It's Hunting Season
06 November 2007
It's hunting season. No, I don't like to shoot, nor do I see any attraction or even romanticism in freezing on a raised hide on a cold and dark early morning in autumn. But I like the result when others do it for me, so my physical effort is limited to hunting the game at the local specialty butcher's, portioned into appetising bits and pieces. Very tempting indeed to try out some venison recipes.
This one is inspired by a cookery lesson I took last summer with Munich's popular chef Schuhbeck. For once I decided to mostly stick to the original recipe to make sure to get the consistence of the venison loin filet and above all the herb crust right. I just adjusted the dish a bit to my personal taste: I added some planed almonds on top (very good match!) and left out all cheesy bits (the recipe suggested parmesan in both the herb crust and the pesto). I also varied a bit with the herbs involved: Lacking the suggested spinach and basil I improvised the pesto with some parsley and thyme. I finally slightly altered the oven temperature, increasing the heat for the last few minutes for a nicer roast on the crust.
Venison Loin Filet with Herb Crust
| serves 4 as a main dish |
| 600g venison loin filet |
| some oil for frying |
for the butter crust: |
| 100g butter, soft |
| 60g bread crumbs |
| 1 tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary |
| 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley |
| 1 small dent of garlic |
| some planed almonds to garnish |
for the herb pesto: |
| approx. 80ml olive oil |
| 40g roasted almonds |
| 4 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley |
| 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme |
| 1 small dent of garlic |
as a side dish: |
| polenta |
| milk |
| nutmeg |
| vegetable stock cube |
Pre-heat the oven at 100°C. Sear the venison loin for a few minutes in a frying pan with some olive oil until browned from all sides, then pass it on to the oven and leave it there (uncovered) for about 45 minutes. From time to time you can cautiously check with a fork how raw it still is below the surface. (If you want you can process the remainder left from searing the meat in the frying pan to some nice meat juice: melt some icing sugar in the pan, then add some red wine and/or some vegetable stock and let it simmer lightly until thickened; before serving stir in some butter.)
Meanwhile prepare the butter crust and the herb pesto. Start with the butter crust as this needs to rest in the fridge for a while before using. Beat the butter (which should ideally have room temperature) until creamy, then add the herbs, the bread crumbs and the garlic (pushed through a garlic press) and season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into a long round stick of about 4cm in diameter, wrap it with baking parchment and let it get solid in the fridge. The breadcrumbs are best when prepared fresh, which is easily done: just toast some slices of white bread, let them cool down and process them in the blender.
For the herb pesto blend the herbs, the roasted almonds and the garlic with some of the olive oil until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the blender only bit by bit and stop before the mixture gets too liquid; it should be thick enough to be spread on the meat.
Take the venison loin out of the oven. Season with salt and pepper, then spread the herb pesto on its upper side. Take the herb butter out of the fridge, cut it into slices of about 1cm and place them on top of the meat. Raise the oven temperature to 150°C and put the venison back in for another 10 minutes. For the last 5 minutes switch on the air circulation. The butter crust should get soft and slightly browned on top. Take the venison out of the oven and slice it into pieces of about 1.5cm; they should be nice and pink in the middle. To finish sprinkle some slightly roasted planed almonds on top.
As a side dish I served polenta, which I usually prepare in the proportion of one unit polenta, one unit milk and two units water (first getting milk and water to boil, then stirring in the polenta). To season I add a vegetable stock cube (from the organic supermarket, those taste much better!) and some nutmeg, and I stir in some butter just before serving. Non-instant polenta takes about half an hour to cook, so plan ahead to have it ready when the venison is done as this should be served instantly!
| Suggestions for Starters | Suggestions for Desserts |
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