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Lorna McNee's Venison With Pepper Sauce and Celeriac Purée Recipe
by Lorna McNee
8
5 hours
Ingredients

Spiced quince

  • 10g of pink peppercorns
  • 10g of cinnamon stick
  • lemon zest, from 1 lemon
  • 150g of lemon juice
  • 200g of cane sugar
  • 500g of water
  • 4 quinces

Venison farce

  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 125g of brandy
  • 125g of Madeira
  • 125g of port
  • 250g of pork fat
  • 250g of chicken livers
  • 500g of venison trimmings
  • 250g of pork mince
  • 2 eggs
  • salt
  • vegetable oil, as needed

Celeriac and horseradish purée

  • 500ml of whole milk
  • 1 celeriac, peeled and diced
  • 50g of butter
  • 50g of creamed horseradish
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

Pickled walnut gel

  • 200g of pickled walnuts
  • 50g of water
  • 3g of agar agar

Chive oil

  • 250g of fresh chives
  • 175g of vegetable oil

Parsley oil

  • 250g of fresh parsley
  • 175g of vegetable oil

Kampot pepper sauce

  • 100g of venison trimmings, diced
  • 1/2 shallot, diced
  • 1/2 carrot, diced
  • 1/2 celery stick, diced
  • 250g of brandy
  • 250g of red wine
  • 250g of reduced veal stock
  • 20 salted Kampot peppercorns, cracked
  • 20 flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • vegetable oil, for cooking
  • salt, as needed

Serving

  • red deer loin, 80g per person
  • butter
  • garlic cloves
  • thyme sprigs
  • sprig of rosemary
  • 1 lobe of foie gras, about 20g per person
  • Swiss chard leaves, blanched
Method
1

To make the spiced quince, first toast the peppercorns and cinnamon in a dry pan

  • 10g of pink peppercorns
  • 10g of cinnamon stick
2

Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and let infuse for 1 hour

  • lemon zest, from 1 lemon
  • 150g of lemon juice
  • 200g of cane sugar
  • 500g of water
3

Add the whole peeled quinces to the pot and poach slowly until tender under a cartouche

  • 4 quinces
4

Once cooked, set aside to cool and then refrigerate overnight in the syrup 

5

The next day, use a small Parisienne scoop (melon baller) to make small quince balls and reserve in the liquor

6

Sweat off the onions and garlic for the farce with salt in a high-sided saucepan

  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
7

Add in the brandy, then remove from the heat and very carefully flambé and reduce to a syrup. Make sure to use a long lighter when flambéing, and have a pan lid nearby to cover the pan if the flames are getting too high. Decant the alcohol out into a ladle first rather than pouring straight from the bottle – and make sure not to flambé underneath a hood on the stove!

  • 125g of brandy
8

Add in the Madeira, flambé again and reduce to a syrup

  • 125g of Madeira
9

Add in the port and reduce to almost nothing then place in the fridge to cool

  • 125g of port
10

Cold smoke the pork fat for 30 minutes in a Bradley smoker

  • 250g of pork fat
11

Season the livers well with flaky salt and sear hard in a pan. Put in fridge to cool

  • 250g of chicken livers
12

Mince the venison, smoked pork fat and cold livers

  • 500g of venison trimmings
13

Place in a bowl and mix in the onions, pork mince and the eggs

  • 250g of pork mince
  • 2 eggs
14

Roll into a ballotine, then steam at 62°C for 20 minutes. Chill and then slice into rounds, ready to be caramelised before serving

15

Bring the milk to a simmer with the celeriac, and cook until the celeriac is soft

  • 500ml of whole milk
  • 1 celeriac, peeled and diced
16

Pass off the celeriac and then blend in the Thermomix or high-powered blender

17

Add butter, horseradish and lemon juice to the Thermomix whilst blending. Add some of the milk if needed to create a glossy purée

  • 50g of butter
  • 50g of creamed horseradish
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
18

Put all the ingredients for the walnut gel into the Thermomix and blend until it reaches 100°C. Alternatively, bring the mixture to 100°C in a pan and then blend until smooth

  • 200g of pickled walnuts
  • 50g of water
  • 3g of agar agar
19

Pour into a container and leave until set

20

Once set, blend until it forms a fluid gel then pass until smooth 

21

For the chive oil, blend all the ingredients together in the Thermomix at 70°C for 7 minutes. Alternatively, blend in a high-speed blender until smooth

  • 250g of fresh chives
  • 175g of vegetable oil
22

Pass through muslin and reserve the oil, discarding the solids

23

For the parsley oil, blend all the ingredients together in the Thermos at 70°C for 7 minutes. Alternatively, blend in a high-speed blender until smooth

  • 250g of fresh parsley
  • 175g of vegetable oil
24

Pass through muslin and reserve the oil, discarding the solids

25

To make the Kampot pepper sauce, put a heavy-based pan on a medium-high heat and add a dash of vegetable oil

26

Sear the venison trimmings in the pan with some salt

  • 100g of venison trimmings, diced
27

Once you begin to see the venison caramelise in the pan, add the vegetables and cook until they just begin to colour

  • 1/2 shallot, diced
  • 1/2 carrot, diced
  • 1/2 celery stick, diced
28

Deglaze the pan with brandy and skim. Reduce the brandy to a syrup

  • 250g of brandy
29

Add the red wine and skim. Reduce this by half

  • 250g of red wine
30

Add in the veal stock and bring up to a simmer

  • 250g of reduced veal stock
31

Add in 10 of the kampot peppercorns and let infuse, then pass the sauce through muslin

  • 20 salted Kampot peppercorns, cracked
32

To plate, first preheat the oven to 180°C

33

Sear the venison loin in an ovenproof pan on all sides for around 2 minutes and then add a good amount of butter. Spoon the foaming butter over the loom for a further minute

  • red deer loin, 80g per person
  • butter
34

Add garlic, thyme and rosemary to the pan to taste and then transfer to the oven for 2 minutes. Rest for 6 minutes, then carve pink

  • garlic cloves
  • thyme sprigs
  • sprig of rosemary
35

Put a dot of the celeriac puree on the bottom of the plate. Top this with a small amount of the pickled walnut gel and six balls of poached quince

36

Caramelise the venison farce and roast a piece of foie gras in a pan and place on top, alongside some wilted swiss chard leaf and celeriac celeriac purée

  • 1 lobe of foie gras, about 20g per person
  • Swiss chard leaves, blanched
37

Drizzle some chive oil and some parsley oil over the top of the Swiss chard

38

Warm up the Kampot pepper sauce and finish with finely chopped parsley and remaining crushed Kampot pepper

  • 20 flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
39

Add the venison loin to the plate and pour the Kampot pepper sauce over the top