Smoked duck breast, marinated white cabbage and a curry sauce

Start early to have time to marinate and cool the cabbage.

Bring 1/2 l water to the boil, with 1 dl white wine, 1/4 l rice vinegar, 1,5 tbsp caster sugar, 1 star anise, 1 cove and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer for 5 mins.

In the meantime grate 100g white cabbage and put in a bowl, pour over the hot marinade, cover with clingfilm and cool for at least 1 hour

Cut the green from 3 spring onions (keep the rest in the fridge for later use).

Stack the green leaves and slice into very thin long strips, put in ice water and keep in the fridge, where they should curl nicely.

Mix 2 tbsp mayo, 1/2 tbsp yoghurt, a pinch of curcuma, a pinch of curry, finish with lime juice.

Start plating with circles of sliced smoked duck breast (ca 15 slices pp)

Sieve the cabbage, remove the star anise and the cove, drain well.

Drain the spring onion curls and mix with the cabbage, drip with sesame oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp black sesame seeds. Mix well

Put some cole slaw in the center of the duck

Finish with the curry sauce

(Here a video with the original recipe in Flemish)

Braised venison, apple sauce, red cabbage, gratin dauphinois

Mince an onion and 2 cloves of garlic, slice a celery stick and cut a big carrot into small cubes

Sweat 3 mins in 50g butter.

Add 400g cubes of venison, dust with flour and and brown the meat on all sides.

Add a bottle of brown beer, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 200ml game stock, 2 sprigs of sage and tear 2 or 3 slices of ginger bread to add as well.

Bring briefly to the boil, then simmer for 2 hours.

After 1 hour add 6 sliced shiitake and 100g peeled pearl onions.

Taste and season with salt and pepper 

Take the lid of for the last 30 mins to thicken the sauce.

Serve with gratin Daupinois, red cabbage and apple sauce

(Based on a recipe by Janneke Philippi)

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Roasted Rack Of Venison With Spiced Red Cabbage

Start with the sauce by browning 25g smoked bacon in 1 tbsp butter. Finely cut a shallot and 2 mushrooms and sweat with the bacon. Deglaze with 50 ml red wine and reduce as much as possible. Then add 300 ml brown game stock and softly reduce.

After 30 mins add 200 ml cream and 1 tbsp mustard and reduce for another 10 mins. till 220ml is left. Sieve and finish with 13g dark chocolate (min 60% cacao).

Then prepare the cabbage. Cut out the core and finely shred 1/2 red cabbage. Heat a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add 1/2 peeled and sliced onion and sweat for 2–3 minutes, then add the red cabbage and cook for 1–2 minutes.

Add 2 star anise, 1 stick of cinnamon and some salt and pepper and cook for another 1–2 minutes to release the flavours.

Now add the zest of an orange and sprinkle in 50g light brown sugar. Add the juice from the orange and 50 ml white wine vinegar and let bubble to reduce down. 

Pour in 300ml red wine and 100ml red port. Add 50g sultanas and leave to cook gently for 40 minutes.

Peel, core and dice a sweet apple. Add to the cabbage, toss to mix and set aside.

Meanwhile, for the venison, heat the oven to 190°C. Heat a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add a drizzle of oil. Season the venison rack on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the hot pan.

Colour the meat well on all sides, for about 3 minutes. Add 50g butter to the pan and let it melt and foam, then add some sprigs of thyme and baste the joint with the foaming butter.

Transfer the pan to the oven. Roast the venison for 15 minutes, then check; the meat should still be pink inside.

Transfer to a warm platter and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Save any juices in the pan.

Slice the venison and arrange on warm plates with the braised cabbage and some rösti. Reheat any pan juices and drizzle over the meat.

Add a spoonful of redcurrant jelly and a sprinkling of pepper to serve.

(Here Tom Kitchin's original recipe)

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Saddle of venison, salsify, mushrooms

Start with the sauce by browning 25g smoked bacon in 1 tbsp butter. Finely cut a shallot and 2 mushrooms and sweat with the bacon. Deglaze with 50 ml red wine and reduce as much as possible. Then add 300 ml brown game stock and softly reduce.

