Seared venison with plum, sloe gin & juniper sauce
FOR THE VENISON
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp pink peppercorns
1 tsp maldon sea salt flakes
good quality olive oil
500g venison fillet
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
1 small onion, peeled + very finely chopped
4 juniper berries, lightly crushed
100ml sloe gin
200ml beef stock
8 black plums, de-stoned, chopped
2 tsp sugar
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
toasted sourdough
blue or goat’s cheese
radicchio leaves
Grind peppercorns and salt in a pestle or spice blender, scatter on a plate.
Pour a glug of olive oil into clean hands, rub all over venison then roll meat in the pepper/salt mix, coating the outside evenly.
Place a non-stick, cast iron frying pan over high heat and when hot add the venison, searing for about 6 mins,
turning once. Transfer pan to oven and roast venison 8-10 mins. Remove and allow to rest for 10 mins.
To make the sauce, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pot, add finely chopped onion and sauté for 4 mins with a pinch of salt, stirring frequently. Add the juniper berries and
gin to deglaze the pan then add the stock and plums along with sugar and simmer for 10-12 mins breaking down with a potato masher a few times after 6 mins.
Simmer until sauce is quite thick then pass through a fine sieve. You can discard the fruit pulp or keep it but the sauce is what you need for this recipe.
If strained sauce isn’t thick enough, return it to the pan and continue to simmer until it’s the consistency of thick, glossy syrup.
Serve venison sliced on top of toasted sourdough bread
smeared with blue or goat cheese and radicchio leaves.