Remy's Apple Cider Venison
I cooked one of the better main courses I've prepared in awhile. Broiled venison medallions in an apple sauce- a very Upstate NY type meal. The result was a very sweet dish- almost desert like.
I'd love to give you a real recipe, but I don't tend to cook that way- it's a "little of this/little of that" approach, structured around a theme. I can tell you what I did, but I can't give you measurements or anything like that. Use your eyes.
Ingredients: 4 Venison medallions, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, maitake mushrooms (I wanted truffles, but the grocery store didn't have any), cinnamon, nutmeg, flour (corn starch would be better), honey, 1 gala apple, sliced.
Prep: Wash the venison. Marinade the venison in a marinade made of equal parts cider and cider vinegar. Add a generous quantity of cinnamon and just a smidge of nutmeg. It should sit for a few hours in the refrigerator.
You can make the sauce and the venison at the same time- they'll both take roughly fifteen minutes.
Venison: Set the oven to broil, with the broiling pan inside. Allow to pre-heat. Heat a frying pan to a very high heat, then sear the medallions. You only need a moment on each side. Note- they're covered in cider, and that's going to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. Retrieve the broiling pan, and arrange the medallions on it. Top with apple slices, broil for about fifteen minutes. You want it to be cooked all the way through- venison isn't beef, rareness is not a virtue. A dish like this should be served no less than medium rare. This one came out medium- which is a good target.
Sauce: While the venison is broiling melt a pat of butter in a sauce pan. Add a dash of vinegar, a decent helping of cider, and the remainder of the apple. Heat to a boil. The apple will start to break down- we're essentially making apple sauce here. Stir, smash, etc. You may want to skin the apple before putting it in, or you can fish the skin out (or leave it in, your choice). As it cooks down, add a decent amount of cinnamon. Use honey to sweeten to taste. This part is actually a little tricky to get right- you want to be able to taste the vinegar, so you can't go too heavy on cider/honey. If the vinegar is too strong it tastes like vomit. Taste while cooking- it should be sweet with an undertone of sour. When it's cooked down to nearly the consistency you desire, add the maitake mushrooms. They'll soak up a lot of the moisture, and with it, a great deal of the flavor. Simmer until the venison is done. Use flour/corn starch to thicken.
To serve, just put the venison on the plate, with the apple on top, and spoon sauce over it. 4 medallions can serve 2-3 people, depending on what you serve on the side. We just did salad- it was the only thing in the house that really blended well.
And yes, for those that know my eating habits, a meal like this does violate my personal "food blending rules". They're more guidelines anyway.
I'd love to give you a real recipe, but I don't tend to cook that way- it's a "little of this/little of that" approach, structured around a theme. I can tell you what I did, but I can't give you measurements or anything like that. Use your eyes.
Ingredients: 4 Venison medallions, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, maitake mushrooms (I wanted truffles, but the grocery store didn't have any), cinnamon, nutmeg, flour (corn starch would be better), honey, 1 gala apple, sliced.
Prep: Wash the venison. Marinade the venison in a marinade made of equal parts cider and cider vinegar. Add a generous quantity of cinnamon and just a smidge of nutmeg. It should sit for a few hours in the refrigerator.
You can make the sauce and the venison at the same time- they'll both take roughly fifteen minutes.
Venison: Set the oven to broil, with the broiling pan inside. Allow to pre-heat. Heat a frying pan to a very high heat, then sear the medallions. You only need a moment on each side. Note- they're covered in cider, and that's going to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. Retrieve the broiling pan, and arrange the medallions on it. Top with apple slices, broil for about fifteen minutes. You want it to be cooked all the way through- venison isn't beef, rareness is not a virtue. A dish like this should be served no less than medium rare. This one came out medium- which is a good target.
Sauce: While the venison is broiling melt a pat of butter in a sauce pan. Add a dash of vinegar, a decent helping of cider, and the remainder of the apple. Heat to a boil. The apple will start to break down- we're essentially making apple sauce here. Stir, smash, etc. You may want to skin the apple before putting it in, or you can fish the skin out (or leave it in, your choice). As it cooks down, add a decent amount of cinnamon. Use honey to sweeten to taste. This part is actually a little tricky to get right- you want to be able to taste the vinegar, so you can't go too heavy on cider/honey. If the vinegar is too strong it tastes like vomit. Taste while cooking- it should be sweet with an undertone of sour. When it's cooked down to nearly the consistency you desire, add the maitake mushrooms. They'll soak up a lot of the moisture, and with it, a great deal of the flavor. Simmer until the venison is done. Use flour/corn starch to thicken.
To serve, just put the venison on the plate, with the apple on top, and spoon sauce over it. 4 medallions can serve 2-3 people, depending on what you serve on the side. We just did salad- it was the only thing in the house that really blended well.
And yes, for those that know my eating habits, a meal like this does violate my personal "food blending rules". They're more guidelines anyway.