Venison Wellington Food

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• For detailed step-by-step images to help with creating your wellington, visit our guide page. Firstly, dry the venison with kitchen paper, then season well. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the meat all over for about 8 mins. Brush with mustard, leave to cool, then chill for 20 mins. Reserve any juices for the gravy.
• Melt the butter and soften the shallot and garlic. Add the mushrooms, herbs and seasoning, and cook for 10 mins until you have a paste-like mixture. Add the brandy and cook until it's evaporated. Leave to cool.
• Overlap 2-3 sheets of cling film on a clean surface and lay the prosciutto in 2 rows, slightly overlapping each slice. Spread the cooled mushroom paste all over the prosciutto, creating a thin, even layer.
• Place the fillet in the centre of the mushroom mixture. Using the edge of the cling film, carefully draw the layer of prosciutto and mushroom around the meat.
• Roll into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of the cling film as you do, to form a tight log. Chill for 30 mins to firm up.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a rectangle a little larger than a magazine, and trim the edges to neaten.
• Carefully unwrap the prosciutto parcel and lay in the middle of the pastry.
• Fold over the bottom half of the pastry. Lightly brush the rest of the sheet with beaten egg.
• Roll the whole thing around the meat to encase. Neatly fold under the shorter edges to create a parcel.
• Transfer to a baking sheet and, using your hands, smooth the pastry around the meat, pressing it firmly to avoid any air being trapped. Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg yolk.
• Chill for at least 30 mins or up to 24 hrs. Then, using the back of a knife, mark the pastry, being careful not to cut all the way through. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
• Lightly oil a non-stick baking tray and heat until hot. Put the wellington on the tray and bake for 30 mins (35 mins for well done). Remove from oven, brush with extra egg and rest for 20 mins.
• To make venison gravy, melt a large knob of butter in a medium pan, add 1 finely chopped shallot, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 thyme sprig, and cook until soft. Add 1 tbsp flour, brown for about 1 min, then pour in 250ml Port and reduce by two-thirds. Add 400ml beef stock and any reserved juices from the venison, then reduce again by two-thirds until syrupy. Season, add 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly, if you like, and strain before serving.

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a hot pan over medium-high heat. Brown venison in the hot butter, about 2 minutes per side. Set meat aside.
• Melt remaining butter in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Saute until mushrooms are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Spread thyme, salt, and pepper onto a large cutting board and roll backstrap halves on top to form a coating of herbs. Wrap each piece of backstrap in enough bacon to cover it.
• Unfold 1 puff pastry and place first piece of backstrap into the center. Bring the sides of the pastry together and pinch to seal. Repeat with other backstrap and remaining pastry. Place each into an ungreased baking dish.
• Mix egg yolk and water together in a small bowl. Coat the tops of the dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Continue to bake until dough is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Remove the venison from the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
• Crush the juniper berries in a pestle and mortar until fine. Pick the leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme and all the rosemary, then finely chop together.
• Place the venison on a board and rub all over with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, then scatter over the juniper and herbs, and give everything a good rub.
• Preheat a large frying pan on a high heat and sear the venison for 2 minutes on all sides, turning with tongs, then remove to a plate.
• For the filling, clean the mushrooms and roughly tear any larger ones. Place the porcini in a small bowl, just cover with boiling water and leave to soak for a few minutes. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
• Wipe the frying pan clean, then add the garlic and mushrooms with the butter and a lug of olive oil. Strip in the remaining thyme leaves, then roughly chop and add the soaked porcini and its soaking liquid (straining to remove any grit). Cook on a medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has gone and the mushrooms are soft, stirring regularly.
• Tip the contents of the pan onto a board, drizzle with ½ a teaspoon of truffle oil and a few gratings of nutmeg, then roughly chop to a coarse pâté-like consistency with a sharp knife (or blitz in a food processor). Taste and season to perfection, then leave to cool.
• On a flour-dusted surface, roll out the pastry to 30cm x 40cm. With one of the longer edges in front of you, spread the mushroom pâté over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border.
• Beat the egg and use to brush the edges. Sit the venison on the mushroom pâté then, starting with the edge nearest to you, snugly fold and roll the pastry around the venison, pushing it away from you and cupping each end to shape it around the fillet. Press the ends together to seal, then indent with the back of a fork.
• Transfer the Wellington to a large baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, and brush all over with egg wash (you can prep to this stage and chill until needed - just remove it 1 hour before cooking so it's not fridge-cold).
• When you're ready to cook, heat the tray on the hob on a medium heat for a couple of minutes to start crisping up the base, then transfer to the oven for 30 minutes for blushing, juicy venison.
• Once cooked, leave the Wellington to rest for 5 minutes, then slice. Delicious served with gravy and steamed greens.

MINI VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Place a large nonstick frying pan over the highest possible heat. Sprinkle the meat all over with salt and pepper. When the pan is smoking hot, put in the steaks and sear for 30 seconds on each side. Remove and set aside.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the butter and onions. Sprinkle with salt and sugar and gently cook the onions until caramelized and soft, 20 minutes. Add the Armagnac and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become drier, 10 minutes longer.
• Let cool for 10 minutes, and then blend to a smooth paste in a food processor. Refrigerate until cold (or freeze for speed), about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F/200C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll the pastry between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 1/5-inch/1/2cm thick. For each piece of steak, cut 2 pastry rectangles slightly larger than the steak. Brush each piece of steak with some of the mustard on both sides, then place in the middle of a piece of pastry. Top the steak with a heaping tablespoon of the onion mixture. Brush the egg wash around the pastry edges and cover with another piece of pastry. Press the edges to seal the parcel, and then trim the excess pastry to leave a 1/2-inch/1cm border and crimp with a fork. Repeat for the remaining steaks.
• Cut a little cross in the top of each parcel and brush the pastry with the egg wash. Place the parcels on the lined baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes for medium-rare.
• Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

VENISON WELLINGTON WITH OYSTER PâTé

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rub the tenderloin with salt and pepper and brush it lightly with oil. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and lightly sear all surfaces of the meat, including the ends. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Melt the butter over high heat; add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the oysters and sherry, and cook until the oysters are opaque. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Drain off any liquid and combine the mixture with the breadcrumbs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well blended and nearly smooth. Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and spoon the pâté into it. Allow to drain for 10 to 15 minutes. If the pâté seems too wet, pick up the edge of the cheesecloth, twist it together, and wring out the excess liquid.
• Roll the pastry dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle less than 1/4 inch thick. Spoon some pâté into the center of the dough and spread it to form a shape similar to that of the tenderloin. Place the venison on the pâté, then cover the top and sides of the meat with the remaining pâté. Wrap the pastry around the venison, overlapping the edges to form a seam. Moisten the edges with water and pinch lightly to seal. Trim the top layer of pastry from both ends and fold the ends up over the sides of the venison, sealing as before. Carefully turn over the pastry-wrapped tenderloin and place seam-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg. Decorate the top with designs cut from the pastry scraps. Brush the cutouts with beaten egg. Bake the tenderloin for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes before carving.
• Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse once or twice to mix. Cut the butter into chunks and add it to the processor. Process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the sour cream and pulse until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough and knead it a few times. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; allow it to thaw partially before rolling.
• For those who don't care for oysters, a mushroom duxelles may be used instead of pâté. Substitute 8 ounces of finely chopped fresh mushrooms (any kind will do) for the oysters, and follow the above procedure. You may also substitute a beef tenderloin for the venison.