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4. Heat the clarified butter or oil in a pan. Add the chopped shallot or onion and fry until golden. Add the cabbage, white wine and season with salt and pepper. Cover and braise the cabbage for 8–15 minutes until cooked, stirring occasionally.
5. Take the duck legs out of the pan, cover and let rest for about 10 minutes.
6. Remove some fat from the cooking juices using a spoon, then add the cabbage with the cooking liquid to the braising juices and cook briefly. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley. Put the cabbage on a dish and arrange the duck legs on top.
Accompaniment: Potato dumplings.
Tip: Instead of pointed cabbage you can also use Savoy cabbage.
POULTRY
61 | Breast of duck with orange sauce
With alcohol
Preparation time: about 35 minutes
2 duck breast fillets, about 300 g/10 oz each
salt
freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons honey
15 g/1⁄2 oz (1 tablespoon) butter
3–4 teaspoons orange liqueur, e.g. Grand Marnier
For the orange sauce:
1 untreated orange
150 g/5 oz crème fraîche
salt
freshly ground pepper
some honey
Per serving:
P: 28 g, F: 37 g, C: 11 g, kJ: 2118, kcal: 507
1. Rinse the duck breasts under cold running water, pat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a frying pan without any fat. Put the fillets in the pan with the fatty side downwards and fry for about 6 minutes. Then turn the fillets and fry on the other side for another 6 minutes.
3. Shortly before the duck fillets are cooked, coat the skin of the duck fillets with honey, using a pastry brush and add some butter. Pour the orange liqueur over the fillets and then remove them from the pan. Place on a preheated dish and keep in a warm place.
4. To make the orange sauce, wash the orange under hot running water, wipe dry, peel thinly and cut the peel into very fine strips, or peel the orange with a zester. Cut the orange in half and squeeze it.
5. Skim the fat off the cooking juices with a spoon or pour it off. Scrape the bits at the bottom of the pan while adding the orange juice and zest to the cooking juices. Stir in the crème fraîche and bring to the boil. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and honey. The cooking juices from the duck fillets may also be added. Serve the sauce with the duck fillets.
Accompaniment: Tagliatelle or pommes duchesse.
Tip: You can also flambé the duck fillets with orange liqueur. To do this, heat 4–5 tablespoons orange liqueur in small saucepan, set light to the alcohol and pour over the duck fillets.
ADVICE
Game
Game is divided as follows:
Roe deer has delicious redbrown venison and is available on the market as fresh meat during the shooting season, between May and February.
Red deer has very tender, finefibered dark venison (young specimens up to 3 years old) and is available on the market as fresh meat during the shooting season, between June and February. During the rutting period the meat often has a strong, distinctive taste.
Fallow deer produces more tender venison than red deer but it is also more marbled with fatty streaks. Its taste very much resembles that of roe deer. The hunting season starts in July and continues until February. As well as being shot, fallow deer can also be bred.
Wild boar In the case of wild boar it is important that the meat comes from young animals (young boars). The meat of older boars is tougher, fatter, more difficult to digest and has a layer of bacon fat. The shooting season for young boars is from June until January.
Hares up to 8 months old have very tender, red-brown meat. The quality of the meat depends on the age of the animal and its environment. The shooting season is from October to January.
Pheasants, which are often sold ready-to-roast, are the size of chicken and have tender, juicy meat, especially young animals. The shooting season is from October until January. Pheasants are also often bred.
Partridges are the size of pigeons and produce very tender meat with a delicate taste. This is especially true when the animal is young. The shooting season is from September until December.
Preparation
The game offered in shops is usually already skinned and cut into pieces. The cuts usually available are the following:
• Saddle, leg, whole hare for roasting.
• Shoulder, foreleg for braising.
• Neck, belly, breast for stewing.
Game should always be well cooked.
Skinning
Game (except for wild fowl) must be skinned before it can be prepared. For this you will need a pointed, very sharp knife which you will slide with great care under the sinewy skin and make an incision. Then gently pull the end of the cut sinew using your hand, slightly lifting the knife with the blade upwards and pulling off the skin in large strips.
Marinating/pickling
“Marinating” refers to the process of pickling the meat to alter the taste of the meat or to reduce its strong, “gamy” taste. Marinating is especially common in the case of older animals and cheaper cuts. The meat (frozen meat should be defrosted first) is marinated for a period of 12 hours to 4 days. This makes the meat more tender and juicier while reducing the strong gamy taste, as the meat absorbs the flavours of the marinade. Besides the usual main ingredients such as vinegar, wine or buttermilk, marinades also include condiments and onions. Condiments should only be added in small amounts in order to avoid excessive seasoning. Do not add salt to the marinade – it would dry out the meat. The meat should be completely covered by the marinade. Cover the container and refrigerate.
Basic recipe for a red wine marinade:
Take 200 g/7 oz onions, 150 g/ 5 oz carrots and 150 g/5 oz celeriac. Wash and chop coarsely. Add 2 sprigs of thyme, 1 tablespoon slightly crushed juniper berries, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, 4 cloves and 2 bay leaves. Mix all together and arrange on top of the meat. Mix together 1 litre/13⁄4 pints (41⁄2 cups) red wine and 40 ml/11⁄2 tablespoons port and pour over the meat and vegetables.
