Venison and Spätzle with Truffles

Start with the sauce: peel and chop the shallots. Melt the butter in a frying pan and brown the shallots with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes.  Add 150ml of port, the red wine, beef stock, star anise and the sprig of rosemary.  Bring to the boil and reduce the sauce until there is about 180ml remaining; this should take about 20 minutes.

Strain the sauce and discard the solids left in the sieve.  Return the sauce to the pan, add the redcurrant jelly and bring to the boil.  Dilute the cornflour in the remaining 50ml of port and add to the sauce.  Cook for another minute until thickened.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then put the sauce aside until needed.

Cook the spätzle in boiling salted water for 11 minutes.

Meanwhile, season the venison medallions with salt and pepper.  Melt 50g of butter in a pan. Cook the medallions for 4 minutes on each side, occasionally basting them with the butter.

Once the medallions are cooked, let them rest for 5 minutes on a chopping board.  Deglaze the pan with a little of the sauce and pour into everything back into the sauce – reheat if necessary.

Drain the spätzle, then stir in 60g butter and a teaspoon of truffle oil.

Cut the medallions into slices, arrange them on 4 plates, and drizzle with the sauce.  Add the spätzle and serve with braised red cabbage and cranberries.