Recipe - Roast Loin Of Venison With Cranberries

2 Thick slices of lemon
2 Thick slices of orange
2 Slices fresh ginger, peeled
1 One half cup Sugar
1 small Bay leaf
2 cup Fresh cranberries
4 pound Boneless loin of venison,
at room temperature
2 tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 One fourth teaspoon Freshly ground pepper
Three fourths teaspoon Juniper berries, finely
chopped
2 cup Dry red wine
2 cup Beef or venison stock
2 tablespoon Cold butter, cut into pieces
Fresh thyme sprigs,
for garnish

In a medium nonreactive saucepan, combine the lemon, orange, ginger, sugar
and bay leaf with 1 cup of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat,
stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to moderate and boil,
uncovered, until syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, then
remove from heat and cool. Transfer the mixture to a glass container, coer
and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days, stirring once or twice during that time.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Rub the venison with the olive oil, Three fourths teaspoon
of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper and One half teaspoon of the chopped
juniper berries, pressing the seasonings into the meat. Set the loin on a
rack in a roasting pan and roast, basting frequently with the pan juices,
until mediumrare (about 135F on a meat thermometer), 25 to 30 minutes.
Cover the venison loosely with foil and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes
before carving. Meanwhile, remove and discard the bay leaf and the lemon,
orange and ginger slices from the cranberries. In a food processor or
blender, puree half the cranberries and half the liquid until smooth. In a
medium nonreactive saucepan, boil the wine over high heat until reduced to
One half cup, about 5 mintues. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the
cranberry puree, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until
slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain the
reamining whole cranberrie and add them to the sauce with the remaining 1/4
teaspoon each of salt, pepper and chopped juniper berries. Swirl in the
cold butter. Slice the venison thinly (stir any juices into the sauce) and
serve wtih the sauce, reheated if necessary.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini