Venison Cutlets in Almond Crust with Cranberry Sauce
Tradition
Christmas eve or Christmas day, a roasted goose takes pride of place on the dining table, sometimes replaced with a roast of Westphalian beef or venison.
Ingredients
8 venison cutlets, 50 to 60 g (2 to 2 1/2 oz.)
2 eggs
2 tbsp. whipped cream
250 g (8 oz.) shelled ground almonds
2 tbsp. chopped rosemary needles
Salt and black pepper
50 g (1/2 cup) flour
5 tbsp. butter and oil
Sauce
100 g (3 1/2 oz.) red onion
1 tbsp. butter
50 ml (3 tbsp.) port
400 ml (1 1/2 cups) game stock
1 rosemary sprig
3 juniper berries
A little Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cranberries
1 tbsp. cranberry jam
Salt and pepper
Vegetables:
400 g (14 oz.) Brussels sprouts
2 tbsp. butter
50 g (2 oz.) diced shallot
1 tbsp. diced tomato
1 tsp. chopped parsley
Salt, pepper, ground nutmeg
Preparing the venison:
Wash the venison cutlets and pat them dry. Whisk the eggs with the whipped cream. Mix in the ground almonds and chopped rosemary. Combine the flour and ground almonds. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Dip them into the egg mixture, then into the flour, then coat with the almond mixture. Heat the butter and oil in a non-stick pan and fry the cutlets until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. Keep warm.
Preparing the sauce
Peel and dice the red onion. Sweat in a non-stick pan in the 1 tbsp. hot butter until translucent. Add the port and bring to a boil. Add the game stock, then the rosemary sprig, crushed juniper berries and mustard and reduce by half. Blend the cornstarch with a little cold water and whisk into the sauce. Strain the sauce. Stir the cranberries and cranberry jam into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preparing the Brussel sprouts and finishing
Remove the outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts and blanch in boiling salted water. Drain on paper towels.
Heat the butter in a skillet and sweat the shallot until transparent. Add the Brussels sprouts, diced tomato and parsley and stir to coat with the butter. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Serve the venison cutlets with the cranberry sauce and the Brussels sprout leaves. Accompany with Duchess potatoes. Serves 4.