This recipe a great variation on classic holiday meals. It has all the traditional flavors of the holiday, but features a protein that’s often forgotten on holiday menus. Venison is a great seasonal meat, and readily available throughout the Hudson Valley. You can use either farm raised or wild venison in this recipe. Remember to slice your meat against the grain, or you could end up with a tough cut. At Terrapin, we slice the meat prior to serving to avoid this. Visit Vortex produced the beautiful video below, with step by step instructions. Enjoy, and feel free to share!
Venison Medallions with Juniper Demi-Glace
2 pounds Venison top round (upper leg meat)
1 quart Chicken stock (preferably homemade)
½ cup Gin
¼ cup Juniper Berries, crushed
2 ea. Cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon Allspice, whole
2 tablespoons Butter
1 ½ tablespoons Flour
1 tablespoon Cooking oil
To taste Salt & pepper
Bring chicken stock to a boil over high heat and add the gin, juniper berries, allspice and cinnamon. Continue to boil over high heat until mixture is reduced to one cup. Strain sauce in a fine strainer. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt one (1) tablespoon of butter and add flour. Cook for one minute. While whisking, add strained sauce and cook until thickened. Whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter and reserve. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut the venison, along the grain of the meat into 4 equal portions that are long and skinny. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof sauté pan over high heat and add cooking oil. Place all 4 pieces of venison into the pan and cook while turning occasionally, until the pieces are evenly browned. Place the pan in the oven until the internal temperature of the venison is 125 degrees (for medium-rare) You can continue cooking longer for more well cooked meat, but since venison is very lean, it will be dry. Let rest for 5 minutes and slice the meat across the grain into ¾”- ½” slices. Serve with sautéed spinach, mashed potatoes and reserved sauce.
Happy Holidays!
Chef Kroner