Hay Smoked Roe Deer, Red Fruits, Vegetables and Leaves by Paul Welburn
Comments Off on Hay Smoked Roe Deer, Red Fruits, Vegetables and Leaves by Paul WelburnIn honour of British Food Fortnight, we asked Michelin starred chef Paul Welburn, who will soon be opening up his brand new venture The Swan Inn Islip, what his favourite ‘British’ dish is and why.
Paul brought us this game-licous recipe for Hay-Smoked Roe Deer, Red Fruits, Vegetables and Leaves. The smoked roe deer and red fruits have us dreaming of cosy autumnal nights, not to mention using hay to smoke the deer! It really is the epitome of modern British cooking. Paul says:
“this dish is perfect for a several reasons , its flavours come bang into season as we enter autumn here , it elevates great British ingredients such as red cabbage , blackberries and Beetroots and utilising the end of summer Hay crops.Game is such a great ingredient and we have some of the best in this country , this dish showcases deer but many others can be used instead be it Mallard, wood pigeon or Hare, the use of blackberries can be added after the Elderberry season ends, preserving them when at there best allows for use through the winter.”
Written by Eliza
Ingredients
SMOKED ROE DEER
- 1 roe deer loin, cut into 4
- 2 handfuls of hay, dried
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 50g of butter
- olive oil
RED CABBAGE GEL AND POWDER
- 1 red cabbage, juiced to yield 500g juice (pulp reserved for the red cabbage powder)
- 6g of gellan gum
- 50ml of red wine vinegar
- 50ml of apple juice
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
SAUCE
- 8 shallots, sliced
- 8 black peppercorns, crushed
- 5 juniper berries, crushed
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 50ml of red wine vinegar
- 250ml of port
- 500ml of red wine
- 1.5l brown chicken stock
- 1 tsp oil
SALSIFY
- 2 sticks of salsify root
- 100ml of port
- 125ml of red wine
- 100ml of chicken stock
- thyme
- salt
- pepper
BABY BEETROOTS
- 500g of baby beetroot
- sea salt
PICKLED BEETROOTS
- 500g of Cheltenham beetroot
- 100ml of white wine
- 100ml of port
- 100ml of raspberry vinegar
- 100g of brown sugar
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 3 bay leaves
MACERATED BLACKBERRIES
- 1 punnet of blackberries
- 100ml of water
- 100g of sugar
- 25ml of port
- 1 sprig of thyme
Equipment
- Copper Tri-ply 24cm Non-Stick Frying Pan
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Wooden spoon
- Sieve
- Tongs
Cooking Method
For the red cabbage gel:
- To make the red cabbage gel, bring all of the ingredients to the boil in a medium-sized saucepan and allow to set on a tray in the fridge.
- Once set, blend the jelly into a liquid gel, season and set aside until ready to plate
To hay-smoke the deer:
- Trim the deer loin of any sinew. Place 2 handfuls of dried hay in a deep tray and light with a match. Once burnt out, place the loin on top, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for minimum of 2 hours
- Preheat the water bath to 57°C
- Remove the deer from the fridge and roll the loin in the burnt hay powder. Roll tightly in cling film and cook in the water bath for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the water bath and remove the cling film
For the sauce:
- To make the sauce, caramelise the shallots in the oil in a medium-sized saucepan. When golden, add the pepper, juniper and herbs, then deglaze with the vinegar. Reduce until the pan is almost dry, then add the port and reduce by a third
- Add the wine, reduce by half, then add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover with cling film and leave to infuse for a further 20 minutes
- After this time, pass through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Return to the heat and reduce until a sauce consistency is achieved. Season to taste and set aside
For the vegetables and berries:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
- Wash and trim the baby beetroot then season and wrap in a single layer of foil. Bake for 30–45 minutes until tender. Leave to cool slightly and peel
- For the macerated blackberries, bring the water, sugar, port and thyme to the boil in a saucepan and pour over the blackberries. Reserve
- For the pickled beetroot, peel the beetroot and slice to a thickness of 2mm. Bring the pickling ingredients to the boil, then remove from the heat and chill. Pour the liquid over the beetroot and place in the fridge to pickle
- Now prepare the salsify. Add the port, red wine and chicken stock to a saucepan and place over a medium heat with a pinch of thyme. Peel the salsify and poach in the liquid until tender. Remove the salsify and reduce the liquor by half to create the glaze. When ready to serve, pour the glaze over the salsify
To finish:
- Just before serving, heat a frying pan over a high heat with the butter and a dash of oil. Once hot, sear the loin on all sides until caramelised
- Finish the sauce with the a dash of liquor from the blackberries just before serving and heat
- To plate, slice the deer and give 3 slices per plate. Arrange the beetroot, salsify and pickled beetroot around the deer. Pipe dots of the cabbage gel and arrange pickled blackberries around the plate. Sprinkle the cabbage powder over the top and garnish with the beetroot leaves and puffed brown rice. Serve the warmed sauce on the side