Hay smoked roe deer with red fruits, vegetables and leaves
by
- Main
- challenging
- 4
- 3 hours, plus overnight dehydrating time for the cabbage powder
PT3H
Paul Welburn's stunning smoked roe deer recipe is the ideal way to usher in autumn, with a medley of venison, blackberry and beetroot showing off the intense colours and rich flavours of the season.
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Ingredients
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Smoked roe deer
- 1 roe deer loin, cut into 4
- 2 handfuls of hay, dried
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 50g of butter
- olive oil
Red cabbage gel and powder
- 1 red cabbage, juiced to yield 500g juice (pulp reserved for the red cabbage powder)
- 6g of gellan gum
- 50ml of red wine vinegar
- 50ml of apple juice
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
Sauce
- 8 shallots, sliced
- 8 black peppercorns, crushed
- 5 juniper berries, crushed
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 50ml of red wine vinegar
- 250ml of port
- 500ml of red wine
- 1.5l brown chicken stock
- 1 tsp oil
Baby beetroots
- 500g of baby beetroot
- sea salt
Macerated blackberries
- 1 punnet of blackberries
- 100ml of water
- 100g of sugar
- 25ml of port
- 1 sprig of thyme
Pickled beetroots
- 500g of Cheltenham beetroot
- 100ml of white wine
- 100ml of port
- 100ml of raspberry vinegar
- 100g of brown sugar
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 3 bay leaves
Salsify
To plate
- beetroot leaves
- puffed rice, brown
Equipment
- Dehydrator
- Blender
Method
1
To make the red cabbage gel, bring all of the ingredients to the boil in a medium-sized saucepan and allow to set on a tray in the fridge. Once set, blend the jelly into a liquid gel, season and set aside until ready to plate
- 1 red cabbage, juiced to yield 500g juice (pulp reserved for the red cabbage powder)
- 6g of gellan gum
- 50ml of red wine vinegar
- 50ml of apple juice
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
2
Spread the pulp reserved from juicing the red cabbage onto a mat in a dehydrator. Leave to dehydrate overnight until crisp, then blitz to form a powder for garnishing
3
Trim the deer loin of any sinew. Place 2 handfuls of dried hay in a deep tray and light with a match. Once burnt out, place the loin on top, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for minimum of 2 hours
- 1 roe deer loin, cut into 4
- 2 handfuls of hay, dried
4
Preheat the water bath to 57°C
5
Remove the deer from the fridge and roll the loin in the burnt hay powder. Roll tightly in cling film and cook in the water bath for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the water bath and remove the cling film
6
To make the sauce, caramelise the shallots in the oil in a medium-sized saucepan. When golden, add the pepper, juniper and herbs, then deglaze with the vinegar. Reduce until the pan is almost dry, then add the port and reduce by a third
- 8 shallots, sliced
- 1 tsp oil
- 8 black peppercorns, crushed
- 5 juniper berries, crushed
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 250ml of port
- 50ml of red wine vinegar
7
Add the wine, reduce by half, then add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover with cling film and leave to infuse for a further 20 minutes
- 500ml of red wine
- 1.5l brown chicken stock
8
After this time, pass through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Return to the heat and reduce until a sauce consistency is achieved. Season to taste and set aside
9
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
10
Wash and trim the baby beetroot then season and wrap in a single layer of foil. Bake for 30–45 minutes until tender. Leave to cool slightly and peel
- 500g of baby beetroot
- sea salt
11
For the macerated blackberries, bring the water, sugar, port and thyme to the boil in a saucepan and pour over the blackberries. Reserve
- 1 punnet of blackberries
- 100ml of water
- 100g of sugar
- 25ml of port
- 1 sprig of thyme
12
For the pickled beetroot, peel the beetroot and slice to a thickness of 2mm. Bring the pickling ingredients to the boil, then remove from the heat and chill. Pour the liquid over the beetroot and place in the fridge to pickle
- 500g of Cheltenham beetroot
- 100ml of white wine
- 100ml of port
- 100ml of raspberry vinegar
- 100g of brown sugar
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 3 bay leaves
13
Now prepare the salsify. Add the port, red wine and chicken stock to a saucepan and place over a medium heat with a pinch of thyme. Peel the salsify and poach in the liquid until tender. Remove the salsify and reduce the liquor by half to create the glaze. When ready to serve, pour the glaze over the salsify
14
Just before serving, heat a frying pan over a high heat with the butter and a dash of oil. Once hot, sear the loin on all sides until caramelised
- 50g of butter
- olive oil
15
Finish the sauce with the a dash of liquor from the blackberries just before serving and heat
16
To plate, slice the deer and give 3 slices per plate. Arrange the beetroot, salsify and pickled beetroot around the deer. Pipe dots of the cabbage gel and arrange pickled blackberries around the plate. Sprinkle the cabbage powder over the top and garnish with the beetroot leaves and puffed brown rice. Serve the warmed sauce on the side
- beetroot leaves
- puffed rice, brown
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Hay smoked roe deer with red fruits, vegetables and leaves
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