my so-called varied palate was laughable. Here we are in week three of this series and you've seen me eat alligator, rattlesnake, elk, tripe, cow head and cow tongue. While I may not have achieved varied palette status given my cringing and funny faces, I'm quite proud of myself! Perhaps I will pursue an adventurous palette instead. Granted, my favorite foods have become even more tasty but with memories of comfort food to spur me on, I plan on moving fearlessly forward, fork in hand and furrowed brow in effect as I continue to try unique and, maybe even scary, food.
This week, the American classic, the hamburger, goes a little wild. Ground beef takes a backseat to ground kangaroo, ground antelope and ground ostrich. Kangaroo scared me the most but even if the cute factor hadn't set my taste buds up for failure, the taste of the big, hoppin' Aussie is unique, to say the least. I'm not quite sure how to describe it as it's quite gamey and almost like a cut of steak with a bit of a sweet kick. I wasn't a fan; at least not in burger form.
The antelope was surprisingly good! Since they look like deer it serves to logic they taste like deer. In fact, I thought it was better than deer. As with the Kangaroo, it had a bit of a sweet kick which worked nicely with the venison-base flavor.
As for the ostrich, it was very mild and almost pork like in flavor. Odd since it's a red meat. I think it would fare better with certain flavors and spices to bring out it's unique flavor; something I thought was lost in burger form.
At the end of the day, I'll definitely stick with a good ol' beef burger and opt to try these meats in a different way. Here are a few recipes that showcase this week's Bizarre Bites stars:
Kangaroo
As a born and bred Atlanta gal, I just had to use this recipe from The Colonnade. It's been around since 1927 and their method for cookin' up kangaroo looks pretty good. The meat has a very strong flavor so pairing it with fresh herbs and an Asian flair just might do it justice. I can't believe I'm saying this but, I'd actually try it again if it was cooked this way.
Antelope
Because of the sweet, venison-like flavor of the antelope, there's something hearty and comforting about it. It may be July but all I could think about was stew.
Ostrich
Ostrich is a pretty lean meat and has a mild flavor so cooked up with a crème fraiche is sure to make add a touch of richness it seems to be missing. Unless you WANT it because it's lean.
Bon
Appétit.
Wondering
about my final Bizarre Bites? At this point, I MAY allow myself something
that makes me crave instead of cringe. We'll see....
