Carbonnade of Venison

900g Venison, medallions
50g beef dripping, or olive oil
700g Onions, halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic clove, crushed
30ml light brown sugar
3 tbsp flour
600ml lager, or pale ale
300ml beef, or game stock
1 fresh bay leaf
2 large thyme sprigs
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp wine, or cider vinegar


Preheat oven to 150C.
Cut medallion into chunky pieces. Heat dripping or oil in sauté pan and brown meat in batches over high heat. Transfer to large casserole.
Add onions to pan and cook for 10 minutes. Add garlic and sugar, mix well and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in flour, gradually add beer, stirring. Bring to the boil, scraping up any sediment from bottom of pan, pour over Venison in casserole. Pour stock over meat and onions, add herbs and plenty of pepper. Stir lightly to mix. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook in oven for about 1hour. Carefully stir in vinegar and cook for a further 30 minutes. Check the seasoning.

Loin of Venison with a Girrolle Sauce

4 Loin Steaks
125 ml Red wine
500 ml Game Stock
200 g Girrolles or other wild mushrooms
3 Finely Chopped Shallots
125 g Unsalted Butter
2 tsp Corn flour
Thyme
Seasoning


Pan fry steaks in very hot heavy bottomed frying pan for about 4 minutes on each side. Remove.
Reduce heat and add 25g of butter. Fry off girolles, add shallots and red wine. Turn up heat. Add thyme leaves. Reduce wine by about half then add stock. Continue to reduce till about half left. Add corn flour slaked in a little water and beat in remaining butter. Serve.