VENISON TARTARE WITH WARM BONE-MARROW DRIPPINGS

Serves: 6

4 (2-inch/5-cm) pieces bone marrow

1 sprig rosemary

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 lb. (454 g) venison tenderloin

2 tbsp (30 ml) peeled and finely diced shallots

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard, plus more as needed Tabasco sauce

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 handful chopped flat-leaf parsley

Good olive oil

Kosher salt

1 loaf good sourdough bread, sliced Cornichons, for serving (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). In an oven-safe pan, roast the bone marrow until the fat is fully rendered, 15 minutes.

2. Add the rosemary and garlic and roast 20 more minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the oven and pour the warm marrow fat into a small saucepan; reserve. Discard the bones.

4. Cut the tenderloin into thin slices against the grain, then pile it together. You should slice the meat and make little stacks of 5 slices.

5. You should have 6 piles; each pile is a portion. Line up these little stacks on your cutting board. Then julienne those stacks and dice.

6. Place the meat on a paper towel-lined plate and place in the fridge, uncovered, for up to 1 hour.

7. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the recipe.

8. Remove the meat from the fridge and place in a bowl. Add the shallots, egg yolks, mustard, 7 splashes of Tabasco, lemon zest, half the lemon juice and the parsley.

9. Now drizzle enough olive oil to make it look like a glistening Arctic glacier. It shouldn’t be swimming in oil, but it should be enough to make it loose and yet still together. It should have the consistency of an oozing, warm egg yolk.

10. Gently stir until combined but not mashed.

11. Keep the meat moving, using your spoon to dig into the yolks, breaking them into an oozy mess that coats the meat. Keep stirring until it becomes one mass; taste.

12. Add salt if needed; if it needs acid, add more lemon juice; if it needs tang, add more mustard.

13. Grill the bread and season with salt. (Charred bread is best for venison tartare.)

14. Spoon the tartare on the bread and cover it with the warm, buttery bone-marrow drippings. Serve with a cornichon if you feel like it. Enjoy this beautiful meat the way it should be: raw!