Recipes Main Ingredient Venison
For the Crown
2 Broadleaf Venison 8 Rib Racks
Cracked Black Pepper
Salt
Oil or melted butter
Melted red currant jelly
Butchers or cotton string
The Fruit Stuffing
2 strips lean bacon
31/2 oz. butter
1 large white onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 pitted prunes, chopped
8 dried figs, chopped
8 dried apricots, chopped
1 tsp. each chopped parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
To prepare the stuffing:
Chop bacon into small dice, and sauté in melted butter for 3-4 minutes. Chop onion, celery, and garlic then add to bacon in pan and sauté another 4 minutes. Add chopped fruit, seasoning and herbs and sauté another minute. Stir in bread crumbs, remove from heat and allow to cool before using.
To prepare the Venison Crown:
Clean any silverskin from meat and scrape bones clean. Cover each bone with aluminum foil. Cut down between each cutlet through the bone towards the eye of the meat to make it easier to form the "crown" shape. Season and sear each rack for two minutes to brown. Place both racks on a board and form a circle or "crown", with the bones on the outside of the circle. Tie with butchers string to keep shape. Brush meat with melted jelly and oil or melted butter.
Putting it all together:
Preheat oven to 430oF. Place the stuffing in the center of the crown. Place crown in in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Lower oven to 350oF. and cook for another 15 minutes for rare, or 20 minutes for medium rare. Remove from oven and rest the meat for 6-8 minutes to allow juices to disperse. Place the crown in a serving pan and make gravy from the pan drippings in the usual fashion. Serve with a boquetiere of steamed summer vegetables and minted new potatoes.
Suggested New Zealand Wine: Te Mata "Bullnose" Syrah 1996
When most people think of holiday meals, they think of a roasted turkey or goose. But if you really want to pull out the stops, a Crown Rack of Venison gives you spectacular presentation, and a taste that is a great change of pace from poultry!