NNSL (Jan 13/97) - Ever wonder what to do with that ptarmigan that bashes into your windshield or window? Or that caribou you finally harvest but don't have a clue what to do with it once you bring it home?

Well, Hugh McKeith's new cookbook, Gourmet North, now hitting the market, should be just what you're looking for.

After 20 years in the North, many spent as a certified chef in Kugluktuk, Fort Smith resident Hugh McKeith's Gourmet North is filled with recipes for country foods ranging from caribou, muskox, char, arctic hare and ptarmigan or grouse.

Now the manager of Cafeteria Services at Aurora College in Fort Smith, McKeith, who self-published the book, says the recipes are aimed at what he calls "first-time immigrants to the North".

Along with dozens of gourmet recipes, Gourmet North also offers readers insightful advice on the yearly barge orders for people in remote communities, usually government employees who have no idea what can be done with the local country foods that are readily available.

"I've become painfully aware of the difficulty of meal preparation and planning involved existing at this latitude. This is especially true in the winter when it's very difficult to keep the lettuce and tomatoes from turning to solid objects, which would be better suited for assault projectiles than the gentle art of meal preparation," he says.

"A lot of people were scrambling, not having a clue on what to order. It's a real education to go up there and all of sudden realize the grocery shipment comes in August and its already October."

Gourmet North also offers readers a look at the proper handling of country foods.

"It is fairly simple to take a piece of wild meat and put it into the oven and call it dinner (but) to take a piece of wild meat and turn it into a show piece is a whole different approach, and that's what I've set out to do," McKeith says.

"Inuit tend to basically harvest the animal and then it ends up on the kitchen table to be eaten immediately. For us, it was learning experience when we wanted to store it," McKeith says.

McKeith, who spent 11 years in Kugluktuk,

says inspiration for the book came from his many friends he made living in the community.

"I was prompted by my friends. I had a favorite dessert I used to make for Anna Clare, who was one of my biggest fans, who always encouraged me to write down my creations."

With 500 copies available, McKeith has also joined the information highway where he can promote and sell his book.

Those interested can check out www.auroranet.nt.ca/gourmet, where McKeith plans to offer a recipe a month, a wine column as well as recipes for appetizers and desserts.

"I'm looking at it as a long-distance cooking school, so if people have questions on country foods they can contact me for information."