Grilled Marinated Venison Heart

(serves two to four as an appetizer)

• 1 venison heart
• freshly ground black pepper
• chopped fresh thyme
• coarse sea salt
• a healthy splash of balsamic vinegar

[1]     Trim the heart of anything that looks like sinew (this is easy enough to spot) and excess fat (which tends to be around the open top of the heart), and remove any blood clots lurking in the ventricles. Slice the heart open in order to lay it flat and complete the process. You want pieces 1 inch square and up to 1/4 inch thick, if the flesh is thicker than that, slice horizontally through the meat before cutting the squares.

[2]     Toss the pieces of the heart in the vinegar, salt, pepper, and thyme. Marinate for 24 hours.

[3]     cook the pieces on a grill over a very hot fire, for about 1 1/2 minutes per side. (They're best served somewhere between medium-rare and medium. Over cooking produces tough  squares resembling jerky) Serve with a salad of watercress or white beans and shallots.