Venison with raspberry and bitter chocolate sauce
Impress your dinner party guests with very little effort. Rich venison is delicious with this tangy and bitter sauce.
Ingredients
For the cabbage and smoked bacon
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú unsalted butter
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú carrots, cut into 7cm/2¾in batons
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú bacon lardons
- 25g/1oz duck fat
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú celeriac, peeled and cut into 7cm/2¾in batons
- 1 savoy cabbage, dark outer leaves removed, cored and cut into 5mm/¼in slices
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
For the raspberry and bitter chocolate sauce
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp finely chopped shallot
- 25ml/1fl oz raspberry vinegar
- 500ml/18fl oz red wine
- 150ml/¼ pint veal stock
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into pieces
- 30g/1oz unsalted butter
For the venison
- 4 pieces venison loin (about 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú each)
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú unsalted butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
For the cabbage, heat 25g/1oz of the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the carrots and some seasoning and sweat until tender, then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
Transfer the carrots to a bowl using a slotted spoon, then add the bacon to the pan. Fry for about 5 minutes, until crisp, then place into the bowl with the carrots. Add the duck fat and celeriac to the same pan and cook the celeriac slowly, on a low heat, adding a drop of water if necessary to prevent it catching and burning. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender. Use the slotted spoon to transfer it to the bowl of carrots and bacon.
Add another 25g/1oz of butter to the pan and when hot, add the cabbage, season and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook the cabbage over a high heat, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent it catching. Cook until tender, then stir in the carrots, bacon and celeriac, along with the cream. Season with salt and pepper and set aside, keeping warm.
For the sauce, add the oil to a frying pan and sweat the shallots over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the vinegar and allow it to evaporate completely. Add the wine and reduce it to about a quarter of its original volume (you should be left with 125ml/4 fl oz), then add the stock and chocolate. When the chocolate has melted, whisk in the butter. Cover and keep warm.
For the venison, season the loins well with salt and pepper, then heat the butter in another frying pan over a medium heat and cook the venison pieces for 4-5 minutes on each side for rare. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the meat, so cook it accordingly to your liking. Remove from the pan and rest on a plate, covered with foil, for 7 minutes.
To serve, slice each piece of venison and serve with the sauce and cabbage alongside.
