Prepare a marinade in a large enameled saucepan of 2 cups dry white wine and 1/2 cup vinegar. Add 1 onion, sliced, 1 carrot, sliced, 2 stalks celery and leaves, chopped, 1/2 tablespoon salt, 8 peppercorns, bruised, 1 clove garlic and 3 shallots, mashed, 1 bay leaf, and 2 sprays of tarragon. Bring the marinade to a rapid boil 3 or 4 times and cool it.
Remove the nerves from a whole filet of bear and trim it neatly. Lard it through the thickness in several places with long, narrow strips of larding fat and with strips of green pepper. Place the filet in a crock, pour over it for 3 days, turning it several times during the period.
If the broche, or spit, equipment is not available, roast the bear filet in a hot oven (450º F.) for 15 minutes, turning the meat once. Reduce the temperature to moderate (350º F.) and continue to roast, allowing from that time 12 minutes for each pound of meat. Baste frequently with melted butter. The meat should be very rare to be at its peak of flavor and tenderness.
Place the roast filet on a heated platter, already covered with a thin layer of sauce poivrade. Garnish with cubes of wine jelly, thin slices of lemon, and water cress. Top with a few pitted black olives cooked in butter for 3 minutes. Serve the remaining sauce separately.
This exclusive recipe is pulled directly from Gourmet's archive. It has not been re-tested by our food editors since it was published in the magazine, but it's a pretty good indication of the kinds of things we once cooked—and ate—with great pleasure.
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