Fine venison saddle with plum red cabbage and walnut dumplings

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g saddle of venison, boned
• 50 g clarified butter
• salt and pepper
• 1 carrot(s), finely chopped
• 1 onion(s), finely chopped
• ¼ celeriac, finely chopped
• 10 juniper berries
• ¼ liter red wine, strong
• ¼ liter game stock
• ⅛ liter cream
• 60 g butter, cold
• 1 kg red cabbage
• 250 g plum(s), pitted
• ½ lemon(s), juice
• 8 tbsp vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• Salt
• 150 g onion(s)
• 50 g clarified butter
• 2 tbsp blackcurrant jelly
• ¼ liter red wine
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 450 g floury potatoes, cooked the day before
• 1 egg(s)
• 200 g flour
• 150 g walnuts, ground
• n. B. Salt
• n. B. Nutmeg
• Flour for the work surface

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 day 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 day 3 hours 30 minutes

a festive recipe

To make the venison loin, first trim and save the tendons, skin, and fat from the meat. Season the loin with salt and pepper. Briefly sear all over in a hot pan or roasting tin with the clarified butter, trimmings, roasted vegetables, and juniper berries. Then cook in a preheated oven at 200°C top/bottom heat (180°C fan-assisted) for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the loin, wrap in aluminum foil, and let rest for about 5-10 minutes. For the sauce, deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce by half. Then add the cream and game stock. Pour everything through a sieve into a saucepan and whisk in cold butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Trim the red cabbage, quartering or eighthing it, and removing the stalk. Finely slice or shred the red cabbage. Cut the plums into strips and mix with the red cabbage, lemon juice, 6 tablespoons of vinegar, a little salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cover and let stand in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The next day, peel the onions and finely slice them. Melt the butter and lightly caramelize the remaining tablespoon of sugar in it, then deglaze with the remaining 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Sauté the onion strips in it. Add the marinated red cabbage, blackcurrant jelly, cinnamon, and red wine. Cook in a covered pan for about 1 hour. For the walnut dumplings, press the cooked potatoes through a potato ricer. Add the flour, egg, spices, and ground walnuts, and knead everything into a dough. On a floured surface, form small, finger-thick sausages with pointed ends. Place in boiling salted water. When they float to the top (about 5 minutes), skim them off, rinse them in cold water, and let them drain. Lightly oil them, preferably in a shallow dish. Sauté in butter in a hot pan until golden brown.