What's Cookin' Michel?

Michel Roux Jr’s Shoulder of Wild Boar or pork with Chestnuts and Quince

• Shoulder of Boar or pork (about 4kg)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Onions, sliced
• Garlic
• Bay leaf
• Quince, peeled and chopped
• Wine
• 1 tablespoon quince paste
• About 20 chestnuts, cooked and peeled

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6.
• Using a boning knife, cut into the two joints of the shoulder. Go in far enough to loosen but not separate them.
• Place the meat in a large cast-iron dish with a splash of olive oil.
• Season well with salt and pepper and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Add the onions, the bay leaf and quince, and enough wine (rose is good) to wet the base of the dish.
• Add the same amount of water, cover with foil and turn the oven down to 150°C/Gas mark 2 for an hour until the meat is soft and coming off the bone.
• Using a slotted spoon, gently take out the meat and place it in a deep serving dish
• Cover and keep warm.
• Put the cooking dish over high heat on top of the stove and add a glass of water (or vegetable stock), the quince paste and chestnuts.
• Simmer for 5 minutes to melt the quince paste, then pour over the meat and serve.

Roast Leg of Venison with Pears, Chestnuts and Pepper Sauce

• 4 juniper berries, 6 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp olive oil, 100ml red wine, 2 tbsp brandy
• 200g pork back fat, cut into long strips about 5mm thick, 1 x 4kg leg of venison on the bone
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Pepper Sauce
• 1tbsp vegetable oil, 6 shallots, peeled and sliced, 1 tbsp crushed white and black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly, 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar, 300ml full-bodied red wine, 100ml port
• 600ml game stock, 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• Garnish
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, 4 Comice pears, peeled and quartered, 2 tbsp honey,1 lemon
• 4 banana shallots,125ml double cream, 200g cooked chestnuts (vacuum packed are fine)
• salt, black pepper

• Marinade: Crush the juniper berries, peppercorns and bay leaves in a pestle and mortar and add the olive oil, wine and brandy. Make cuts in to the meat with a ling thin knive and push the strips of pork fat evenly through the venison. Put the meat in a plastic bag with the marinade, seal and refrigerate for 2 days, turning and massaging it occasionally.
• Sauce: Warm the oil in a frying pan and cook the shallots until caramelised. Add the peppercorns and redcurrant jelly and stir until the jelly has melted, then pour in the vinegar and let it boil away. Pour in the wine and port and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock and reduce by half again, then pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Season, place over a medium heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Garnish,: Heat 2 tablespoons of butter until foaming, add the pears and cook them gently until golden and tender. Drain off a little of the butter, then add the honey to give the pears a gloss and shine. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 200˚C/Fan 180˚C/Gas 6 and bake the shallots for 20 minutes, then leave to cool. Remove the skins and cut the shallots in half, then fry them in a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of butter until golden and caramelised. Season. Bring the cream to the boil, add the chestnuts, then blitz in a blender until smooth. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to add gloss to the purée. Season as necessary.
• Take the meat out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 230˚C/Fan 210˚C/Gas 8. Drain the venison, place it in a roasting tin and rub the oil into the meat. Season it well and put it in oven. After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to 200˚C/Fan 180˚C/Gas 6 and continue to cook for 40 minutes for pink meat. Remove the venison and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serve with the hot sauce, garnished with the cooked pears, shallots and chestnut purée.