Elk Mountain: An oasis off I-80

"The bread pudding is wonderful -- just like an angel peeing on your tongue."

The comment struck the waitress as odd, funny and genuine. She called over Susan Prescott-Havers, chef and owner of the restaurant attached to the Historic Elk Mountain Hotel.

The diner repeated his assertion of the spongy, perfectly sweetened dessert. Prescott-Havers loved it and asked him to write it in the hotel guest book.

The quote is proudly displayed on the restaurant's website, which is one of the few places that advertises the 40-person dining room in tiny Elk Mountain.

Prescott-Havers and her husband bought the hotel in 2007. Up until that point, the restaurant rode a roller coaster. The couple quickly transformed the hotel into a destination spot for couples, special occasions and guests seeking the comfort of home.

For years, the menu looked the same, Prescott-Havers said, but it didn't taste the same. Trained at l'Ecole de Cordon Bleu in Paris, Prescott-Havers took control of the kitchen and built a menu of country classics with a touch of Europe.

The restaurant is really a dining room for the hotel, Prescott-Havers said, which feeds hotel guests in mornings and evenings and the general public on weekends and holidays. Valentine's Day guest could choose from Mexican oyster soup, beef Wellington and a duet of lobster tails, with chocolate ravioli for dessert.

"We do a lot of special things because we don't have a lot of foot traffic," Prescott-Havers said.

She teaches cooking classes to couples and small groups. Newlyweds have held intimate wedding receptions in the dining room. She cooked an American dinner featuring cowboy chili for a group of Mongolians, guests of The Nature Conservatory.

A couple from Wheatland once drove to the restaurant for dinner. Prescott-Havers opened the dining room early that evening so they could make the 100-mile trip home and get a full night's sleep before early-morning ranch duties. 

"That's an advantage of being small," Prescott-Havers said. "And that appeals to a certain type of person."

She's the first to admit her restaurant is far from a burger joint, but she does offer a burger on the menu -- 8 ounces of angus beef topped with honey roasted ham, smoked Gouda and smoked paprika aioli. Given notice, Prescott-Havers caters to diners' requests and dietary restrictions.

She's made biscuits and southern gravy -- a new-to-her dish -- and subbed ingredients for gluten-free meals.

Everything is "Susan-ized," as the staff members say. Everything, even fish and chips, has a bit of flair.

The stylish, soulful food belongs in the stylish, soulful dining room. Lights dim, 1940s radio tunes floating from the kitchen door -- the mood is perfect for a romantic date or an intimate outing with friends. A fire stove, red velvet curtains and paintings of red flowers set a cozy, yet upscale atmosphere.

The restaurant doesn't list closing hours, but shuts down the kitchen at 8 p.m. Regardless when guests finish, dessert and possibly a sip of limoncello await them.

Samosas with mint and cilantro chutney

Makes 30

Pastry ingredients:

You can use the pastry recipe given below or use round Wonton wrappers and a flour and water paste as glue.

1 pound plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons oil

To make the pastry, sift flour and salt into a bowl, then rub in the oil until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 3/4 to 1 cup warm water, a little at a time, to make a pliable dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for five minutes, or until smooth. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

Filling ingredients:

1 pound minced beef or lamb

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 very finely chopped cloves of garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon garam masala (can be found in Indian specialty stores or online)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 green chilies, deseeded and chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Salt to taste

Instructions: To make the filling, brown the minced beef/lamb with the oil in a hot skillet until cooked through, then turn the heat down to medium, add the onion and garlic and stir. Cook until translucent, then add all of the spices and chili and cook until fragrant, two to three minutes. Add salt to taste and cilantro leaves, remove from stove and leave to cool.

On a floured surface, roll out 1/3 of the pastry to an 11-inch circle, about ½ inch in thickness. Cut 10 circles with a 3-inch cutter and spoon ½ tablespoon of filling onto the centre of each. Moisten the edges with water, then fold over and seal with a fork into a semicircle. Repeat to use all of the filling and pastry.

Heat oil in a pan until 350 F and fry a few samosas at a time until golden brown, drain for five minutes on a wire rack, then on paper towels to soak up excess oil. Serve warm with lemon wedges or mint cilantro chutney.

Mint and Cilantro Chutney

Ingregients:

1 1/2 cups mint leaves

2/3 cup cilantro leaves

1 green chili

1 tablespoon tamarind puree or lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons thick plain yogurt or sour cream

Instructions: Wash the mint and cilantro leaves, discard tough stalks but keep the young soft ones for flavor. Blend all ingredients together in a blender or food processor, or chop everything finely and pound it together in a mortar and pestle. Taste the chutney and add more salt if necessary. Add more yogurt or cream to make it milder and creamier. Keeps for a week in the refrigerator once made and covered.

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 to 4 cloves of garlic, according to taste, peeled and roughly chopped

1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained

juice of one lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup tahini, found in kosher foods section of supermarkets

pita bread and raw vegetables for dipping

Instructions: Process the garlic in a food processor with the drained garbanzos, salt and lemon juice until a smooth puree. Add olive oil and process further. Once you are satisfied with the taste and texture and seasoning, add the tahini as the last ingredient. Process. The mixture thickens considerably at this point. Pour into a shallow dish and make a small indentation in the middle. Pour a little extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Variations

• Before adding the tahini, add any of the following ingredients to change the flavoring of the hummus: sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped olives, raw chilies, cooked spinach and grated nutmeg.
• Susan's special hummus: Sautee 4 ounces ground lamb or beef until thoroughly cooked, add a handful of pine nuts and pile on the center of the hummus while still hot.

Filet of Venison (Elk or Red Deer) Wellington Style with Cranberries and Mole Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 sheets of puff pastry cut into four ovals big enough to wrap each filet individually

4 x 4 ounce venison filet steaks

4 slices of thin Parma ham or prosciutto

4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons sugar

1 cup cranberries, thawed if frozen

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup beef stock

1/4 cup red wine or Port

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 shallot finely chopped

2 squares of bitter chocolate

1 tablespoon butter

Pinch of ground chipotle chili powder to taste

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 425 F. Gently rub the meat with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet, add the venison and turn until browned all over. Put to one side and cool. Add cranberries, sugar, heavy cream to a small saucepan and boil until mixture thickens. You can use dried cranberries, but omit the sugar. Strain the fruit and keep the juices to one side.

Add red wine, crushed garlic and chopped shallot to a pan and reduce until almost dry. Add stock and bring to the boil. Leave to one side until Wellington is cooked. Place pastry pieces on a flat board. Lay a piece of the prosciutto on the pastry, then a tablespoon of the strained cranberries. Put a teaspoon of Dijon on one of the flat sides of the steak and place it mustard side down on top of the cranberries.

Paint around the sides of the pastry with egg wash and gather around the mixture and seal the parcel. Turn the packet over so that the smooth side is uppermost. Repeat with the next three filets to get four pastry parcels. Place parcels in the refrigerator for 20 minutes so that everything is cool.

Retrieve the wellingtons and paint the tops with egg wash and decorate with pastry scraps, cut two vents to let the steam escape with the cooking and place on a baking sheet in the hot oven for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and keep warm while you finish the sauce.

Add the reserved cranberry juices any left over cranberries, powdered chili to taste and then two squares of bitter chocolate and the tablespoon of butter to the sauce pan, heat gently and stir until the sauce is thick and velvety. Ladle a pool onto a plate then gently place the Wellington on top of the Sauce. Serve with roasted potatoes or garlic mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.