Venison Leg
Ingredients:
15 lbs Venison leg
2 bottles of red wine
1 handful thyme
1 handful rosemary
2 cloves of garlic
8 juniper berries
8 pepper corns
10 juniper leaves
2 lbs salt
¼ lb butter
4 big turnips
1 lb chestnuts
Spices for the pickling: juniper berries, cloves, onion, pepper corns and thyme
¼ gal vinegar
2 lbs cane sugar
3 lbs cleaned celeriac
4 big apples
3 cups of cream
¼ gal whole milk
Goose fat
Salt and pepper
Directions:
The day before: Mix a marinade of red wine, rosemary, thyme, garlic, juniper berries, pepper corn and juniper leaves. Put the leg in a big container with the marinade. Cover it up and let it be over night.
Next day: Put the leg on a grill and rub it with salt and goose fat. Cook in the oven at 480°F for -20min. Turn the heat to 250°F and continue cooking for 2 ½ - 3 hours, basting. The core temperature needs to reach 130°F.
Cut a cross in the pointy end of the chestnuts and put them in a dish with all the salt. Bake them at 430°F for 40min. Peel and glaze.
Boil the vinegar with the sugar and spices for pickling. Remove from the heat as soon as the sugar dissolves. Slice the turnips on a mandolin and cover them with the hot vinegar. Let it cool off a bit, and put in the fridge.
Cut three apples and the celeriac into cubes and cook them with the cream, milk and a little water until they are tender. Remove from the pot and blend it with the liquid. Season with salt and pepper and plate it with cubes from the last apple.
Melt the sugar in a pot and add the butter in small bits. Put in the chestnuts and stir until they are caramelized.
