Venison Medallions with Chestnuts

Ingredients

• 4 venison medallions ca. 150 g (3-4 cm thick)
• 2 tsp juniper berries
• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• 250 g peeled chestnuts (pre-cooked)
• 30 ml vegetable broth
• 1 tsp grated untreated lemon zest
• 1 tsp curry powder
• nutmeg
• pepper (ground)
• Salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp cream cheese
• butter for frying
• 1 onion
• 200 g carrots
• 30 g fresh ginger (1 piece)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 250 ml vegetable broth
• 100 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
• 0.5 tsp honey
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 0.25 tsp ground coriander
• 0.5 tsp mace
• 100 g Sour cream
• 4 tbsp coarsely chopped walnut kernels
• thyme sprig (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash and pat the venison medallions dry.

2. 2.

   Crush juniper berries, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick, mix with olive oil, rub onto the medallions, and let marinate for several hours.

3. 3.

   For the chestnut mixture, finely dice the onion and sauté in butter until golden yellow. Chop the chestnuts, add to the pan, sauté briefly, pour in a little vegetable broth, season with lemon zest, curry, nutmeg, pepper, and salt, cover and cook 5-10 minutes.

4. 4.

   Stir in lemon juice and cream cheese, taste the mixture.

5. 5.

   Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F) with upper and lower heat.

6. 6.

   Brush a shallow oven-safe dish with butter.

7. 7.

   Heat clarified butter and sear the medallions on both sides for 2 minutes each, then season. Transfer the fat to an oven-safe dish, place the medallions, brush with chestnut mixture, bake 15-20 minutes.

8. 8.

   For the sauce, peel and finely dice onion and carrots, grate fresh ginger. Sauté onions in butter until translucent, add carrots and ginger, pour in vegetable broth and orange juice, season with honey, turmeric, coriander, mace, and pepper, cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes until soft, then puree finely.

9. 9.

   Season, fold in sour cream just before serving, sprinkle walnut kernels, garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve immediately over the medallions.