Grouse (or pheasant) di Zarra:
(Serves Four)

4 whole breasted Grouse or Pheasant of your choice or luck.
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of fine black pepper
1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1 optional crack or two of sea salt
2 teaspoon of ground sage
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 pinch of ground clove
1 pinch of ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (or more if you desire) dried cranberries
1/4 cup Toasted Almonds
2 cups of Rose or Blush Wine
1 Stick of Butter
1/4 cup of olive oil
Wild Rice or Rice of Choice
Steamed Broccoli Chilled and Lightly dressed with Virgin Olive Oil and fresh lemon juice

1. Fillet each skinned breast from bone so you have to individual halves from each breast.
2. Soak dried cranberries in a bowl with Rose Wine
3. Sift flour onto dish and mix with 1 teaspoon of fine black pepper and one teaspoon of ground sage.
4. Dip each breast into lightly seasoned flour
5. Use medium heat to melt 1/2 stick butter into skillet with a little olive oil to prevent butter from burning.
6. Pan sear prepared game on each side until cooked properly. (Be careful not to over cook, wild game, it is much leaner and will cook faster than farm raised fowl)
7. Remove and cover cooked breasts.
8. Add remaining 1/2 stick of butter, and melt.
9. Pinch ground clove, cinnamon, sage, ground black pepper and sea salt, into the melting butter.
10. Mix a tablespoon of flour and brown sugar into blush wine and soaking cranberries then fold into the seasoned skillet of butter and reduce to until desired.
11. Place two Wild Grouse and/or Pheasant breasts along side rice and broccoli onto your best china and ladle reduced sauce across the center of each breast and lightly over the rice.
Top breast and rice lightly with toasted almonds.

Open a bottle of your best white or rose wine and toast: "To the birds, the hunters, the dogs, and cooks!"

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Duck's Donato or Dove Delight
(Serves Four)

2 whole mallard breasts skinned and cut from bone. Smaller Ducks such as Teal or Wood Ducks use 4 whole breasts. Half breasts from bone and tenderize.
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground clove
1 table spoon ground black pepper
1 cup Orange Marmalade
4 Macintosh (or other tart apple) cut into wedges about 3/8 inch thick
1/2 cup of apple butter
1 cup apple cider
1.5 stick of butter
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of cracked sea salt (optional)
A bottle of Heavy Cabernet or Shiraz at the ready and preferably in a wine glass.

Dip breast into flour, then egg, then Pakora. Melt 3/4 stick of butter into skillet with some olive oil into skillet on Medium High heat and add 1 teaspoon of ground sage, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and pan sear ducks until medium rare to medium temperature. Remove breasts and add remaining butter. Once butter is melted add the apple wedges and the rest of your sage, pepper, clove, cinnamon, and brown sugar as you cook the apples until aldente. Mix the marmalade and apple butter together and loosen it a little with some apple cider. Fold the mix into the apples and then serve atop of your cooked breast beside some steamed asparagus, and some redskin garlic and parsley potatoes or polenta - topped with mushrooms sauteed with garlic, olive oil and ground black pepper.

The finest and heaviest reds are in order! Salute! And don't forget a proper toast!