flipRoasted Venison with Pepper Sauce
Roasted Venison with Pepper Sauce
Why this dish? The royal table offered venison, noble game reserved for the aristocracy and the fruit of the king's hunts. For a duke's daughter who became queen of France, this roast served on a trencher embodied the splendor of the great Capetian feasts over which Berthe briefly presided alongside Robert II.
A haunch of roe deer roasted on a spit, coated with a dark sauce thickened with toasted bread, spiced with pepper and ginger, and sharpened with verjuice: the medieval balance of pungent and sour, without any sweetness, which marked the meat dishes of the great.
Come closer, and see what was prepared for my lord the king: the game from his forests, slowly turned on the spit until the fat sizzles on the embers. We suffered no bland meat at our table—my sauce I want fiery with pepper and sharp with verjuice, thickened with toasted crumb as the cooks of Blois taught me. Lay some on your trencher, eat with the point of your knife, and give thanks, for such meat falls only to those whom God has placed above others.
- •Haunch of roe deer or stag — one large piece (noble meat for the roast)
- •Long pepper and round pepper — a good pinch, ground (signature spice)
- •Powdered ginger — a little (spicy warmth)
- •Verjuice (juice of unripe grapes) — a splash (acidity)
- •Stale breadcrumbs, toasted — a few crusts (sauce thickener)
- •Meat broth — as needed (moistening)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Roasted Venison with Pepper Sauce
A haunch of roe deer roasted on a spit, coated with a dark sauce thickened with toasted bread, spiced with pepper and ginger, and sharpened with verjuice: the medieval balance of pungent and sour, without any sweetness, which marked the meat dishes of the great.
Why this dish? The royal table offered venison, noble game reserved for the aristocracy and the fruit of the king's hunts. For a duke's daughter who became queen of France, this roast served on a trencher embodied the splendor of the great Capetian feasts over which Berthe briefly presided alongside Robert II.
Come closer, and see what was prepared for my lord the king: the game from his forests, slowly turned on the spit until the fat sizzles on the embers. We suffered no bland meat at our table—my sauce I want fiery with pepper and sharp with verjuice, thickened with toasted crumb as the cooks of Blois taught me. Lay some on your trencher, eat with the point of your knife, and give thanks, for such meat falls only to those whom God has placed above others.
Ingredients (period version)
- Haunch of roe deer or stag — one large piece (noble meat for the roast)
- Long pepper and round pepper — a good pinch, ground (signature spice)
- Powdered ginger — a little (spicy warmth)
- Verjuice (juice of unripe grapes) — a splash (acidity)
- Stale breadcrumbs, toasted — a few crusts (sauce thickener)
- Meat broth — as needed (moistening)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Roast venison (roe deer or doe) — 1 kg (main meat)
- Freshly ground black pepper — 1 tsp (signature spice)
- Ground ginger — 1/2 tsp (spicy warmth)
- Verjuice (or white grape juice + 1 dash vinegar) — 100 ml (acidity)
- Stale country bread — 2 slices, toasted (thickener)
- Chicken or beef broth — 250 ml (moistening)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Salt the roast and sear it on all sides in a casserole, then roast in the oven at 200°C (about 15 min per 500 g for pink meat).
- Meanwhile, toast the bread, then crumble it and soak in hot broth.
- Blend or mash the soaked bread with the pepper, ginger, and verjuice to obtain a dark, velvety sauce.
- Pour the sauce into the casserole, scrape up the pan juices, and let simmer for 5 min until thickened.
- Slice the venison, coat with the pepper sauce, and serve immediately.
How it was made : Medieval sauces were thickened not with butter or cream but with toasted breadcrumbs, and soured with verjuice rather than lemon. Since sugar was rare and precious, meat dishes on meat days remained boldly pungent and sour.
The contemporary twist : Serve the trencher as a playful nod: a thick slice of grilled rye bread under the meat, to be eaten soaked with sauce at the end.
Berthe de Bourgogne · Charactorium
