flipRoasted Venison with Pepper and Verjuice Sauce
Roasted Venison with Pepper and Verjuice Sauce
Why this dish? Deer and boar from the great imperial hunts graced Henry IV's table at Goslar and Worms. Serving heavily peppered venison displayed the Empire's wealth before princes and papal legates.
A shoulder of venison roasted on the spit, coated in a thick sauce of black pepper, ginger and verjuice, bound with breadcrumbs. The splendor of the Salian table in one bite.
Approach and see what is set before the Emperor of the Romans. This deer my huntsmen raised in my Saxon forests, and no one but I has the right to such a chase. It is rubbed with salt, turned on the spit until the fat sings on the embers, then covered with a sauce into which I have thrown pepper by the handful — for this pepper, think, has crossed seas and kingdoms to reach my table. Eat, and know what prince you are dealing with.
- •Shoulder or haunch of venison — a fine piece (noble game meat)
- •Lard — a few strips (fat for basting the spit)
- •Black peppercorns — generously (prestige spice, signature)
- •Ginger and cinnamon — a little (Eastern spices)
- •Verjuice (juice of unripe grapes) — to taste (acidity)
- •Wheat breadcrumbs — a handful (sauce thickener)
- •Salt — as needed (seasoning)
Roasted Venison with Pepper and Verjuice Sauce
A shoulder of venison roasted on the spit, coated in a thick sauce of black pepper, ginger and verjuice, bound with breadcrumbs. The splendor of the Salian table in one bite.
Why this dish? Deer and boar from the great imperial hunts graced Henry IV's table at Goslar and Worms. Serving heavily peppered venison displayed the Empire's wealth before princes and papal legates.
Approach and see what is set before the Emperor of the Romans. This deer my huntsmen raised in my Saxon forests, and no one but I has the right to such a chase. It is rubbed with salt, turned on the spit until the fat sings on the embers, then covered with a sauce into which I have thrown pepper by the handful — for this pepper, think, has crossed seas and kingdoms to reach my table. Eat, and know what prince you are dealing with.
Ingredients (period version)
- Shoulder or haunch of venison — a fine piece (noble game meat)
- Lard — a few strips (fat for basting the spit)
- Black peppercorns — generously (prestige spice, signature)
- Ginger and cinnamon — a little (Eastern spices)
- Verjuice (juice of unripe grapes) — to taste (acidity)
- Wheat breadcrumbs — a handful (sauce thickener)
- Salt — as needed (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Roast venison (or doe) — 1.2 kg (main meat)
- Smoked bacon slices — 4 (barding)
- Freshly ground black pepper — 2 tsp (signature spice)
- Ground ginger — 1/2 tsp (spice)
- Cinnamon — 1 pinch (spice)
- Verjuice (or grape juice + 1 tbsp vinegar) — 150 ml (acidity)
- Stale white breadcrumbs — 30 g (thickener)
- Game stock or water — 200 ml (liquid)
- Salt — 1 tsp (seasoning)
Method
- Salt the roast, bard it with bacon, and sear on all sides in a very hot casserole.
- Roast at 180°C for about 40 min for pink meat, basting with the rendered juices.
- Meanwhile, soak the breadcrumbs in verjuice.
- Deglaze the casserole with stock, add the crushed breadcrumbs, pepper, ginger and cinnamon; let thicken for 5 min.
- Slice the rested venison and generously coat with the pepper sauce.
- Serve with white bread, as at the imperial table.
How it was made : Large game was roasted on a spit before the hearth, basted with its own fat. Medieval sauces were thickened with bread (not roux, which came later) and soured with verjuice, never with lemon or tomato, unknown here. Pepper, imported at great cost via Venice and the Eastern routes, signaled the master's rank.
The contemporary twist : Plate the slice on a rustic wooden board with a streak of poivrade sauce and a few juniper berries: 'The Emperor's Hunt'.
Henri IV · Charactorium
