Finn steak (Reindeer) - Simple to make and very good!

[NOR]

Finn steak (in Norway called "reinskav or "finnbiff") is not actually a dish. It is thin and small slices of reindeer meat, and can be used in many ways. The clean cut, bone free slices contain very little fat. Reindeer meat has been eaten in Norway for ages, and is still quite popular. Most supermarkets in Norway sell frozen finn steak (named reinskav or finnbiff).

The finn steak has a mild wild flavour and newbies (like many tourists visiting Norway) seem to like it. Not like scary things like lutefisk or sheepheads

Here is a recipe of one easy to make and very good finn steak dish:

500 grams finn steak
200 grams champignon
2 - 3 thin slices of goat cheese
3 deciliter sour cream
1 deciliter milk (not low fat)
2 deciliter water
2 tablespoons of butter
5 pieces of crushed common juniper berries
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

If you want, you can add:
100 - 200 grams bacon (cut in moderate pieces)

The goat cheese has an important role in this dish. Norwegian goat cheese, called "brunost" (brown cheese) or "geitost" (goat cheese), has a strong, sweet, yet somewhat sharp flavor with notes of caramel and goat's milk. Many foreigners find norwegian goat cheese too sharp to eat alone (we use it often on bread), but it don't get so sharp when used in food (like this recipe). But, if you know that you don't like it, or don't take the chance to try, there is another popular norwegian brown cheese, called "Gudbrandsdalsost" (means "cheese from the Gudbrandsdal" - a place in Norway). This cheese is made from cow's milk and not goat's milk, and is much milder than the goat cheese. You can find more information here. Maybe you can find something similar where you live.

Also, the common juniper berries ("einebær" in norwegian, "Juniperus communis" in latin) is important for the taste. Find out more about them here and here.

Preparation:

1. Brown finn steak, mushrooms and bacon (if you use it) in the butter at strong heat in a pan. Not too long, just so it is brown. At the end, add some of the water and stir a couple of times.
2. Poor it all over in a pot and add the rest of the water. Boil up and then let it steep for 10 minutes.
3. Add milk, sour cream, goat cheese and the common juniper berries. Stir gently. Let it steep 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper (or to fit your taste).

Serve with potatoes or mashed potatoes, cowberrys and broccoli or brussels sprouts.

This is a traditional norwegian dish, but families often has it's own variation (this is ours). My family don't use bacon (others do). We use a little less goat cheese then others, and so on. Even though many experiment with different ingredients, most go back to a variation of what you see here. Simple, and very tasty.



Enjoy!

[nowIamone]

Finn,
I will try your recipe with some of my caribou meat.
I'm not familiar with your cheese, other than to eat it alone and was not fond of it. It will be interesting to see it perform in the dish. The most difficult thing for me is to find juniper berries, but I think I have some stashed....somewhere.