Venison for a Special Dinner

Today we are making a proper treat of a dinner. I originally developed this recipe as the main course for a wedding meal I served some time ago. It may look slightly unusual at first glance, and for once I will even venture a wine recommendation.

The idea is to repeat some of the same flavours in the sauce, garnish and wine, bringing the whole plate together. The original recipe did not include Russian peas, but I have added them here because they are a natural development of the dish and fit the theme very well. And no, you do not have to wait for a special occasion. This also works perfectly well on a Wednesday.

You will need, per person:

• 200 g venison tenderloin
• 100 g Russian peas
• 100 g carrots, cut into even 5 x 5 mm dice (mainly for appearance and even cooking)
• A few chanterelles
• 100–150 g mashed potatoes

For the sauce and garnish:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cm fresh ginger
• 2 shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup strong coffee
• Optional: lime, sugar and agar agar for lime jelly
• Fresh thyme

• Preheat the oven to 150°C.
• Soak the Russian peas and cook them according to the packet instructions, as they take the longest. You can find them in well-stocked shops. They are prepared in a particular way, dried and sweetened, with a distinctive flavour of peas and coffee that works remarkably well with game.
• Prepare the mashed potatoes, but leave out the milk. Set aside and add hot milk just before serving.
• Make the lime jelly and leave it to cool. This can easily be done the day before.
• Cut the carrots into even pieces. Boil for 2–3 minutes in lightly salted water, drain and transfer to ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside.

• Brown the venison tenderloin in a thoroughly preheated frying pan. Add a good spoonful of rapeseed oil; when it is just beginning to smoke, the pan is hot enough. Brown the meat on all sides, then add a little butter, one lightly crushed garlic clove and some thyme. Spoon the butter over the meat as it browns.
• Roast until the core temperature reaches 53–54°C. The temperature will rise a few degrees while resting. Wrap loosely in foil and let the meat rest for as long as it cooked.
• If using sous vide, reverse the process and brown the meat after the water bath, immediately before serving. I cooked mine at 55°C for 1½–2 hours.
• Sauté the carrots in a little butter just before serving.
• For the sauce, roughly chop the shallots, ginger and garlic. Cook over medium heat in the unsalted butter. Add the soy sauce and reduce for a few minutes, then add the coffee. Lower the heat and let it simmer gently until serving. The coffee should be present without dominating. Strain the sauce and keep warm.

Plate and serve. The sauce is quite powerful, so you do not need much; one or two spoonfuls go a long way.

I have served this with a South African wine called Barista Pinotage. It picks up the coffee notes in both the peas and the sauce and works exceptionally well with game.

Enjoy,
Tore