Barding and larding
Larding consists of inserting strips of bacon into a large cut of meat with a larding needle. This may damage the meat fibres, allowing the meat juices to run out and causing the meat to dry out. If buying already larded game, check that the bacon is fresh because it can easily go rancid while being stored.
In order to prevent the meat from drying out during the cooking process, lean game is wrapped in (barded with) slices of fatty or streaky bacon and the bacon is secured with kitchen string. The bacon can then be removed after cooking and the meat remains tender and juicy.
Very lean wild fowl should also be barded to prevent it from drying out.
The bacon is removed after cooking and can also be eaten.
Carving saddle of hare and venison
Roast saddle of hare or venison is carved into individual servings as follows:
• Place the saddle on a carving board with the bone downwards.
• Cut along the bone with a sharp knife, then detach the bone underneath.
• Remove the small fillets on the underneath of the bone.
• Cut the meat which you have detached from the bone in pieces or slices and arrange on a preheated dish with the fillets.
If you do not have much time you can also detach the saddle from the bone when still raw and briefly fry.
Frozen game
Deep-frozen game is available all year round in the shops. The meat will have become more tender as result of the freezing process. Frozen game may be kept at a temperature of -18 °C/0 °F for one year and wild fowl for 8–10 months. Frozen game should be defrosted in the refrigerator, covered, and the defrosted meat prepared immediately.
GAME
62 | Saddle of venison, Baden style
With alcohol
Preparation time: about 90 minut
es
1 saddle of venison with bones, weighing about 1.6 kg/31⁄2 lb
salt
freshly ground pepper
75 g/3 oz sliced streaky bacon
1 onion
50 g/2 oz celeriac
100 g/31⁄2 oz carrots
5 juniper berries
125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) dry red wine or vegetable stock
2–3 pears, e.g. Williams Christian
200 ml/7 fl oz (7⁄8 cup) sweet white wine
juice of 1 lemon
200 ml/7 fl oz (7⁄8 cup) dry red wine
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) whipping cream
180 g/61⁄2 oz cranberry preserve
dark sauce thickener (optional)
Per serving:
P: 67 g, F: 31 g, C: 29 g, kJ: 2925, kcal: 699
1. Preheat the oven. Rinse the saddle of venison under cold running water, pat dry and remove the skin. Rub the meat with salt and pepper and place it in a casserole rinsed in water, and cover with slices of bacon.
2. Peel and finely chop the onions. Clean the celeriac and carrots, peel, wash, leave to drain and dice. Place the casserole without lid in the oven. As soon as the juices begin to brown, add the juniper berries and red wine or vegetable stock.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 6 (not preheated),
Cooking time: 35–50 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, wash the pears, cut in half and remove the core, preferably with a scoop-shaped melon baller. Add the pear halves to the white wine and lemon juice, bring to the boil and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Take the pears out of the liquid with a skimming ladle and leave to cool.
4. Take the cooked meat out of the roasting tin, cover and let rest for about 10 minutes. Deglaze the cooking juices with red wine and strain with the vegetables through a sieve, bring to the boil and stir in the cream. Add 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce, bring back to the boil and allow to bubble for 3–5 minutes. You can add the meat juices which have run out of the resting meat to the sauce. Thicken the sauce with gravy thickener if you like, and season again with the various condiments.
5. Remove the slices of bacon. Loosen the meat from the bone, cut into slices and put back on the bone and arrange on a preheated dish.
6. Fill the pear halves with the rest of the cranberry sauce and place around the saddle. Serve the sauce separately.
Accompaniment: Spätzle, mushrooms and red cabbage.
GAME
63 | Haunch of venison
Suitable for freezing (6 servings)
Preparation time: about 3 hours, excluding marinating time
1.5 kg/31⁄4 lb haunch of venison with bones
2 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil
1 teaspoon each dried marjoram and thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
100 g/31⁄2 oz thinly sliced fatty bacon
salt
freshly ground pepper
about 150 ml/5 fl oz (5⁄8 cup) hot game or vegetable stock
1 onion
100 g/31⁄2 oz carrots 150 g/5 oz leeks
For the sauce:
125 ml/4 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) red wine
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) game or vegetable stock
100 ml/31⁄2 fl oz (1⁄2 cup) whipping cream
20 g/3⁄4 oz (3 tablespoons) plain (allpurpose) flour
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons cranberries (from the jar)
some small thyme leaves
Per serving:
P: 46 g, F: 19 g, C: 6 g, kJ: 1640, kcal: 392
1. Rinse the meat under cold running water, pat dry and remove the skin. Stir the marjoram, thyme and rosemary into the oil and coat the haunch with this mixture. Cover and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Preheat the oven. Arrange half the bacon slices in a roasting pan, pre-rinsed with water. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the venison, place it on top of the bacon slices in the roasting pan and cover with the rest of the bacon slices. Put the roasting pan without lid in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 6 (not preheated),
Cooking time: about 60 minutes.
