Recipe of the Month

by Duane Radford

Venison Noisettes

Venison Noisettes:
● venison loin, sirloin or tenderloin
● butter (duck fat is better)
● 3/4 cup olive oil
● 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
● 6 juniper berries (crushed)
● 2-3 bay leaves
● 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
● 1/2 cup white wine or preferably dry white vermouth
● 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
● 1/2 cup sour cream

Red Cabbage:
● 1/2 head of red cabbage (chopped)
● 3 tablespoons butter
● 1/2 cup dry red wine
● 3/4 cup chicken broth
● 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
● 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
● 1/4 cup dried cranberries
● juice of 1/2 lemon
● salt and pepper

This recipe is adapted “From A Polish Country House Kitchen” (2012) cookbook by Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden, featuring a mouthwatering vermouth marinade. The authors suggest serving it with a dish of “Red Cabbage with Cranberries” and perhaps a salad, nothing else. “Noisettes” are tender pieces of venison cut from the loin, sirloin or tenderloin. These can be sautéed quickly in a cast iron skillet. Be careful not to overcook venison because it will dry out.
 
Venison Noisettes
1. Wash the venison and pat dry with a paper towel. Slice into medallions.
2. Add the olive oil, vinegar, juniper berries, salt, pepper, and bay leaves to a mixing bowl to make a marinade. Whisk the ingredients until blended.
3. Put the noisettes inside a Ziploc bag. Add the marinade and slosh it around the venison. Refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove the noisettes from the Ziploc bag, shake off the marinade. Sear them in a skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side at a medium heat until they’re browned but pink on the inside. Set them aside on a heated platter under an aluminum tent to set up.
5. Pour the white wine or vermouth into the skillet and bring it to a slow boil, scraping up browned venison on the bottom of the skillet, then add the mustard. Let the ingredients simmer for a few minutes until they’re reduced and thicken and then add the sour cream.
6. Return the “noisettes” to the skillet, turn them over once before putting them on a serving platter, spooning the sauce over the venison.

Red Cabbage with Cranberries
1. Core the red cabbage and chop 1/2 of the head into bite size pieces.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in an oven roaster and sauté the cabbage until it is tender.
3. Add the red wine, chicken stock and cloves and bring to a slow boil. Reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes to tenderize the cabbage.
4. Melt the remaining butter in a small glass in a microwave oven. Mix in the flour to make a paste. Stir the paste into the cabbage. Add the cranberries and continue cooking until the sauce thickens.
5. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Serve with the noisettes while everything is piping hot.

I’d opt for a Baco noir wine pairing and an amber or brown ale, a dunkel or a porter for a beer pairing.