Noisettes de Chevreuil au Genièvre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch / 30 cm heavy cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •2-quart / 2-litre lidded saucepan for the apples
• •1-quart / 1-litre saucepan or saucier for the finished sauce
• •Wire rack set over a small rimmed tray
• •Warm oval serving platter or four warmed dinner plates

Instructions

1. 1

   Stew the apples

   Put the apple wedges into a small lidded saucepan with the sugar and ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the water. Cover and cook over gentle heat for 12 to 18 minutes, turning them carefully once, until a knife enters without resistance but the wedges still hold themselves. The apples should taste of fruit, not pudding. If the pan dries before they soften, add a spoonful of the remaining water; if they collapse, don't discard them. Spoon them beside the venison as a coarse compote. Ça se rattrape. Cover and keep hot.

2. 2

   Warm the sauce

   Put the finished sauce from Selle de Chevreuil au Genièvre (No. 1798) into a small saucepan and warm it over the lowest heat, stirring often. It must be ready before the venison reaches the pan, because the noisettes will not wait while you organize yourself. Do not boil a cream-finished sauce. If it turns oily during reheating, take it off the heat and whisk in 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) of the reserved cold water; if it tightens too far, loosen it with another small spoonful.

3. 3

   Dry and season

   Take the noisettes from the cold about 20 minutes before cooking. Press every surface dry with kitchen paper, including the narrow edges, then season evenly with the salt and pepper just before they meet the pan. Wet venison steams, and this dish depends upon a fast bronze crust formed before the lean centre overcooks.

   Ask the butcher for evenly cut loin or backstrap medallions. Unequal thickness means unequal doneness, however faithfully you watch the clock.
4. 4

   Sear in smoking oil

   Heat a heavy 12-inch / 30 cm skillet over high heat until thoroughly hot. Add half the oil, and when it shimmers and gives the first fine wisp of smoke, not a billowing cloud, lay in four noisettes with space between them. Sear without moving for about 2 minutes, turn, and cook for another 1½ to 2 minutes, briefly rolling the edges against the pan if they remain pale. Transfer them to a rack and repeat with the remaining oil and venison. For an intact, properly handled loin with a rosy centre, pull the meat at 125 to 130°F / 52 to 54°C and let the rest carry it higher. If your supplier or local wild-game guidance calls for a higher temperature, follow it.

   If the pan loses its hard sizzle, remove a piece rather than crowding on. A quiet pan gives grey meat. If the crust forms before the centre warms, lower the heat after turning and finish with quick, frequent turns.
5. 5

   Rest and drain

   Leave the noisettes on the rack for 5 minutes, uncovered, so their juices settle without softening the crust. Blot any clinging surface oil from the bottom and edges, which is the home-kitchen meaning of drying them after cooking. Recheck the apples and sauce during this pause, loosening either with a spoonful of the reserved water only if needed.

6. 6

   Dish and coat

   Arrange two noisettes per person on warmed plates or all eight on a warm oval platter. Spoon the genièvre sauce over the meat so it coats each piece in a glossy layer without burying its crust. Set the hot stewed apples alongside, separate from the sauce, where their tartness can cut through the cream and game. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Chevreuil means roe deer. Farmed venison loin or a carefully trimmed deer backstrap is the honest equivalent when roe deer isn't available; what matters is an intact, tender whole-muscle cut, not the animal's passport.
• •The recipe clock begins with the finished sauce from Selle de Chevreuil au Genièvre (No. 1798) in hand. That isn't an evasion. The source treats its burned gin, juniper, cream, poivrade and lemon as a separate finished preparation, and this entry keeps that structure intact.
• •Use grapeseed, peanut or another neutral oil that tolerates fierce heat. Olive oil brings its own flavour and begins smoking before the pan is doing its best work here.
• •Keep the apples barely sweet and serve them beside the meat rather than under it. They are the bright counterweight to the cream and poivrade, not a dessert garnish.
• •Pour a red Burgundy with enough acidity to meet the apples and enough earthiness for the venison. Avoid a heavily sweet or jammy wine, which makes the sauce feel ponderous.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the finished sauce from Selle de Chevreuil au Genièvre (No. 1798) up to 2 hours before serving and hold it off the heat. Rewarm it very gently while the apples cook, never allowing the cream to boil.
• •The apples can be stewed up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and reheat them over low heat with a spoonful of water, turning gently so the wedges remain whole.
• •The venison can be portioned and trimmed a day ahead. Keep the noisettes uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator so their surfaces dry, then take them out about 20 minutes before searing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 280g)