Tea Scented Loin of Venison Recipe - Recipes from MK Reviews

Tea scented loin of venison, butternut pearls, baby spinach, pot sauce - courtesy of Grant Hawthorne, Plough Wavendon

Roasted loin of venison, garnished with pearls of pumpkin, wilted spinach and port reduction. The spiciness of the pepper is offset by the subtle perfuming of the bush tea. The flavours of the port along with the berry compote complement the mouth feel of the crusted venison and the delicate wilted spinach. Sweet and savoury combine to give a lighter, healthier cut of meat the ‘lift’ it sometimes requires.

The recommended wine to accompany this would be a full-bodied Australian Shiraz/ Syrah or for those more adventurous, a Gewürztraminer from the Alsace.

Ingredients

▪ 100ml Olive oil

▪ Salt (table and Maldon)

▪ Cracked white pepper

▪ Sprigs of chervil

▪ Fruit compote (prepared)

Venison - ingredients & method

▪ 4 X 180g portions of venison loin (cleaned of excess fat and sinew)	Make a strong base of Rooibos tea (4 tea bags and 500ml boiling water). Allow to steep and cool. Remove bags from the water and reserve the liquid to one side. Marinade the venison in the tea for 30 minutes. Drain and de-gorge, reserving the venison to one side. Splash the venison with the red wine and allow marinating for 30 minutes with the juniper berries. Drain and de-gorge. Pat dry with kitchen cloth. Reserve to one side. Roll the loins in cracked white pepper and season with salt. Heat a cast iron pan till hot, add some olive oil and sear the loins on all sides to create a peppered crust. Cook for a further 2minutes in the oven. Remove and allow resting for 2 minutes. Slice each loin into 3 or 4 pieces and arrange overlapping pieces to form a crown. Keep warm.
▪ 500ml cold Rooibos (Red Bush) tea
▪ 100ml Red wine
▪ 10no Juniper berries (crushed)
Straw potatoes - ingredients & method
▪ 2 medium potatoes/ Jerusalem Artichokes	Julienne the washed potatoes. Deep fry in hot oil until golden drain on absorbent paper and season with table salt. Reserve to one side. Note: Jerusalem Artichokes can be prepared as you would for potatoes as well.
▪ Vegetable oil for frying
Butternut pearls - ingredients & method
▪ Castor sugar	Blanch the butternut in boiling salted water. Drain and reserve to one side. ‘Pearl’ the butternut when cooled. Heat a pan with a little olive oil and caramelise the butternut with some castor sugar. Cook on medium heat in the oven until cooked. Reserve to one side, keeping warm.
▪ 800g Peeled butternut, ‘pearled’ with parisienne scoop
Baby spinach - ingredients & method
▪ 400g Baby spinach	In a hot pan, toss the washed baby spinach and the melted butter and salt. Steam through with the vegetable stock until it wilts. Drain on absorbent paper and reserve to one side, keeping warm.
▪ 50g unsalted butter
▪ 50ml vegetable stock
Pot sauce - ingredients & method
▪ 200ml veal stock	For the port sauce, reduce the veal stock with the port wine and seasoning until it coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a fine strainer and reserve to one side, keeping warm.
▪ 100ml Port wine
Assembly
Assemble the crown of carved venison astride the wilted spinach and dot the butternut pearls around the plate. Drizzle some port sauce around the plate. Garnish with sprigs of chervil and straw potatoes (or Jerusalem artichoke crisps). Serve with a spoon of fruit compote.