Selle de Chevreuil à la Beaujeu

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Larding needle, or a narrow boning knife and metal skewer
• •Heavy roasting pan large enough for a 3½-pound (1.6 kg) saddle
• •Instant-read probe thermometer
• •Food mill, food processor, or sturdy blender
• •10-inch (25 cm) covered sauté pan
• •Long oval serving platter
• •Small saucière or sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Lard the saddle

   Chill the fatback batons for 20 minutes, until firm but not frozen solid. With a larding needle, or a narrow boning knife followed by a metal skewer, make 8 to 10 slim channels lengthwise through the thickest parts of the loins. Push one baton into each channel so fat runs through the lean meat rather than merely sitting on top. If the batons soften, buckle, or tear, stop and chill them again for 10 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Keep the larded saddle refrigerated until 30 minutes before roasting.

   Use unsmoked fatback, not smoked bacon. Larding supplies moisture and richness; smoke would rewrite the plain roast specified by the preparation.
2. 2

   Make the lentil purée

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and carrot and cook without browning until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaf, 2 cups of the stock, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Simmer gently until the lentils crush easily between two fingers, 25 to 35 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, drain while reserving the liquid, then purée the lentils with 2 tablespoons of butter and enough cooking liquid to make a smooth, spoon-holding purée. If it becomes loose, return it to low heat and stir until it tightens; if it is stiff, beat in reserved liquid one spoonful at a time.

3. 3

   Glaze the chestnuts

   Arrange the chestnuts in one layer in a wide sauté pan. Add ¾ cup of the consommé and 1 tablespoon of the butter, then bring them to the barest simmer. Cook uncovered for 12 to 18 minutes, rolling the pan gently rather than stirring, until the consommé reduces to a glossy coating around each chestnut. If the pan dries before the glaze forms, add some of the reserved consommé a tablespoon at a time. A broken chestnut still tastes splendid; place it beneath the whole ones when you compose the platter.

4. 4

   Ready the artichokes

   Rinse the artichoke bottoms if they came from a jar, then pat them dry. Set them cup-side up in a wide covered pan with ¼ cup of the stock, 1 tablespoon of the butter, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Leave the pan ready beside the stove. They will warm while the venison rests, which keeps them tender without letting their edges collapse.

5. 5

   Roast the saddle

   Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Set the saddle bone-side down in a heavy roasting pan, rub it with the remaining tablespoon of butter, and season with 1¼ teaspoons of the salt and the remaining pepper. Roast for 12 minutes, then lower the oven to 375°F (190°C). Baste with the fat in the pan and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the loin, clear of bone and fatback, reads 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C), usually 20 to 30 minutes more. If the surface darkens too quickly, shield it loosely with foil. Pull early: the temperature will rise as the saddle rests. If it proves underdone after resting, return it to the oven in 4-minute bursts; overcooked venison cannot be called back.

6. 6

   Rest and finish sauce

   Transfer the saddle to a warm board, tent it loosely with foil, and rest it for 15 minutes. Pour off the excess fat from the roasting pan while preserving every browned speck, then set the pan over medium heat. Add the remaining ¼ cup stock and scrape up the fond. Reduce to about 3 tablespoons, strain this roasting essence into the warm Sauce Chevreuil, and hold the sauce at a bare tremble. If it tightens too far, loosen it with a spoonful of consommé; it should nap the back of a spoon, not sit like jam.

7. 7

   Fill the artichokes

   While the saddle rests, cover the artichoke pan and warm it over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Reheat the lentil purée gently, beating in a spoonful of stock if a skin has formed, then mound about 2 tablespoons into each artichoke bottom. Return the chestnuts to low heat with the last spoonfuls of consommé and roll the pan until their glaze shines again.

8. 8

   Compose and serve

   Remove the strings and place the whole saddle lengthwise on a warm oval platter. Arrange the lentil-filled artichoke bottoms around it, alternating each with a pair of glazed chestnuts. Bring the Sauce Chevreuil to the table in a separate saucière, exactly as the preparation requires. To carve, run a sharp knife along each side of the backbone, lift away the loins, and slice them across the grain. Give each guest venison, one artichoke bottom, chestnuts, and sauce passed by hand. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for a small saddle with the chine bone removed and the loins left attached to the rib section. This preserves the grand whole-roast presentation while making the carving possible at a home table.
• •Fatback is the correct larding fat. Streaky bacon is too thin and smoked bacon changes the flavor; the fat should melt quietly into the venison, not announce itself.
• •Frozen artichoke bottoms are excellent here. Canned bottoms packed in water also work, but avoid those marinated in vinegar or oil because their acidity fights the lentil purée and the venison sauce.
• •Vacuum-packed peeled chestnuts remove the brigade labor of roasting and peeling without changing the glaze. Keep them whole and handle them gently; chestnuts are more fragile than their solemn appearance suggests.
• •Serve Sauce Chevreuil apart. Pouring it over the platter would hide the chestnut glaze and loosen the lentil filling, while the separate saucière lets each diner dress the carved meat.
• •A structured cru Beaujolais such as Moulin-à-Vent has enough depth for the venison and keeps the Beaujeu connection precise. Choose one with fruit and firmness, not sweetness.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Sauce Chevreuil and consommé up to 2 days ahead, chill them promptly, and reheat them gently before use. They are finished components here, just as they were separate work in the classical kitchen.
• •The lentil purée can be made earlier in the day. Press buttered parchment directly against its surface, refrigerate, then reheat it with a spoonful of stock.
• •Glaze the chestnuts up to 4 hours ahead and keep them covered. Rewarm them slowly with a little reserved consommé so the glaze returns without breaking the chestnuts.
• •The saddle may be larded and tied up to 6 hours before roasting. Keep it refrigerated, then let it stand at cool room temperature for 30 minutes before it enters the oven.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 630g)