½ onion, diced
½ carrot, diced
25 grams butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef stock
1 sprig each parsley, thyme and rosemary
1 small bayleaf
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups blackcurrants (frozen are fine)
¼ cup creme de cassis
Venison steaks
6 Denver leg-cut venison steaks
4 tablespoons olive oil
Bacon potato cakes
3 large agria or other starchy potatoes
100 grams butter
2 rashers bacon, finely diced
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, bruised
Cassis sauce: In a saucepan cook the onion and carrot in the butter for 2-3 minutes until the onion softens. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beef stock, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bayleaf and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Strain. Simmer the blackcurrants in the creme de cassis for about 10 minutes until they have softened and released their juice. Add the blackcurrants and juice to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has the consistency of pouring cream. Strain and season with salt and pepper.
Venison steaks: Remove venison from the fridge. Season meat with salt, pepper and the olive oil and leave covered for 30 minutes before cooking. Heat a frying pan until searingly hot and add the steaks. Cook for about 3 minutes, then turn. Cook second side for another 3 minutes. Set aside on a plate, covered for 5 minutes, before serving. This resting time will ensure the venison is lovely and tender.
Bacon potato cakes: Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain. Thinly slice about 1-1½ potatoes. Cook these slices in half the butter until they are golden on both sides. Line 6 heavily buttered 12cm flan tins with an overlapping layer of the cooked potato slices. Mash the remaining potatoes. Pan-fry the diced bacon until crispy and beat into the potatoes with the remaining butter, egg yolk and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the flan tins with the mashed potato. Bake at 220ºC for 10 minutes. Turn out on to the centre of each plate as a base for the venison steaks.
bacon recipe courtesy of: Allyson Gofton, c/o PO Box 18350, Glen Innes, Auckland, New Zealand
25 grams butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef stock
1 sprig each parsley, thyme and rosemary
1 small bayleaf
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups blackcurrants (frozen are fine)
¼ cup creme de cassis
Venison steaks
6 Denver leg-cut venison steaks
4 tablespoons olive oil
Bacon potato cakes
3 large agria or other starchy potatoes
100 grams butter
2 rashers bacon, finely diced
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, bruised
Cassis sauce: In a saucepan cook the onion and carrot in the butter for 2-3 minutes until the onion softens. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beef stock, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bayleaf and pepper. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Strain. Simmer the blackcurrants in the creme de cassis for about 10 minutes until they have softened and released their juice. Add the blackcurrants and juice to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has the consistency of pouring cream. Strain and season with salt and pepper.
Venison steaks: Remove venison from the fridge. Season meat with salt, pepper and the olive oil and leave covered for 30 minutes before cooking. Heat a frying pan until searingly hot and add the steaks. Cook for about 3 minutes, then turn. Cook second side for another 3 minutes. Set aside on a plate, covered for 5 minutes, before serving. This resting time will ensure the venison is lovely and tender.
Bacon potato cakes: Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain. Thinly slice about 1-1½ potatoes. Cook these slices in half the butter until they are golden on both sides. Line 6 heavily buttered 12cm flan tins with an overlapping layer of the cooked potato slices. Mash the remaining potatoes. Pan-fry the diced bacon until crispy and beat into the potatoes with the remaining butter, egg yolk and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the flan tins with the mashed potato. Bake at 220ºC for 10 minutes. Turn out on to the centre of each plate as a base for the venison steaks.
bacon recipe courtesy of: Allyson Gofton, c/o PO Box 18350, Glen Innes, Auckland, New Zealand
