2 eight ounce moose steaks
1/2 cup assorted mushrooms, sliced
16 asparagus spears
1/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup fresh tarragon, chopped
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the moose steaks and brown on both sides, about a minute per side.
2. Reduce heat to low. Add beef broth, tarragon, thyme and bay leaf. Cover, cooking until meat is tender, about 20-25 minutes.
3. Remove steaks from the liquid and keep warm. Raise the heat to medium and add the asparagus and mushrooms to the pan. Cook until asparagus is fork tender, about 7 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a separate sauce pan over medium heat, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir in the flour. Cook until it is a light brown paste, which will take about as long as the asparagus.
5. Plate the asparagus and remove the herbs from the pan. Stir the butter and flour into the mushroom sauce and cook until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Place the moose steaks on top of the asparagus and cover with prepared sauce.

Makes 2 servings

The last time I made Moose Steaks they were so tender and delicious I was surprised that people shy away from it so much. I prepared them again today and fed a friend and he said he'd never had it so tender before. Then it hit me that the reason most people dislike moose meat, like the reason most people don't like many food things, is because people don't know how to prepare it properly. It's probably tough and chewy like leather and not tender and delicious like it should be.

I didn't want to stray too far from the method I used last time because I only had 2 packages of steaks and was craving the same type of preparation. I made Mushroom Moose Steaks with Asparagus, another one dish type meal. I suppose it was technically a 2 pan meal, since I had to make a roux in a separate pan. This was another success, as already previously indicated by the "never had it this tender" comment. On a related note, I am becoming really good at making gravy type sauces now. The roux method is definitely better than the cornstarch slurry one; so much so that I can't imagine ever resorting to it ever again. The tarragon and thyme gave it a sort of French flair, which was a bit fancier than the onion, salt and pepper method I used previously. I'm hoping to get my hands on some more game meat before we leave, taking a stab at some elk and deer.