Venison loin, green peppercorns, red cabbage and game fondants from Fifty Years: Kinloch Lodge

We get amazing venison from the woodland around Skye from our friend Davie Urquhart and his team at Skye Game.

 

For this recipe we use the loin, or what’s known as the saddle. We like to air dry our meats on cooling racks in our fridges to get a more intense flavour to the loin.

 

Serves 6

• Pickled red cabbage
• ½ red cabbage
• 1 banana shallot
• 100ml Champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 100ml white wine
• 100ml water
• 90g maple syrup
• 1tbs grainy mustard
• Salt and pepper

 

Red cabbage purée

• 1tbs mustard seeds
• 1tbs olive oil
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• ½ red cabbage, sliced
• 200ml sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
• 200ml red wine
• 200g muscovado sugar
• 2tbs redcurrant jelly
• Salt and pepper

 

Game fondants

• 2tbs olive oil
• 4 large potatoes (such as Maris Piper or Desiree), chopped in
• 2cm dice
• Knob of butter
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 3-4 thyme sprigs
• 200ml meat stock

 

Venison loin

• 3tbs oil
• 3tbs brined green peppercorns
• 800g venison loin (I prefer cooking a single piece and then carving portions from it, but you can also cook individual pieces)
• Green peppercorn sauce
• 1tbs cracked green peppercorns (reserved from the loin)
• 100ml port
• 100ml meat stock
• 200 meat glace

 

For the pickled red cabbage

 

This can be made in advance. Finely slice the red cabbage and shallot either by hand or on a mandolin. Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a large sealed container, then add the cabbage and shallot. Leave for 2-3 hours, turning the pickle every hour or so.

 

For the red cabbage purée In a deep saucepan, dry toast the mustard seeds for a couple of minutes, then add a splash of olive oil and then the white onion and gently fry until soft. Add the garlic and carry on frying for a couple of minutes. Add in the red cabbage and the rest of the ingredients and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. This is to bring the liquid to a simmer but also to steam any ingredients not under the liquid. Simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes on a medium heat. The cabbage should be nice and soft and have given out a lot of water. At this point carefully take off the lid, avoiding the steam, and continue to boil the mixture until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes.

 

Take off the heat and allow to cool and then add the redcurrant jelly. Purée this whole mixture until smooth in a blender, and set to one side in a tub. This can be chilled and will keep for three days.

 

For the game fondants

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C( fan 160°C).Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the diced potatoes, trying to get a nice golden edge on most sides. Add a good knob of butter, the garlic and a few sprigs of thyme. The thyme crackles a bit in the frying pan but don’t worry.

 

Add stock, making sure there is enough to create a layer of stock in the bottom of the frying pan. Bring to a simmer turning the potatoes in the buttery stock. Pop the whole frying pan into the oven for 10 minutes. Take the pan out, turn the potatoes in the stock and check with a skewer/knife to see if tender. If still firm add some more stock and place back in the oven for another five minutes. When the potatoes are tender remove from the pan and dry on some cloth and cool down in a fridge.

 

For the venison loin Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add the brined green peppercorns and gently warm for a couple of minutes to toast them and develop more flavour. Take off the heat and crush the peppercorns with a pestle and mortar, or simply with the end of a rolling pin in the pan. Set aside the 1tbs crushed peppercorns for the sauce, then roll the venison loin in the remaining peppercorns. Leave the loin to come up to room temperate for 30 minutes and to let it pick up the flavour of the peppercorns.

 

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Use a good frying pan set over a medium heat and add oil. Seal the venison on all sides, the add a knob of butter, some thyme and a couple of cloves of garlic to the pan. Place the venison in a roasting tray, then place in the over for 4-5 minutes (the core temperature of the loin should 37°C-39°C on a meat thermometer. When ready, allow the meat to rest for 8-10 minutes wrapped in tin foil.

 

For the peppercorn sauce

 

In a dry saucepan add the reserved green peppercorns and the port. Turn up the heat and boil off the raw alcohol until the sauce has reduced by two thirds. Add the game stock to the pan and reduce again by two thirds. Add the meat glacé and simmer before removing from the heat.