Venison Medallions (Mignons de Biche) delicate and flavorful

Name: Venison Medallions (Mignons de Biche)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 6 venison medallions (or roe deer or red deer) from the loin, about 5.25 oz (150 g) each; 1.1 oz (30 g) coarsely crushed white peppercorns; 2.1 cups (500 ml) veal stock; 1 fl oz (30 ml) cognac; 0.4 cup (100 ml) heavy cream; 1 tablespoon strong mustard; 1.1 oz (30 g) butter; 1.7 fl oz (50 ml) olive oil; 17.75 oz (500 g) Jerusalem artichokes; 2 garlic cloves; 2.1 cups (500 ml) milk; 2 large cooked peeled beets; 10.5 oz (300 g) celeriac cut into thick matchsticks (size of a small finger) and steamed; 1.1 oz (30 g) crushed walnuts, toasted in a pan; Salt and freshly ground pepper

A recipe by Michelin-starred Chef Patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (16 reviews) · 🍳 11 made it

Prep 20 min

Cook 30 min

Total 50 min

Servings 6 serv.

Venison medallions prepared like peppercorn steak, served with Jerusalem artichoke purée, beet fries, and celeriac. Each medallion weighs about 150 g, seared for 2 minutes on each side in foaming butter, then finished in a hot oven for 2 minutes.

Ingredients for 6 servings

Adjust for

servings

6 venison medallions (or roe deer or red deer) from the loin, about 5.25 oz (150 g) each
1.1 oz (30 g) coarsely crushed white peppercorns
2.1 cups (500 ml) veal stock
1 fl oz (30 ml) cognac
0.4 cup (100 ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon strong mustard
1.1 oz (30 g) butter
1.7 fl oz (50 ml) olive oil
17.75 oz (500 g) Jerusalem artichokes
2 garlic cloves
2.1 cups (500 ml) milk
2 large cooked peeled beets
10.5 oz (300 g) celeriac cut into thick matchsticks (size of a small finger) and steamed
1.1 oz (30 g) crushed walnuts, toasted in a pan
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Step-by-step recipe

1 Peel the Jerusalem artichokes, then cut them into large chunks and cook in the milk. Season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of fresh thyme and a bay leaf. Cook for 20 minutes at a gentle simmer. Drain, then pass through a food mill to get the same consistency as traditional mashed potatoes. Stir in the olive oil and the 2 peeled garlic cloves, finely chopped, then keep warm.

2 While the Jerusalem artichokes are cooking, trim the beets and cut them into julienne (matchsticks) the same way you did for the celeriac. Keep warm together with the celeriac.

3 Pour a little oil onto a plate, season with salt and pepper. Place your venison medallions in this seasoned oil, then coat them in the crushed white pepper and set aside.

4 In a sauté pan, heat the butter with a little oil. When it's very hot, sear your venison medallions for 2 minutes on each side, then remove them and keep them warm, covered with aluminum foil.

5 Remove a little of the cooking butter, return the sauté pan to heat, deglaze the pan with cognac, then flambé (keep a cloth handy to cover the pan if the flames get too high). Add the heavy cream and let reduce by half. Add the veal stock and reduce for another 2 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, add the mustard, and strain through a fine sieve. Keep the sauce warm in a bain-marie.

6 Presentation: Return your venison medallions to a hot oven for 2 minutes. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a grind of pepper to the celeriac and beets, then toss gently. On each warm plate, place a venison medallion lightly coated with sauce and sprinkled with walnuts on one side. On the other side, arrange a beautiful rosette of Jerusalem artichoke purée topped with the celeriac and beet fries layered together. Serve the venison medallions hot with the sauce on the side. This classic recipe is guaranteed to impress with its original garnishes. You can also make this with young wild boar loin (equally delicious), simply increasing the cooking time to 5 to 6 minutes on each side.

A chef's advice

In Périgord, some chefs replace cognac with armagnac and add a handful of rehydrated dried mushrooms to the sauce, which completely changes the character of the dish. Armagnac is more rustic and stands up better to game. For flambéing, be careful: deglaze off the heat, then relight. If you flambé directly over a gas flame, you risk a too-rapid reduction and a bitter sauce. The strong mustard goes in last, after straining, never at a boil or it will break the sauce.