Venison Fillet with Chestnuts

Ingredients

• 500 g chestnuts (sweet chestnuts)
• 125 ml whipping cream
• 300 ml game stock
• Salt
• ground pepper
• 1 Carrot
• 0.25 celery stalk
• 2 venison back fillets (about 400 g each)
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 leek stalk
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 0.125 l dry red wine
• 2 tbsp lingonberry jam
• 5 juniper berries
• 2 bunches spring onions
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp stiffly whipped cream
• sage flower (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Preheat the oven to 220°C with upper and lower heat.

2. 2.

   Score the chestnuts crosswise and roast in the hot oven for about 30 minutes until the shell opens, the interior turns golden yellow and slightly toasted. Remove the chestnuts, let them cool a bit, peel thoroughly (set aside 8 nice chestnuts and keep warm) and roughly chop the rest. Heat the chestnuts with cream and 50 ml stock in a pot, puree, and season with salt and pepper. Peel the carrot and celery and cut into 1 cm cubes.

3. 3.

   Wash, pat dry, salt, pepper the venison fillets and brown them all around in a hot pan with oil. Remove the meat, wrap in foil and bake at 80°C for about 25 more minutes to finish gently. Shake the herbs dry and lightly brown them with the vegetables in the pan drippings. Add wine and remaining stock, jam and juniper berries, reduce to half. Strain the sauce through a sieve, taste, and keep warm. Wash and trim spring onions, cut off greens, boil in salted water for about 6 minutes, drain, shock, and dry. For serving, swirl the spring onions in hot butter and heat them. Warm the chestnut puree while stirring and finish with whipped cream, taste again. Slice the venison diagonally, stir the released drippings into the sauce. Plate the fillets with chestnut puree and spring onions, pour sauce over warmed plates, garnish with sage flowers.