A press release alerted me that John Gorham, chef/owner of Portland’s Toro Bravo, created the first-place-winning dish–Elk Soup–at Nicky USA’s eighth annual Wild About Game Cook-Off. Each of the 10 participating Portland- and Seattle-based chefs had two hours to prepare a unique dish using wild- and farm-raised game or fowl for the panel of three judges.

The winning chefs included first-place winner John Gorham of Toro Bravo for his Elk Soup with a Kidney Mousse Toast. “The soup was prepared with handmade noodles, tongue, chanterelles, seared cauliflower, sliced raw salted tenderloin, charred tenderloin, and chives in a savory broth. The mousse included kidneys, bacon, foie gras, apples, onions, and chanterelles,” according to the press release. 

Second-place chef Dustin Clark of Wildwood in Portland created Creamed Lacinato-Kale-Stuffed Rabbit Saddle with a Leek-and-Cauliflower Ragout and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Olives.

Third-place winner Pascal Chureau, of Portland’s Lucier and Fenouil, cooked up Pan-Roasted Squab Breast with Toasted Farro & Cabbage Paupiette, Chanterelles, and Coffee Consommé.

Not designed for the faint of heart, vegetarians, or casual cooks, nonetheless, here’s the prize-winning recipe (untested by yours truly, but try it at your own risk!).

Elk Soup

Serves 6

Homemade Pasta

12 egg yolks

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

19 ounces flour

Blend wet ingredients in blender, then mix with flour and salt with dough hook until ball forms.  Roll pasta and cut into thin noodles.  Just before severing, cook pasta in salted water, strain and toss with fresh parsley.

Kidney Mousse

2 elk kidneys soaked in milk for an half hour

4 ounces foie gras

3 ounces bacon

1/2 apple, diced

1/2 onion, diced

5 chanterelles, chopped

1 tablespoon rosemary and sage

4 ounces butter

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup bourbon

In a very hot sauté pan, sear off kidneys until very brown, yet not over cooked.  Sear off foie gras.  Sauté bacon until crisp then add the rest of the ingredients and cook until everything has color and is cooked through. Put everything in blender and blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve and cool.

Elk Broth and Tongue

Elk Tenderloin scrapes (from the Tenderloin preparation)

1 Elk Kidney

1 Elk Tongue

1 apple, diced 

2 cups chanterelles 

1 carrot, diced

1 rib of celery, diced

2 onions, diced

2 ounces fresh ginger, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

3 Arbol chilies

1 stick of cinnamon

4 cups of water 

Sear tenderloin scraps, kidney and tongue in a very hot pan.  Once the meat has nice color add everything else except the water.   Cook until the mixture has nice color.  Deglaze with water and simmer for 90 minutes, strain and set aside tongue.  Season the broth with salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice.  Just before serving clean tongue and rub meat with salt.  Cut tongue into small cubes.

Elk Tenderloin 

1 Elk Tenderloin

2T of each rosemary, garlic, and sage

Kosher salt 

Black pepper
 
Clean tenderloin, reserving scraps for Elk Broth.  Cut the tenderloin in half.  Pack one half of the Tenderloin in salt and place in the freezer.  Rub the other half with rosemary, sage, garlic, salt and pepper.  Sear the rubbed tenderloin in a very hot pan, but leave it very rare. Hand slice.  Once salted tenderloin is firm remove from freezer.  Slice very thin on a meat slicer or carefully by hand.

Chanterelles

6 perfect chanterelles

1/2 cup of Elk Broth
 
Poach chanterelles in elk broth and season just before serving soup. Reserve for plating.

Cauliflower

1 cup of small cauliflower flowers

1 head of garlic 

1 stem of rosemary

1/2 cup salt

4 cups water

2 tablespoons butter

 Boil rosemary, garlic, and salt in water.  Quickly blanch cauliflower and pat dry.  Sear in a very hot pan with butter.  Reserve for plating.

To Serve

Place the homemade pasta noodles in bottom of individual serving bowl.  Next add chanterelles, cubes of salted tongue, seared cauliflower, then add salted elk tenderloin slices, seared elk tenderloin slices and pour hot broth on top.  Garnish soup with chives.  Serve with grilled rustic bread and the Elk Kidney Mousse.