- 4 3-ounce venison medallions (I get mine from Dartagnan’s)
- 4 cloves of garlic, paper removed and lightly smashed
- 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 1.5-ounce package More than Gourmet French Demi-Glace
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup tawny port (use the stuff from Portugal not the domestic US imitation)
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon balsamic or sherry vinegar
- ¼ cup dried currants
- 1 sprig each of thyme and rosemary
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
Fill a large stock pot or other food safe container with warm water. Insert your Joule sous vide into the container and set to 135°. Pat the venison medallions very dry with paper towels. Season medallions on both sides with salt and pepper. Put each medallion with a sprig of rosemary, a spring of thyme, and a clove of garlic in its own 6”x10” 3mil bag using your Weston vacuum sealer. Cook for 90 minutes.
In a small saucepan combine the demi glace, wine, port, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic or sherry vinegar, and currants. Put 1 sprig each of thyme and rosemary in a spice bag and add to sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Reduce by about half. (Here’s a trick I think I learned watching Alton Brown: sip a chopstick into the simmering liquid. Using a knife, scratch on the chop stick to mark the level of the liquid. Then use the chopstick like a dipstick to see how much of the liquid has evaporated.)
Reduce heat to low and keep sauce warm. Just before serving, remove spice bag, taste and adjust seasoning as needed, add a pat of butter and swirl to melt.
Remove venison from sous vide and bags, discarding garlic and herbs.
Heat a skillet over high heat. Add a drizzle of a high smoke point oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the venison medallions and sear for a minute or two per side.
Serve with some haricot verts and a puree of yams and parsnips.
With this meal I’d typically opt for a pretty young Napa Cabernet-based blend with a lot of fruit that will match the sauce and compliment the gamy flavor of the meat.
We drank a Jayson (Napa Valley) 2017. It’s a blend of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 15% Petite Sirah, and 4% Cabernet Franc. It’s big but refined. Lots of dark fruit with cherries, blackberries, and currants. A little java and mocha on the long finish.
