Fond de Gibier — Game Stock

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Game stock is the dark, aromatic foundation for all classical game sauces — poivrade, grand veneur, and the braises of venison, wild boar, and hare. It is made from the roasted bones and trimmings of furred game (never feathered game, which produces a different, lighter stock), following the same principles as fond brun but with modifications that account for game's more assertive flavour. The bones — venison, wild boar, hare — are roasted at 220°C until deeply caramelised, alongside a mirepoix and a generous addition of juniper berries (crushed, 8-10 per 5kg bones) and a strip of dried orange peel. These aromatics are absent from standard fond brun but essential for game stock, where they complement the gamy character without disguising it. Red wine replaces white in the deglazing — typically a full bottle per 5kg of bones — and is reduced to a syrup before the cold water is added. The stock simmers for 10-12 hours at 85°C, skimmed regularly, producing a deeply coloured, intensely flavoured liquid that gels firmly at 4°C. The juniper should be perceptible as a piney warmth in the background, not as a dominant flavour. Game stock is seasonal by nature — made in autumn when game is in season, frozen in batches, and used throughout the winter for braises, stews, and sauce work.

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