Stuffed Saddle Of Venison With Prunes Brioche Recipes

STUFFED SADDLE OF VENISON WITH PRUNES & BRIOCHE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a shallow pan, then fry the onion, garlic, prunes and bacon until the onion is translucent and the bacon is slightly coloured. Add the brioche and cook until combined and broken down, then add the sage, season and remove from heat.
• Put a sheet of baking parchment on a sheet of foil (both should be larger than your venison). Arrange four pieces of string across the kitchen counter and put the foil and parchment on top - this will help the venison to keep its shape. Lay another four pieces of string across the parchment. Lay the pancetta on top of the paper and string, slightly overlapping the slices so that they cover an area roughly the size of your opened-out venison.
• Lay the venison on top of the pancetta, skin-side down, then spoon the stuffing down the centre, patting it with your hands to make it into a sausage shape.
• Fold in the sides of the venison, along with the pancetta, so they touch or slightly overlap - use the foil and baking parchment to help you. Tie the strings around the venison, making sure that the foil and parchment enclose the meat but stay outside it. Fold in the ends and tie the other pieces of string tightly around the outside of the parcel to hold it in shape.
• Put the venison on a baking sheet or in a roasting tin. Roast for 40-50 mins or until a meat thermometer pushed into the joint reaches 60C, for medium rare meat. Rest for 10 mins, then remove and discard the foil and parchment. Brush the venison all over with butter and return to the oven for a final 10 mins. Leave to rest for 10-15 mins before removing the string and slicing.

SADDLE OF VENISON "BADEN-BADEN STYLE"

Steps:

• Season the prepared saddle of venison on all sides with salt and pepper, the sear it on all sides in the clarified butter in the roast pan over high heat until browned.
• Remove the venison briefly to insert a rack into the roasting pan.
• Replace venison on rack and sprinkle breadcrumbs on top; roast in pre-heated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes for rare, about 18 minutes for medium.
• Remove venison from the roaster, wrap in alumnium foil and keep warm.
• Remove the rack from the roaster.
• Scrape any browned bits from the rack into the roasting pan.
• On stovetop, saute the apple rings in the roasting pan, browning them lightly in the drippings.
• Remove the apple rings, reserve warm.
• Increase heat to high, and allow the drippings to bubble up.
• Reduce heat to medium and deglaze the roasting pan with the red wine and stock.
• Scrape up any browned bits.
• Pour the stock through a sieve into a saucepan.
• Reduce over medium-high heat (being careful not to burn and stirring constantly) until syrupy.
• Remove from heat and mix in cold butter flakes with wire whisk until melted and absorbed.
• Your stock is now a sauce.
• Season tot taste with salt and butter.
• If you would like the consistency to be slightly thicker, you should reduce the stock more before adding the butter flakes.
• Keep this sauce warm on the stove over low heat until ready to serve.
• In a separate saute pan, heat clarified butter over medium-high heat.
• Add juniper berries, grapes, chestnuts and banana cuts; lightly brown these over medium-high heat.
• Remove from heat and drizzle with honey, stir well to glaze all evenly.
• Keep warm until serving.
• Unwrap reserved venison saddle from aluminum foil.
• Using a deboning knife, separate meat from the bones and transfer the resulting filet to a cutting board.
• Arrange the saddle bones (the rack) on a warmed serving platter.
• (Pour any drippings from the foil into your sauce for extra flavor.) Cut the filet on a bias; reassemble the filet on top of the rack on the warmed serving platter.
• Garnish by surrounding the roast with apple rings, banana cuts, grapes, chestnuts and juniper berries.
• Nap the roast with a little of the sauce; serve the remaining sauce on the side.
• Serve this most delicious of all roasts accompanied by (commercially available) Spaetzle, Gnocchi, Polenta (cut into medaillions and pan-fried til crisp and golden brown) or oven-roasted Red Bliss potatoes.

VENISON AND PRUNE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Marinate the venison overnight in 300ml of wine and the thyme.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 150C/gas 2.
• In a heavy-based pan, heat a third of the butter and gently fry the onions, bacon and rosemary for 10 minutes.
• Tip the meat into a colander over a bowl in the sink, saving the marinade, and season well. Set the marinade aside and scatter the flour on the meat and toss lightly.
• Set aside the oniony-bacon mix, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Add the meat to the pan and fry on a medium heat, stirring regularly.
• Add the carrots, prunes and garlic and fry until you can smell the garlic. Tip the onions and bacon back in and pour in the second glass of red wine and the leftover marinade.
• Bring to the boil, then pour in the stock to submerge the meat. Season, add the bay leaves, then cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. The meat is done when it is very tender but still holding its shape.
• About 45 minutes before serving, put the spuds on the boil and drain and mash when soft. Melt the rest of the butter in the milk and warm the chopped chestnut pieces in it before stirring them into the mash. Season well.
• When the stew is cooked, let it sit out of the oven with the lid still on for at least 15 minutes. Skim off any excess fat and season to taste.
• Serve in shallow bowls with the mash, a handful of watercress, and a little blob of cranberry jelly.