3. As soon as the cooking juices begin to brown add 150 ml/5 fl oz (5⁄8 cup) hot game or vegetable stock. Baste the meat from time to time with the cooking juices and replace the evaporated liquid with hot water or hot stock whenever necessary.
4. Meanwhile, peel the onions. Peel the carrots and cut off the green leaves and the tips. Remove the outer leaves of the leeks, cut off the root ends and dark leaves. Cut in half lengthways, wash thoroughly and leave to drain. Coarsely chop all the vegetables. After the 60 minutes roasting time, add the vegetables to the roasting pan with meat and cook for a further 60-90 minutes.
5. Allow the cooked venison to rest covered for about 10 minutes to ensure that the meat juices are well distributed. Remove the slices of bacon, cut into slices and arrange on a preheated dish.
6. To make the sauce, deglaze the cooking juices with red wine and game or vegetable stock. Strain this liquid with the vegetables through a sieve, add the cream and bring back to the boil. Mix flour and water together and stir well to obtain a smooth consistency. Add to the boiling liquid, stirring continuously to make sure that no lumps are formed. Simmer gently without a lid for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cranberries, thyme and if you like the meat juices that have run out from the meat while it was resting. Season the sauce and serve with the meat.
Accompaniment: Boiled potatoes or potato dumplings and red cabbage or Brussels sprouts.
GAME
64 | Venison ragout
For guests
Preparation time: about 90 minutes
800 g/13⁄4 lb venison from the leg, boned, e.g. deer, boar
75 g/3 oz streaky bacon
1 onion 30 g/1 oz (2 tablespoons) clarified butter or 2 tablespoons cooking oil, e.g. sunflower oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
10 g/1⁄3 oz (11⁄2 table spoons) plain (allpurpose) flour
4 juniper berries
3 cloves
2 pinches dried thyme
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) vegetable stock or game stock
250 g/9 oz mushrooms or chanterelles
4 teaspoons red currant jelly
4 teaspoons port
50 g/2 oz (4 tablespoons) cold butter flakes
Per serving:
P: 47 g, F: 25 g, C: 8 g, kJ: 1880, kcal: 449
1. Rinse the meat under cold running water, pat dry, remove the skin and cut into cubes of about 2.5 cm/1 in. Finely dice the bacon. Peel and chop the onion.
2. Heat the clarified butter or oil in a pan. Add the diced bacon and fry until golden brown. Now add the cubed meat, brown well on all sides and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the chopped onion and brown with the meat. Sprinkle flour over the meat. Add a good half of the hot vegetable or game stock to the pan together with the juniper berries, cloves and thyme. Bring to the boil while stirring, then cover and cook the meat over medium heat for about 55 minutes. Replace the evaporated liquid with vegetable or game stock whenever necessary.
4. Meanwhile, cut the stalks off the mushrooms and remove any bad parts, wipe clean with kitchen paper, rinse if necessary and pat dry (large mushrooms should be halved or quartered). Add the mushrooms to the ragout and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the red currant jelly, beat in the butter flakes and season the ragout with salt and pepper.
Accompaniment: Boiled potatoes, potato dumplings or Spätzle, red cabbage or Brussels sprouts and cranberry sauce.
Tip: Marinating the meat overnight in buttermilk will make the meat more tender and reduce the strong taste of game. Then pat thoroughly dry and cut into cubes.
The sauce may also be thickened with dark gravy thickener instead of butter.
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GAME
65 | Pheasant with sauerkraut and wine
A little more expensive
Preparation time: about 13⁄4 hours
1 onion
1 can sauerkraut, drained weight 770 g/13⁄4 lb
1 small bay leaf
a few peppercorns
a few juniper berries
salt
250 ml/8 fl oz (1 cup) white wine
1 oven-ready pheasant of about 1 kg/21⁄4 lb
6 slices streaky bacon
200 g/7 oz black grapes
200 g/7 oz white grapes
some sugar
chervil or parsley
tomato segments
Per serving:
P: 58 g, F: 16 g, C: 19 g, kJ: 2108, kcal: 503
1. Preheat the oven, top and bottom. Peel and chop the onion, then mix it well with the sauerkraut, bay leaf, peppercorns and juniper berries. Season with salt, put in an ovenproof dish or casserole and pour the wine over it.
2. Rinse the pheasant inside and out under cold running water, wipe dry, cut into quarters and rub with salt inside and out. Position it on the sauerkraut so that as much as possible is covered by the pheasant. Arrange the bacon slices over the pheasant. Cover the soufflé dish or roasting pan and put in the oven.
Top/bottom heat: about 200 °C/400 °F (preheated),
Fan oven: about 180 °C/350 °F (not preheated), Gas mark 6 (not preheated),
Cooking time: about 25 minutes.
3. At this point, remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes at the same oven temperature.
4. Meanwhile, wash the grapes, drain, cut in half and remove the pips.
5. Remove the cooked pheasant pieces from the ovenproof dish or casserole, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Add the grapes to the sauerkraut, mix well and season with sugar. Cover the ovenproof dish or casserole with a lid and return to the oven. Cook for about another 10 minutes at the same oven temperature.