La Chasse!

A couple of weekends ago, we went to a 'Chasse dinner', and I forgot my camera. This Autumnal event is based around game (of the meat variety!) in many guises. This particular dinner was organised by the International Club, and was held at an old restaurant in the middle of nowhere. We're lucky we found it. The room was completely covered in branches, leaves and shrubbery! As we sat looking around, we began to see all the stuffed animals lurking within: badgers, stoats, rabbits, deer (ofcourse), owls, baby owls(!), birds and birds, everything that can be killed in the canton of Neuchatel. It set the stage for a really, really tasty, multicourse meal. First course: (Trois Terrines de Chasse) a selection of cold meats and pickled veg...mmmm gamey. Second course: (Feuillete aux Champignons des Bois) a light millefeuille pastry with wild mushrooms and the booziest cream sauce I've ever tasted. Third course: (Filet de Sanglier, Nouilletes, Garnitures de Chasse) tender wild boar with all the trimmins'. Fourth course: (Selle de Chevreuil, Spatzli, Garnitures de Chasse) the pinnacle of the experience. Deer (female- apparently the best) with a Swiss speciality of Spatzli and preserved pear in more boozy gravy. This was topped by desert of Myrtilles et Parfait Vanille. Myrtilles are a little like bluberries, but they are really quite tasteless. I was completely replete. Yes, a tad guilty for comsuming all those cute animals too. But hey, I've never eaten Macdonalds.....