Slow-cooked venison saddle with suet pudding and carrot purée

by Daniel Clifford
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servings4
3 hours

Ingredients

Venison saddle

  • venison saddle, 4 pieces each weighing 125g

Carrot purée

  • 200g of carrots, chopped
  • 50g of butter
  • 50ml of water

Choucroute

  • 1/2 white cabbage, sliced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 peppercorns
  • 1 juniper berry
  • 1.5l white wine
  • 25g of smoked bacon

Suet pastry

  • 265g of self-raising flour
  • 35g of suet
  • salt
  • 50ml of water

Venison pudding

  • 350g of diced venison shoulder
  • 100g of onion, diced
  • 100g of carrots, diced
  • 150ml of red wine
  • 1 tbsp of fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1g of xanthan gum
  • Worcestershire sauce to taste
  • salt
  • pepper

To plate

  • 150g of Brussels sprout leaves
  • 10g of butter

Method

1
First make the carrot purée. Melt the butter, add the chopped carrots and cook for 5 minutes, then add the water and cook for 15 minutes until soft
  • 50g of butter
  • 200g of carrots
  • 50ml of water
2
Blend in a food processor and pass through a sieve, then set aside until ready to serve
3
To make the choucroute, sweat the chopped onion and garlic, then add the sliced cabbage and cook for 5 minutes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 white cabbage, sliced
4
Combine the herbs, place in the centre of a piece of muslin cloth, fold together and secure with undyed thread
  • 1 sprig of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 peppercorns
  • 1 juniper berry
5
Add this bouquet garni, the wine and bacon to the cabbage mixture and cook for 3 hours on a low heat, covered with a cartouche. Stir regularly
  • 1.5l white wine
  • 25g of smoked bacon
6
Preheat the oven to 65°C/Gas mark 1/4. Add the diced venison, onion, carrot, red wine, thyme and a pinch of salt to a casserole dish, add enough water to cover and cook in the oven for 8 hours
  • 350g of diced venison shoulder
  • 100g of onion, diced
  • 100g of carrots, diced
  • 150ml of red wine
  • 1 tbsp of fresh thyme, chopped
  • salt
7
In a bowl, combine the flour, suet, a pinch of salt and water until a smooth paste is achieved, then leave to rest for 3 hours before rolling out
  • 265g of self-raising flour
  • 35g of suet
  • salt
  • 50ml of water
8
Once rested, roll out the suet pastry to the thickness of a pound coin. Using pastry cutters, cut out 4 circles using a 100mm cutter and 4 using a 60mm cutter, then set aside until needed
9
Once the venison and pudding filling has cooked, chill the mixture then separate the meat and sauce into 2 separate bowls
10
Warm the sauce slightly and add 1g of xanthan gum per 100ml of sauce in order to thicken the gravy. Once thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool
  • 1g of xanthan gum
11
Season with Worcestershire sauce and pepper and add back to the meat, reserving 4 tablespoons of sauce for plating
  • Worcestershire sauce to taste
  • pepper
12
Line the dariole moulds with cling film twice, then add the 100mm rounds of suet pastry to line the moulds
13
Spoon the diced venison mix on top. Cover with the 60mm disc, then fold over and seal around the edges
14
Double wrap the the moulds with cling film. Cook in a steamer at 70°C for 25 minutes
15
Once all the other components of the dish are complete, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4. Brown the venison saddle in a hot pan with a little oil for 1 minute per side
  • venison saddle, 4 pieces each weighing 125g
16
Transfer to the oven, turning every 2 minutes for 8 minutes for a medium rare result
17
Slice the venison saddle. Use a spoon to place and sweep the carrot purée across each plate
18
Place the choucroute separately onto the plate, arrange the sliced venison on top, then place the pudding next to the other components
19
Blanche the sprout leaves in boiling water for 1 minute and drain well. Reheat in butter before plating. Serve the choucroute and pudding with the sautéed sprout leaves and reserved venison sauce
  • 150g of Brussels sprout leaves
  • 10g of butter