Ingredients for 4 people

  • 350 g venison filet 
  • 1 Tsp juniper berries
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • thyme
  • rosemary
  • black pepper
  • 2 Tsp olive oil (extra vergine)

season venison with oil, crash juniper berries, squashed garlic, thyme, rosemary and black pepper and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours. 

preheat the oven to 180°C. put the venison in and leave it for 15 minutes. turn the heat off and leave venison in the oven for another 10 minutes then take it out, cover it with an aluminum foil and let it rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. (keep the sauce and herbs to enrich the chocolate sauce)

cut the venison in pretty thick slices and serve with chocolate sauce, spätzli, red cabbage and poached pears. 

For the chocolate sauce

  • 20 g dark chocolate (85%)
  • 400 ml venison stock
  • the sauce that came out of the venison while in the oven
  • 2 tsp mustard
  • 1 glass (ca. 2.5 dl) strong red wine
  • 1 medium porcini finely sliced (other kind of mushrooms will work just fine)
  • 1 Tsp olive oil
  • salt & peper

start by heating olive oil in pan over medium-high temperature. add porcini and the sauce you kept from cooking venison before. after about 2 minutes pour in the red wine and let it reduce for a couple of minutes, or until the wine's smell isn't too strong. at this point add in all other ingredients, venison stock, chocolate, mustard and let it cook for about 10 minutes. taste your sauce and add salt and pepper if necessary. before serving pour your sauce in a food processor and mix it until smooth.

For the Quark-Spätzli

  • 300 g wheat flour
  • 250 g low-fat quark (curd cheese)
  • 3  large eggs
  • 100 ml tepid milk&water
  • 1 tsp salt

add the flour, salt in a bowl. stir to combine. make a well in the center of the flour, quark add the eggs, the milk-water, quark and mix the dough for a couple of minutes (use a mixer if you prefer).  add more flour if the mixture is too runny, or more milk if it is too stiff. the dough is done when “bubbles” begin to form.

place some of the dough in spätzli-sieve over some simmering salted water and scrape the dough through the holes. simmer for about 2-3 minutes or until they float to the top and then fish them out using a spotted spoon.

For the red cabbage

  • 500 g red cabbage
  • 1 onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 apples (grated)
  • 1.5 dl strong red wine
  • 1 dl orange juice
  • 1 dl apple juice
  • 1/2 orange zest
  • 1/2 lemon zest 
  • 3 Tsp cowberry jam
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 juniper berries
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • salt & pepper

eel off the outer leaves from the cabbage and discard. cut in half the cabbage, removing the tough stem, then thinly slice. add onion, apples, orange and lemon zest, juniper berries, bay leaves sugar and seasoning. add these ingredients in a pan over high heat, then pour in the wine. when the wine has evaporated pour in the apple and orange juice, the cowberry jam and simmer with a lid on over low heat for 1½ hrs, until tender.

For the poached pears

  • 2 large pears
  • 5 dl strong red wine
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 cloves
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 star anis
  • 4 juniper berries
  • cowberry jam

pour wine in a pan, add in the cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, anis, juniper berries and bring to boil. reduce temperature and poach the pears, covered, for 20-30 mins, making sure they are covered in the wine (if not you can add some water). the cooking time will very much depend on the ripeness of your pears – they should be tender all the way through when pierced with a cocktail stick.

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