Wild Fiordland venison loin

With Parsnip, Red Cabbage, Roasted Shallot and Sweet and Sour Jus

Venison loin and neck

500g trimmed venison loin
1 venison neck
2L beef stock
1 onion
1 carrot
Thyme, rosemary and juniper berries
100g brown sugar
100ml red wine vinegar

Place venison loin on paper towel, wrap tightly in cling wrap and place in fridge for later use. Seal venison neck in a pan to get a nice golden brown colour then place in a pot with the chopped vegetables and herbs.

Cover with beef stock and cook at 150°C for 8 hours or until meat comes away easily from the bone. Remove from liquid, and strip meat from bone and put aside. Reduce remaining liquid until thick and pass through a sieve into a clean pot, adding the brown sugar and red wine vinegar. Reduce until desired taste and consistency. When ready, add sauce back to venison neck and season to taste.

Braised red cabbage

½ red cabbage
50g brown sugar
1 orange zest and juice
50ml red wine vinegar
100ml red wine
1 apple
50g butter
50g red currant jelly

Slice cabbage thinly and add to a casserole dish with rest of ingredients. Cook at 150°C for 2 hours or until cooked.

Parsnip puree

2 parsnips
500ml milk
50g butter

Peel and slice parsnip and poach in milk until tender, strain off the milk and keep aside. Blend parsnip and butter until smooth, adding milk to achieve desired consistency.

Parsnip chips

1 parsnip, peeled

Peel the parsnip into shavings. Place in a 160°C deep fryer and fry until golden. Season with a little salt.

Roasted shallot

4 large shallots, peeled and halved
20g butter
50ml red wine
200ml vegetable stock
Thyme

Fry flat side of shallot until brown. Turn, adding remaining ingredients and place in 150°C oven for 30 minutes. Once cooked, reduce liquid until it glazes the shallots and set aside.

Assemble

Season venison loin with salt and pepper and seal in a hot pan, place in oven and cook for a few minutes until medium rare. Remove and rest. Gently heat all ingredients. Drizzle parsnip purée around the outside of the plate. Place venison neck on plate and finish with chopped parsley. Angle slice the venison loin and place on top of cabbage. Finish with parsnip chips on top.

Recipe kindly supplied by

Chef Cameron Davies
The Fat Duck
124 Town Centre, Te Anau 9600
(03) 249 8480

Photo by
Bridget Railton