Venison saddle with cream and cherry sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g shallot(s)
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1.6 kg venison loin on the bone, ready to cook
• some sea salt, coarse
• some black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp clarified butter
• 2 tbsp honey, liquid
• 300 ml Game stock
• 1 shot of cognac
• 100 g whipped cream
• 150 g crème fraîche with herbs
• 1 jar morello cherries, approx. 370 ml

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Peel the shallots and cut into wedges. Rinse the rosemary sprigs, shake dry, and set some aside for garnish. Pluck the needles from the rest and chop them. Rinse the venison saddle, pat dry, and season with a little coarse sea salt and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Heat the clarified butter in an oven-safe roasting pan and sear the venison saddle all over, brushing with the honey. Then remove the venison from the pan and briefly fry the shallot wedges with the chopped rosemary needles in the frying fat. Deglaze with the game stock and add the venison saddle back to the pan. Roast in the preheated oven at 175°C (top/bottom heat) for 25 to 30 minutes until pink. Then remove the venison saddle, place it on an oven-safe plate, and let it rest in the switched-off oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the roasting pan with the stock on the stove, bring to a boil, stir in the cognac, cream, and crème fraîche, and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce reduces to a creamy consistency. Season with a pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Drain the morello cherries, reserving the juice. Add the morello cherries, along with some of the juice if desired, to the sauce and heat through. Remove the meat from the bone, slice it, and serve with the cream and cherry sauce. This goes well with potatoes, potato dumplings, or rice.