This is a very special dish and one to be enjoyed at the weekend with a bottle of red when you can really take your time. As its coming up to Christmas, this makes a nice change from the traditional dishes we will munch during the festive celebrations. Why not make it for a nice new years day celebration meal? Or a Christmas Eve get together with those you can’t see at Christmas? This recipe is a bit of medley of two recipes I found; one BBC food and one Raymond Blanc.
Recipe (serves 2)
Venison
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 venison steaks of around 150g each
Blackberry jus
- ½ tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 75ml beef stock
- 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 8 blackberries
Celeriac purée
- 1 celeriac head
- 75ml whipping or double cream
- salt and pepper
- 25g unsalted butter
Method
- Make the celeriac purée first by boiling peeled and diced celeriac together either in the microwave or in a saucepan. This should take around 20 minutes and you really need it to be soft and tender, so it blends easily. Drain this ready to be blended.
- Heat the cream and butter until boiling, in a small saucepan.
- Blend the cooked celeriac with the cream, butter, salt and pepper until smooth. Use a hand blender for this.
- Set aside ready to be heated up before serving.
- Next, trim any fat (if any) from the venison steaks. Cook the steaks in the oil, in a hot pan for about 4 minutes on each side. This is about a medium steak. If you prefer your meat differently, alter the cooking time accordingly.
- Leave the steaks to rest on kitchen towel.
- Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan that was used to cook the venison. This deglazes it and allows you to make the most of all that gorgeous flavour. Next add the stock, garlic, and redcurrant jelly. Stir over a high heat until everything is well combined. Add the blackberries and soften them a little.
- Take the blackberries out and sieve the sauce to make it smooth and silky.
- Heat up the celeriac and pipe or spoon into the centre of the plate.
- Arrange the venison on top of the purée and the sauce around this, like a moat. Place the blackberries decoratively on top.
Mmmm. If you have not tried celeriac you have to! It is so creamy and flavoursome and great with meat, including chicken. It looks a pretty ugly vegetable but the ugly duckling should always be given a chance in life.
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