| Venison Recipes – 1. Venison Fillet With Grand Veneur Sauce |
Recipe type: Main Course
Author:
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 80 mins
Total time: 1 hour 50 mins
Serves: 4-6
This is a hunting season favorite in France. Save recipe for a special occasion, as it is rich and takes quite a while to prepare. Enjoy on cool evenings.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 filet of venison, about 3 lbs (ask for the cuttings and bones for the sauce)
- For the marinade:
- 1 cup onions, peeled and chopped fine
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped fine
- 1 celery stalk, chopped fine
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup Cognac
- 1 bottle rich red wine, such as Bourgogne
- For the sauce:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Meat cuttings and bones
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup unbleached flour
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- Red wine from marinade
- 3/4 cup cup crème fraiche or heavy cream
- 4 oz bilberries or cranberries
Instructions
- The day before, place the venison filet at the bottom of a large enameled cast iron Le Creuset French oven. Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, sliced shallots, crushed garlic, herbs and spices.
- Then, add the olive oil, cognac, and red wine. Make sure the filet is covered with liquid; otherwise, turn over every hour. Marinade at least 6 hours or overnight at room temperature.
- The next day, take the meat out of the marinade and drain. Dry carefully. Strain the marinade over a bowl. Take out the herbs, set aside and save the liquid and other ingredients.
- In that same pot (cleaned and dried), heat the olive oil and butter. Cook the meat cuttings and bone(s) with salt and pepper. When colored, lower the heat to medium, add the herbs from the marinade and flour and continue to cook for another 5 minutes while stirring.
- Add the red wine vinegar and the drained wine from the marinade; Bring to boil and cook covered at low heat for 30 minutes.
- Skim the floating scum off the top once in a while.
- Strain the sauce; add the cream and berries, cook another 5 minutes to allow the berries to pop.
- Heat your oven at 400˚F.
- While the oven heats, take the deer meat and cook in the olive oil/butter until well colored on all sides.
- Place the deer meat in an oven-proof braising pan and cook for about 20 minutes (for rare, or longer if you wish). Once in a while, spoon the fat over the meat to keep it moist. Once cooked, wrap in a sheet of aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes inside the oven, heat turned off.
- When ready to serve, slice the deer meat, place on hot plates on top of cooked egg noodles. Cover with the meat and the noodles with the sauce. Enjoy!
Venison Fillet
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