Saddle Of Venison With Sauce Poivrade

Ingredients
2.5 kg Venison Saddle
3 litres good Red Wine
1 kg vegetable Mirepoix (Rough Dice Of Carrots Onion And Celery)
50 ml fresh Blood
1/2 litre Demiglace
100 grams Unsalted Butter
1 kg Pumpkin
1/4 kg Watercress Leaves
2 good golden delicious Apples
30 grams Pine Nuts

Method

Bone the saddle of venison and then marinate only the bones (not the meat) with the vegetable mirepoix and the red wine for 48 hours. On top of the marinade pour over a little wine vinegar and olive oil which will prevent the wine from breaking down.

Clean the venison fillets very well, making sure that there are no nerves left in the meat.

The Sauce:

drain the vension bones and reserve the precious juices. Roast the bones in a large hot pan and then add the vegetable mirepoix and then the wine from the marinade. Cook until the juices reduce by two-thirds, then add the demiglace and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Pass the sauce through a chinoise and reduce until it thickens by itself, turn off heat and then complete the thickening with the blood.

Pass the sauce again through cheesecloth and then smooth off the top with 100 grams of butter and keep aside in a bain maire.

The Meat:

take a very hot pan and roast the fillets of venison, keeping them quite pink. Slice the meat into noisettes, place on a large hot plate, coat with the sauce and arrange on either side two small egg shapes of the mousseline of pumpkin and of watercress. Garnish with sliced apple freshly tossed in butter and scatter pine nuts on top of the venison sauce.

The Mousselines:

clean and take leaves off fresh watercress, boil in salted water, drain well and chop finely with a knife or in a food processor with sharp blades. Squeeze out all extra moisture in a cloth and add cream or butter to achieve the desired consistency.

Peel the pumpkin and cut into chunks, then boil in salted water. Drain well and puree, season and add a little cream for consistency. It should be firm enough to be moulded with a spoon.

Remarks
Appeared on menu: "Roast Venison with Sauce Poivrade $8.00 (Venison rolled in peppercorns and allspice then roasted and served with sauce of demi glace, white wine vinegar and peppercorns)" Although this recipe shares a name with this dish, the ingredients are quite different.