Name: Roasted venison loin, grains, parsnip puree and sauce poivrade
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 143 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: For the venison; 1 saddle of venison; 1 tsp olive oil; For the sauce poivrade; 750ml of syrah red wine; 60ml red wine vinegar; 1 large onion, peeled, diced; 1 carrot, peeled, diced; 2 stalks celery, diced; 1 clove garlic; 1 bunch thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 6 juniper berries; 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 200g sugar; Veal or beef stock, to cover; 2 tsps double cream, optional; For the parsnip puree; 200g coarsely diced parsnip; 1 tsp butter; 60ml double cream; 1/4 tsp salt; Freshly ground black pepper; Grains, recipe follows; For the grains; Quinoa mixture, recipe follows; Farro mixture, recipe follows; 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tbsps minced shallots

Venison:
1) Debone the venison saddle by following the bones carefully. Trim the membrane and nerve from venison loin, and reserve the loin for roasting. Reserve the bones (chop them up) and trimmings for the sauce poivrade. Reserve the tenderloins for another use.

2) Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 8.

3) In a large pan or roasting pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. When hot, sear each side of the venison loin until a light colour is achieved. Roast the venison for about 8-10 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes and slice into medallions.

Sauce poivrade:
1) In a large bowl, combine the reserved chopped bones and trimmings, wine, vinegar, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and juniper berries. Let the bones marinate for at least 24 hours.

2) Strain the marinade through a colander into a mixing bowl, reserving both the marinade and bones and vegetables. Let the marinade stand for about 5 minutes. Separate the bones from the vegetables.

3) Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the bones from the marinade and cook until they've caramelised, about 10 minutes. Add the vegetables from the marinade. Cook to develop a nice brown colour, another 10 minutes. Add sugar to the pan and let caramelise. Pour in the wine marinade and stir and scrape the pan drippings to deglaze. Boil and let reduce by two-thirds. Add enough veal stock to cover. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, skimming the surface often.

4) Strain through a fine chinois into a saucepan. Simmer and skim. Let the sauce reduce until a coating consistency is achieved. If desired, add the cream to finish the sauce.

Parsnip puree:
1) Boil the parsnip in boiling water until it's tender. Strain. Add the butter, cream, salt and pepper. Puree in a food processor.

Grains:
1) In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and add the shallots. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the mustard greens, if using, along with 500g each of the farro mixture and quinoa mixture.

2) Stir to combine and heat through. Add the pumpkin soup to bind the mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Place the mixture in individual moulds and pack to tighten. Place the moulds on each plate and push through to position in desired location.

Quinoa mixture:
1) Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add the quinoa. Reduce the heat and simmer until the quinoa opens up revealing a little spiral and is soft and pleasant to chew, about 20 minutes. If there is any remaining liquid, drain it.

2) Drizzle the quinoa with a few splashes of olive oil and set aside.

Farro mixture:
1) Melt the butter with the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add the farro and cook for 2 minutes to toast, then add the wine. Simmer, stirring frequently, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.

2) Add the carrots and then the chicken stock, 250ml at a time, stirring frequently and simmering until the liquid is absorbed and the farro is just tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Assembly of the dish:
Place two medallions of venison on each plate, along with the parsnip puree and grains. Add the released juices from the meat to the sauce poivrade and bring to a boil. Sauce the venison and serve.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore we cannot make any representation as to the results.