Red deer should be cooking very simply in order to respect the meat’s texture.

Loin

I like to cook the loin as a small roast. I allow about 200 g (7 oz.) per person, so a nice 800 g cut will feed four. Oil it, season it generously with salt and pepper and sear on all sides in a hot skillet. Finish cooking in a 200-210° C (400-425° F) oven for about 10 minutes. It should be pink inside. Serve with a wild mushroom sauce, a perfectly natural pairing… Or here’s another idea: Fry some small pieces of bacon in a skillet with a minced onion or some pearl onions and chanterelles. Set aside. Deglaze the pan with red wine, brandy or cognac. Serve the pan juices on their own, enriched with a knob of butter, or thin with some game stock.

Tenderloin

The tenderloin cooks very quickly. Cut it into medallions and simply sauté them in a skillet in 5 ml (1 tsp.) olive oil. Without the oil, even in a good non-stick or preheated skillet, the meat fibers contract and can become tough. If not protected with a little oil the meat will take on a subtle, but noticeable, "fire" taste. You can prepare the sauce just as quickly by deglazing the pan juices with a splash of aged wine or balsamic vinegar. In season add a few blueberries or a small crushed juniper berry.

Flank

Cook slowly or pan fry after marinating first for 6 hours.

Deer ribs

I use them to prepare braised spareribs, served with a red wine sauce flavored with a few crushed coffee beans. They require slow cooking at a temperature not higher than 160° C (325° F). It’s important to keep the heat moderate – otherwise the meat will toughen and dry out because of its high albumin content.

Shanks

Cook slowly over low heat, as for the braised ribs.