Name: Venison Roast in Buttermilk and Red Wine Marinade
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 3040 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 1.2 kg venison for roasting (e.g. haunch), boneless and trimmed; 1 l buttermilk (the meat must be completely covered); 200 ml dry red wine; 2 tbsp game seasoning (spice blend); 2 tbsp clarified butter; salt and pepper; 2 onions, roughly chopped; 200 g crème fraîche; 400 ml stock; 200 ml dry red wine; 1 carrot, roughly chopped; 5 juniper berries; 1 clove garlic; 2 sprigs thyme; 100 g porcini or mixed mushrooms, cleaned and chopped (optional, gives the sauce a woodland flavour); 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly (to taste)

Preparation

Two days ahead, put the meat in a dish and pour the buttermilk, red wine and game seasoning over it so that everything is covered. Cover with a lid, keep in a cool place and turn from time to time.
Take the meat out of the marinade, rinse, pat thoroughly dry, and season with salt and pepper. Keep the marinade. Heat the clarified butter in a roasting pan, brown the meat until golden and remove it.
Fry the onions first in the cooking fat, then add the crème fraîche and let it turn brown. Pour in the stock and red wine, and add the thyme, carrot, juniper, garlic and, if you like, the mushrooms.
Return the meat to the roasting pan and cook, covered, in the oven at 180 °C for about 2 hours; check the liquid from time to time and top up with strained marinade or water if needed. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes, making sure enough sauce remains in the pan.
Switch the oven off and let the meat rest in the sauce until it is carved. Season the sauce with redcurrant jelly, salt and pepper; if you prefer it smoother, pass it through a sieve.
Slice the meat and serve with the sauce; red cabbage, dumplings and cranberries or pears go well with it.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) or Blaufränkisch, dry
Dark fruit and spice go with the red wine sauce and the redcurrant jelly, and the acidity keeps the crème fraîche fresh.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Dark beer · excellent match
Fränkisches Dunkel or schwarzbier (dark lager)
Roasted malt mirrors the dark, browned sauce, and the light bitterness cuts through the crème fraîche.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Sherry-cask whisky · excellent match
Sherry-cask single malt, with a splash of water at the table
Game with a dark berry sauce is one of the signature dishes for a sherry-cask malt: dried fruit and spice pick up the redcurrant and juniper, and a splash of water holds the alcohol back against the crème fraîche.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?

Why it pairs well

Besides red wine, a dark beer is the usual choice with venison roast in Franconia; the buttermilk marinade makes the meat mild enough for it.

Preparation

Two days ahead, put the meat in a dish and pour the buttermilk, red wine and game seasoning over it so that everything is covered. Cover with a lid, keep in a cool place and turn from time to time.
Take the meat out of the marinade, rinse, pat thoroughly dry, and season with salt and pepper. Keep the marinade. Heat the clarified butter in a roasting pan, brown the meat until golden and remove it.
Fry the onions first in the cooking fat, then add the crème fraîche and let it turn brown. Pour in the stock and red wine, and add the thyme, carrot, juniper, garlic and, if you like, the mushrooms.
Return the meat to the roasting pan and cook, covered, in the oven at 180 °C for about 2 hours; check the liquid from time to time and top up with strained marinade or water if needed. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes, making sure enough sauce remains in the pan.
Switch the oven off and let the meat rest in the sauce until it is carved. Season the sauce with redcurrant jelly, salt and pepper; if you prefer it smoother, pass it through a sieve.
Slice the meat and serve with the sauce; red cabbage, dumplings and cranberries or pears go well with it.

Drink with it

Red wine · excellent match
Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) or Blaufränkisch, dry
Dark fruit and spice go with the red wine sauce and the redcurrant jelly, and the acidity keeps the crème fraîche fresh.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Dark beer · excellent match
Fränkisches Dunkel or schwarzbier (dark lager)
Roasted malt mirrors the dark, browned sauce, and the light bitterness cuts through the crème fraîche.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Sherry-cask whisky · excellent match
Sherry-cask single malt, with a splash of water at the table
Game with a dark berry sauce is one of the signature dishes for a sherry-cask malt: dried fruit and spice pick up the redcurrant and juniper, and a splash of water holds the alcohol back against the crème fraîche.
What Does the Cask Do to Whisky?

Why it pairs well

Besides red wine, a dark beer is the usual choice with venison roast in Franconia; the buttermilk marinade makes the meat mild enough for it.

Venison Roast in Buttermilk and Red Wine Marinade

Preparation

Drink with it

Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) or Blaufränkisch, dry

Fränkisches Dunkel or schwarzbier (dark lager)

Sherry-cask single malt, with a splash of water at the table

This pairs well too.

Oven-Roasted Wild Boar

Venison Goulash with Porcini and Lingonberries

Wild Boar Goulash

Duck Breast with Honey and Mustard

Venison Roast in Buttermilk and Red Wine Marinade

Preparation

Drink with it

Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) or Blaufränkisch, dry

Fränkisches Dunkel or schwarzbier (dark lager)

Sherry-cask single malt, with a splash of water at the table

This pairs well too.

Oven-Roasted Wild Boar

Venison Goulash with Porcini and Lingonberries

Wild Boar Goulash

Duck Breast with Honey and Mustard