Poivrade Sauce For Venison

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •20- to 24-quart heavy oven-safe stockpot with lid, or two 12-quart Dutch ovens
• •8-quart tall heavy saucepan
• •4- to 6-quart heavy saucepan
• •Large fine-mesh sieve or chinois
• •Muslin or cheesecloth
• •Large heatproof measuring vessel
• •Ladle and flat skimming spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the bones

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Have the butcher saw the venison bones into pieces no larger than 2 to 3 inches and coarsely grind the game trimmings. Dry them thoroughly before they meet the pot; wet bones shed water, and water delays the deep browning the sauce requires.

2. 2

   Brown the foundation

   Heat the browning butter and oil over medium-high heat in a heavy 20- to 24-quart oven-safe stockpot. Cook the raw Mirepoix (No. 228) until its edges begin to bronze, then brown the bones and trimmings in manageable batches, returning each finished batch to the pot. Give them real color, chestnut rather than pale gold, while keeping the fond on the pot floor deep brown and never black. Spoon or pour away the free grease once everything is browned, leaving the fond behind.

   Crowding is the quiet enemy. If the bones release liquid and begin to stew, remove half, let the moisture cook away, and resume browning in smaller batches.
3. 3

   Reduce the acidity

   Pour in the wine vinegar and white wine, scraping every brown deposit from the pot floor. Boil steadily until the combined 8 cups of liquid have reduced by three-quarters to about 2 cups. The raw vinegar smell should soften into something sharp but rounded. If the liquid slips below 2 cups without scorching, add ½ cup each vinegar and wine and reduce again to the mark. Ça se rattrape. A black, bitter fond cannot be hidden, so transfer the unburned contents to a clean pot immediately if the bottom catches.

4. 4

   Braise the sauce

   Whisk the Espagnole Sauce with several ladles of hot game stock until smooth, then add it to the pot with the remaining initial stock. Bring the whole pot to a boil, cover tightly, and place it in the oven for at least 3 hours. The liquid should remain at a gentle tremble beneath the lid, extracting the bones and trimmings without battering the sauce cloudy.

5. 5

   Press and strain

   Set a fine sieve over a large heatproof vessel and ladle in the contents of the pot. Press the solids firmly with the back of the ladle to expel the sauce they hold, but do not grind them through the mesh. Discard the exhausted bones and mirepoix, then transfer the strained sauce to a tall, heavy saucepan.

6. 6

   Set the volume

   Measure the strained sauce. If you have more than 6 quarts, simmer it gently until exactly 6 quarts remain. If you have less, add equal volumes of additional game stock and Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) until the sauce reaches 6 quarts. For every cup missing, add ½ cup of each. This measured correction preserves the source formula's balance rather than leaving the final acidity to guesswork.

7. 7

   Dépouiller and reduce

   Dépouiller, skim and clarify, the sauce as it reduces at a quiet simmer. Remove foam and rising fat frequently, keeping the sides of the saucepan clean with a damp brush. When 4 quarts remain, pass the sauce through dampened muslin or a double layer of cheesecloth into a clean, smaller saucepan. Continue reducing gently until exactly 2 quarts remain and the sauce is dark, brilliant, and lightly coats the back of a spoon. If the bottom begins to catch, pour the sauce into a clean pan without scraping; when no burnt flavor has entered it, the sauce is rescued.

8. 8

   Strain and mount

   Pass the finished sauce once more through dampened muslin. It may be served exactly as it stands, clear, glossy, and sharply fragrant. For the mellower finish, monter au beurre, whisk in cold butter off the heat at the source ratio of 2 tablespoons (28 g) per cup of sauce, up to the full cup for the entire batch. Keep the sauce below a simmer once the butter enters. If the emulsion separates, whisk 1 tablespoon of cold water in a clean pan, then beat in the broken sauce gradually. Ça se rattrape.

9. 9

   Sauce the venison

   Warm only the quantity needed for service and spoon it around roasted or pan-seared venison so the browned surface remains visible. The sauce should pool generously without drowning the meat. Bring the rest in a warmed sauceboat. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask a game butcher or venison processor for meaty neck, rib, and joint bones plus trim. Clean marrow bones alone provide fat and gelatin but too little roasted-game character; the attached meat and ground trimmings are part of the foundation.
• •Have the Mirepoix (No. 228), game stock, Espagnole Sauce, and Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) finished before beginning. Reconstituted unsalted game glace is an honest home equivalent for stock kept constantly on the fire, provided it tastes of game rather than salt.
• •Use plain wine vinegar and a dry, sound white wine. Sweet wine or perfumed vinegar changes the balance, while harsh distilled vinegar gives acidity without wine's breadth.
• •Skim patiently during the final reduction. A hard rolling boil drives fat back into the sauce and clouds the brilliance the source prizes; a quiet simmer lets impurities rise where the ladle can take them.
• •The clear and buttered finishes are both canonical. Keep it clear when you want a sharper, more brilliant sauce, or monter au beurre for a rounder finish. We don't apologize for butter, but neither do we force it where clarity is the pleasure.
• •A little sauce carries a great deal of flavor. Allow roughly ¼ cup (60 ml / 65 g) per diner, then pass more at the table with roast saddle, loin, or haunch of venison.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the raw Mirepoix (No. 228), game stock, Espagnole Sauce, and Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) before sauce day. Keeping these finished components separate honors the source's working system and leaves the final cook focused on browning and reduction.
• •The sauce may be completed through the final strain up to 4 days ahead. Cool it rapidly in shallow containers set over ice, cover, and refrigerate; reheat it gently and monter au beurre only when serving.
• •For longer storage, freeze the strained sauce without its butter finish for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator, bring it briefly to a simmer, skim if needed, then finish with cold butter off the heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)