High-protein leg of venison with juniper cream sauce and pears

Leg of roe venison cooked in the oven at 140 °C with juniper, thyme and root veg, served with a cream sauce made from the roasting juices and poached pears. A high-protein dinner with 48 g protein per serving.

At a glance

• Serves 6
• Prep time: 25 min
• Cooking time: 95 min
• Total time: 120 min
• Calories: 405 kcal per serving
• Protein: 48 g
• Fat: 16 g
• Carbs: 15 g

Ingredients

• 1.2kg leg of roe venison
• 3 pears
• 150g cream
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 100g celeriac
• 400ml beef stock
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 8 juniper berries
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 1 tsp cornflour

Method

You’ll need: oven · casserole dish · chopping board · knife · sieve · wooden spoon

1. Preheat the oven to 140 °C (120 °C fan). Crush the juniper berries and rub the venison with salt, pepper and juniper.
2. Brown the meat all over in the olive oil in a roasting tin for 6 min, then take it out. Dice the onion, carrot and celeriac and fry them in the tin for 4 min.
3. Pour in the stock, place the leg and thyme on top and cook uncovered for 70 to 80 min at 140 °C, until the inside reaches 65 °C.
4. Peel and halve the pears, remove the cores and poach them covered with the lemon juice and a splash of water for 10 min until soft.
5. Wrap the venison in foil and leave it to rest for 10 min. Pour the juices through a sieve, stir in the cream, reduce the sauce for 5 min and thicken it with the cornflour mixed with a little water.
6. Slice the venison and serve with the juniper cream sauce and the pear halves.

Good to know

Roe venison is lean and stays juiciest at a low temperature. At 140 °C in the oven, you have more than an hour of leeway before the meat is pale pink inside. Juniper and pear are the classic partners for game.

Swaps

Roe venison → leg of red deer (same cooking time) or beef rump steak. Cream → soured cream. Pears → apples. Juniper → bay leaf and allspice.

Cooking tips

A meat thermometer makes the difference: 60 to 65 °C for pink, 70 °C for well done. Let the leg rest after cooking so the juices stay in the meat.

Storage

Meat and sauce stored separately, 3 days in the fridge; freeze sliced meat for up to 3 months.

Allergens

Gluten-free, no egg or nuts; contains milk (cream) and celery. Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) advises that pregnant and breastfeeding women and children should not eat game shot with lead ammunition; ask your butcher for game shot with lead-free ammunition. In pregnancy, cook the meat through to 70 °C.