Ingredients
Servings
- VENISON ---------------------------------
- 1 8-rib rack of venison
- CRACKERS -------------------------------
- 4 sheets filo
- 100 g butter
- 2 sticks celery, peeled and finely chopped
- 0.5 cup hazelnuts
- 12 dried apricots
- 0.5 onion
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 0.5 tsp thyme, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp flat leaf parsley
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100 ml meat stock
- 50 ml Madeira or tawny port
- 0.25 cup fresh red currants
- 1 orange juice and zest
- red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
Servings
- VENISON ---------------------------------
- 1 8-rib rack of venison
- CRACKERS -------------------------------
- 4 sheets filo
- 100 g butter
- 2 sticks celery, peeled and finely chopped
- 0.5 cup hazelnuts
- 12 dried apricots
- 0.5 onion
- 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 0.5 tsp thyme, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp flat leaf parsley
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 100 ml meat stock
- 50 ml Madeira or tawny port
- 0.25 cup fresh red currants
- 1 orange juice and zest
- red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
Venison
Remove the outer cap muscle and the silver skin with a sharp knife; season with salt and cracked pepper.
Sear the rack in a large pan or BBQ hot plate until nicely browned, cover the bones with tinfoil and roast for 25-30 minutes at 180°C / 350°F or internal temperature of 60°C / 140°F. Rest for ten minutes in a warm place.
Crackers
Clean the cap muscle of all silver skin and chop coarsely; you will end up with about 120 g of venison. Place chopped meat in a food processor and add egg to make sausage meat.
Finely dice the celery and onion sauté in 30 ml butter. Add the crushed hazelnuts and diced apricots, cook until soft. Then add the thyme, parsley, mustard, and breadcrumbs. Cool the mixture, then mix in the venison sausage meat thoroughly and form into 4 cylinders about 100 mm long by 25 mm thick.
Take a sheet of filo and brush with melted butter on 2/3rds. Fold the pastry sheet into 3, brush with butter and place the venison sausage on the pastry. Roll and twist the ends like a cracker, sealing the join with butter. Place on a non-stick tray ready to bake.
Bake the crackers for 10 minutes.
Redcurrant gravy
Add the Madeira to the roasting pan and deglaze the meat browning. Reduce and add the orange juice, and a pinch or two of zest. Further reduce and add a teaspoon of mustard and stock, reduce to thicken, add the red currants and check the acidity/sweetness adding a little red wine vinegar as required.
To serve
To serve, put the rack back in a hot oven for 2-3 minutes to bring it up to temperature. Cut the crackers in half on the bias and arrange on a plate. Pour around the sauce and serve with a bouquet of steamed summer vegetables or a salad.
