Venison cutlets with peppered chocolate sauce

Serves 4

(Photograph by Jason Lowe)

I'm starting to play around with chop recipes in preparation for my new restaurant, Hix Oyster and Chop House, in Smithfield, which opens next month. This particular venison-chocolate combination is a bit way out for me, but chocolate does have a place in savoury dishes, especially in Spanish and Mexican cuisine. When you use 100 per cent pure cocoa chocolate, like Willie Harcourt-Cooze's Venezuelan Black (available from Selfridges), in a recipe like this, you really start to understand why chocolate can go so well in savoury dishes. It's more of a seasoning than anything else and it also imparts a mysterious flavour to the dish without adding sweetness.

You will need to ask a good, reliable game dealer to cut you some venison cutlets – a large deer will yield good-sized chops, one of which will be fine for one person; otherwise you will need to serve a couple of chops or cutlets per person.

4 venison chops weighing about 180-200g each or 8 smaller ones
A little vegetable oil for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce
4 shallots, peeled, halved and finely chopped
2tsp coarsely ground black pepper
A couple of good knobs of butter
2tsp flour
1tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
150ml red wine
250ml hot beef stock
25g bitter chocolate like the 100 per cent Venezuelan Black, chopped into small pieces

First make the sauce: gently cook the shallots and pepper in the butter for a minute, stirring a couple of times then stir in the flour and gradually add the vinegar, wine and beef stock, stirring constantly to avoid lumps forming. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently for about 25-30 minutes. The sauce should have reduced by at least half and thickened. Whisk in the chocolate until melted, cover and keep warm. Pre-heat a ribbed griddle or heavy frying pan and brush with a little oil. Season the cutlets and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side depending on their thickness, keeping them nice and pink. Serve with spring greens or the spring bubble and squeak in the lamb chop recipe overleaf, and the sauce on the plate or separately.

To see Mark Hix's exclusive cookery videos, see http://www.independent.co.uk/hixcooks