The first time I hunted Montana I hunted with my friend John Barsness. We were bear hunting and on the second day of the hunt shot a nice one. It was an incredible western experience but it was one made even better by the food I ate. You see, John’s wife Eileen Clarke is what I would call a chef. No, she does not have a big fancy restaurant or her own cooking show on the Food Network (She should have both) but she is more than just a lady who can fry and egg or make gravy.
John and Eileen mostly live off what they kill and Eileen is the one who whips it all up. And, she has been whipping for a while; long enough to write multiple books on preparing and cooking wild game. Now, I’m no cook. I can make a mean scrambled egg, a passable pancake and even a wicked looking ham sandwich. So, I have no business at all telling you how good Eileen’s latest cookbook, Sausage Season, is. My wife on the other hand is a faithful follower of several food network stars and knows her way around an oven. Here is what she had to say:
“The latest Eileen Clark cookbook, Sausage Season, is every bit as wonderful as her previous cookbooks. With 170 pages, 100 recipes, lots of glossy photos, and more importantly, easy to read and follow recipes, Sausage Season is a must for any kitchen where wild game is prepared. Recipes include both cased and un-cased sausage, so it is perfect for anyone who enjoys cooking and trying new recipes. There are also recipes for side dishes to go with the sausages, so your meal can be completed with just this one cookbook propped open on the kitchen counter. Just reading through the book will make your mouth water for sausage, whether it is for breakfast, dinner, or a midnight snack. The Andouille sausage will be one of the first that is tried here, followed closely by the Gee Whiz Chorizo…or maybe it will be the other way around. Either way, it will be a “keeper recipe”!”
Christmas is coming and cook books make great gifts. If you need a unique gift for a hunting friend check out Clarke’s newest and while nosing around on the Rifles and Recipes website you might find a book or two of John’s that you or your rifle looney buddies need to read. I’d ask Eileen to sign any books you buy. Someday you may go to Vegas and find a new restaurant where you can go in and eat wild game prepared by a master chef who was born in the east but has hunted and learned to cook in the west. There’ll be big game heads and old rifles on the wall and there might even be an old grouchy gunwriter by the name of John Barsness sitting at the bar spewing rifle wisdom. One thing’s for sure, he’ll probably be eating too; that’s what happens when you hang around Eileen Clarke if she is anywhere near a kitchen!
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