Roast venison with pepper sauce, for the great table
A haunch of venison (deer or roe deer) roasted on the spit, coated in a dark, peppery sauce spiked with wine and spices, presented as the centerpiece of the table.
A haunch of venison (deer or roe deer) roasted on the spit, coated in a dark, peppery sauce spiked with wine and spices, presented as the centerpiece of the table.
Here, my friends, is a dish that no queen need blush for: a fine haunch of deer from our Windsor parks, brought to the spit until its fat sings. One bastes it without cease, peppers it generously, and dresses it with a sauce of red wine and spices that my cooks keep secret. I will not hide from you that I have a good appetite, and such a roast, placed in the middle of my table among twenty other dishes, is worth all the speeches in Parliament.
- •Haunch of venison (deer or roe deer) — a fine piece (main meat)
- •Lard for barding — as needed (moisture and fat)
- •Strong red wine (claret) — a good glass (sauce)
- •Pepper, nutmeg, clove, ginger — to discretion (baroque spices)
- •Wine vinegar — a dash (acidity for pepper sauce)
Roast venison with pepper sauce, for the great table
A haunch of venison (deer or roe deer) roasted on the spit, coated in a dark, peppery sauce spiked with wine and spices, presented as the centerpiece of the table.
Why this dish? Anne's baroque royal table groaned under roast meats and game; venison from the royal parks of Windsor was the showpiece dish par excellence, a mark of rank and generosity, served at court banquets where the queen was known for her hearty appetite.
Here, my friends, is a dish that no queen need blush for: a fine haunch of deer from our Windsor parks, brought to the spit until its fat sings. One bastes it without cease, peppers it generously, and dresses it with a sauce of red wine and spices that my cooks keep secret. I will not hide from you that I have a good appetite, and such a roast, placed in the middle of my table among twenty other dishes, is worth all the speeches in Parliament.
Ingredients (period version)
- Haunch of venison (deer or roe deer) — a fine piece (main meat)
- Lard for barding — as needed (moisture and fat)
- Strong red wine (claret) — a good glass (sauce)
- Pepper, nutmeg, clove, ginger — to discretion (baroque spices)
- Wine vinegar — a dash (acidity for pepper sauce)
Ingredients
- Roast venison (deer or roe deer) — 1.2 kg (main meat)
- Lard strips — 100 g (moisture and fat)
- Full-bodied red wine — 250 ml (sauce)
- Shallots — 3 (sauce base)
- Coarsely ground black pepper, grated nutmeg, 2 cloves, 1 pinch ginger — to taste (baroque spices)
- Red wine vinegar — 1 tbsp (acidity)
- Game or beef stock — 200 ml (sauce binder)
Method
- Bard the roast with lard and tie it; bring the meat to room temperature.
- Sear the piece on all sides in a Dutch oven, then roast in the oven at 200 °C, basting regularly (about 15–18 min per 500 g for pink meat).
- Keep the meat warm under foil.
- In the Dutch oven, sweat the chopped shallots, deglaze with red wine and vinegar, add stock and spices.
- Reduce by half, adjust pepper and salt, strain through a sieve.
- Slice the venison, coat with pepper sauce, and present as a centerpiece.
How it was made : Roasting was done on a spit before a great fire, with a kitchen boy turning the crank and basting the meat with its own fat. The "pepper sauce" with wine and spices, inherited from the Middle Ages, remained the classic companion for game on noble tables. Game from royal parks was a strictly reserved privilege.
The contemporary twist : Serve the venison sliced in a fan on the plate, with the pepper sauce as a mirror and a few crushed juniper berries: baroque majesty revisited in contemporary plating.
Sources : Patrick Lamb, Royal Cookery: or, The Compleat Court-Cook (1710) · Robert May, The Accomplisht Cook (1685 ed.)
Anne of Great Britain · Charactorium
