Roast venison with Savoy cabbage and bacon, chestnuts and trompette noir mushrooms

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 small Savoy cabbage, cut into a small dice
1 small carrot, cut into a small dice
1 small onion, cut into a small dice
75g of pancetta (or ventreche bacon), cut into a small dice
40g butter

For the venison:
Two centre cut pieces of venison loin
Oil
Salt and pepper
To dress plates:
Seeds from one small pomegranate
2 cooked chestnuts
50g of trompette mushrooms, washed and dried
40g butter
Chervil to finish
Enough Poivrade sauce for two people
A small amount of reduced red wine sauce to brush onto the plate

Method

First, cook cabbage and carrot in boiling salted water and refresh in iced water. Once cold drain well on kitchen paper. Sweat onion and bacon in a little butter for 5 mins and leave to cool. Mix with the vegetables and season. Roast the venison loin until rare to medium rare, and leave to rest in a warm place.

To dress the plates, brush the reduced sauce on to the plates, then place some pomegranate seeds on to the plate. Heat the vegetable mix in a pan and spoon into a ring/cutter that is on the plate. Take off the cutter/ring. Cut the venison loin into thin slices and arrange onto the vegetable mix.

Quickly sauté the mushrooms, drain and season, and then place on top of the sliced venison. Slice the cooked chestnuts over the venison and finish with some chervil.

Serve the sauce in a little sauceboat on the side. At Aurora we normally serve the venison with some pear chutney as well. Serve immediately.

Allan Pickett, head chef, Aurora, London