Cumberland – An All Purpose Wild Game Sauce
If I could only use one sauce to go with all my wild game, it’d be this one. Loosely based on the classic Cumberland sauce, this is a perfect pan sauce recipe that comes together quickly for wild game you have seared rare-to-medium.
classic cumberland sauce
I use this sauce most often with venison, pigeon, duck or goose breasts, or woodcock when I can get it. Any red meat served pink works well with this sauce.
Serves 4.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup Port wine
- 1/4 cup of the appropriate demi-glace (duck, beef, venison or vegetable)
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons red currant jelly, highbush cranberry jelly or lingonberry jelly (not jam)
- When your meat has come out of the pan, add the flour and mix with the remaining fat in the pan. If there is none, add a tablespoon of oil or fat. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the flour is browned, about 2-3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the Port. Let this boil furiously until it is reduced by half.
- Add the demi-glace, the salt, thyme and cayenne and let this boil down by half.
- Add the red currant jelly and the black pepper, then stir well to combine. Let all this boil down until it is thick, but still pourable. Serve at once.
