GACKT ARMY

  This is a recipe I learned in Germany.  Serves four people.

Ingredients:
1 kg saddle of venison
freshly milled white pepper, salt
10 juniper berries, crushed
2 cl oil
3 cl gin
1/4 l cream
300 g chanterelles or enoki mushrooms, rinsed
a little butter, parsley

Preheat oven to 230 C.  Boil a small pot of water.
Season the meat with salt and pepper, rub on the crushed juniper berries.  Using a deep, oven-fry the venison in the oil for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes so the outside is browned, but the inside is medium rare.
Remove the meat from the oven and drain off the fat.  Add the gin and cream to the gravy, cook on the stovetop until it is the right consistency.  You may wish to strain the sauce and add more seasoning.
Quickly blanch the mushrooms in the water, and then toss them in melted butter, add a bit of chopped parsley.
Serve the meat by slicing thin, and pour some of the sauce beside the slices on the plate.

To complete the meal, serve with:
spinach salad with a light vinaigrette, perhaps adding some wild greens
potato rissoles, new potatoes, or spaetzle
a small side dish of jelly - red currant, preiselbeeren, lingonberry, or cranberry
a seasonal green vegetable- keep the seasoning minimal, the venison is supposed to be the star!

Does anybody have a wine suggestion?  I usually drink an autumn beer with this!