Cooking time: About 25 minutes
Prep time: About 20 minutes
Notes: Up to I day ahead, prepare
juniper-peppercorn paste and pound meat, then cover and chill. Overcooking
makes emu tough.
Makes: 4
servings
2 tablespoons green peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried juniper berries
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon salad oil
About 1 ¾ pounds
emu tablespoon butter or margarine
1 ½ cup each beef broth and port
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon gin
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch mixed smooth with I tablespoon
water
Chive spears and salt
1.Juniper-peppercorn paste.Combine peppercorns, juniper
berries, and 1/2 cup water in a 1- to 1
½ -quart pan. Bring to a boil over high heat; simmer 5 minutes. Drain mixture
in a fine strainer. Combine seasonings with garlic and oil in a blender or food
processor; whirl until a smooth paste.
2.Emu.Trim off and discard silvery membrane on emu. Cut
meat, across the grain as much as possible, into ½ - inch-thick slices; then
cut them into 12 to 14 equal portions.
3. Gently pound meat with a flat
mallet between sheets of plastic wrap until slices are about ¼ inch thick. Rub
slices evenly on both sides with juniper-peppercorn paste.
4. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick
frying pan over high heat, melt ½ the butter until it sizzles. Fill pan with
meat; do not overlap slices. Turn slices as they brown; cook just until pink in
center (cut to test), about 1 ½ minutes total. As slices are cooked, keep warm
in a rimmed pan in a 3000 oven. Melt remaining butter in pan, add
meat, and continue until all slices are cooked.
5. When frying pan is empty, leave
on high heat and quickly add broth, port, shallots, and gin. Boil until reduced
to ½ cup, about 4 minutes. As sauce cooks, drain juices from cooked emu into
it. Stir cornstarch mixture into sauce; stir until boiling. Arrange emu on
plates, and pour sauce onto meat. Garnish with chives, and season to taste with
salt.
Per serving: 347 cal., 25% (88 cal.) from fat; 47 g protein; 9.8 g fat (3.4
g sat.); 8.2 g carbo.; 177 mg sodium; 122 mg chol.