After 30 mins add 200 ml cream and 1 tbsp mustard and reduce for another 10 mins. till 220 ml sauce is left. Sieve and finish with 13g dark chocolate (min 60% cacao)

Peel 200g salsify and keep in cold water with some lemon juice. Then slice diagonally into 5 cm pieces. and softly boil for 10 mins. Sprinkle with thyme leaves.

At the same time panfry  200g saddle of venison, 2 min per side.

Serve as shown, with green vegetables and  gratin dauphinois

(Here the original Njam recipe in Flemish)

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Venison sausage and chestnut casserole

1. 

   Sweat a thinly sliced onion in a casserole pan and cook over a medium-high heat for 5 mins or until beginning to soften and lightly colour, stirring regularly. Add a splash more oil if needed. 
   
   
   Add 100 g quartered chestnut mushrooms for 4-5 mins, until lightly browned. Pour 100 ml red wine and 100 ml water into the dish and crumble a stock cube over the top. Stir in 100 g cooked chestnuts,  1 tbsp tomato purée, a clove of garlic, some sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover loosely with a lid and simmer gently for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. After 28 mins add a sliced stick of celery.
   
   
   Meanwhile, make the mustard mash. Put 125 g potatoes and 125 g chunks of celeriac in a large pan of water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 mins or until the potatoes are soft but not falling apart. Drain well in a colander, then return to the pan and mash with butter and cream until smooth. Beat in a tbsp wholegrain mustard, season to taste, and set aside.
   
   
   When the poatoes and celeriac are happily boiling heat a tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry 2 venison sausages over a medium heat for 15 mins, until nicely browned.
   
   
   Mix a tbsp cornflour with a tbsp cold water until smooth. Stir into the casserole and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring regularly, until the sauce has thickened. Keep warm.
   

   
   
   Use serving rings to put the mash 
   on the plates, then top up with the 
   chestnut casserole, sprinkle with 
   chopped parsley and finish with 
   the sausages.
   
   
   (Here the original BBC Goodfood recipe)
   
   
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Venison sausage with lentils, Savoy and sweet melted onions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6, for cooking the sausages later

Start by making the melted onions. Melt 40 gr butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, gently sweat 200 gr thinly sliced white onions for up to 1 hour until completely soft, sweet and tender. If time permits, cook for a additional 3 hours for a very sweet flavor

Open a small can of pre-cooked lentils, drain the lentils through a colander, reserving the liquid.

Drain any excess butter from the onions then season to taste and add a pinch of thyme leaves. Keep warm.

Fry off 30 gr diced bacon in a knob of butter then mince 2 cloves of garlic, add to the butter, followed by the cooked lentils, 50 g diced carrot, 50 g diced celery, 1/2 a diced onion, 50 g diced leek and 50 gr diced cucumber

Add 50ml of either red wine jus and 50 ml reserved lentil liquids. Reduce until almost dry, tasting the carrots to see if they are al dente and the lentils to ensure they are still nice and moist. Stir in 10 g Dijon mustard, 10 g chopped parsley, 10 g chopped chives and seasoning to taste

Now heat 20 g butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted and foaming, add 100 g shredded Savoy cabbage and cook slowly until tender and with no colour, approximately 4-5 minutes. Season to taste and keep hot

Fry 2 venison  sausages in a hot pan with a small dash of vegetable oil until nicely browned all over. Transfer to the oven for 6-8 minutes until cooked through 

To serve, warm the melted onions in a little of the lentil cooking liquor. Spoon the lentils onto the middle of the plate and top with cabbage and sausage. Finish the dish with melted onions, chives and fleur de sel. Serve immediately.

(Here is the original recipe by Dominic Chapman)

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Gin and juniper berries cured venison tataki

Trim 200 gr of venison filet. Mix 2 tbsp salt and 4 tbsp sugar well, and rub into the meat. Add 2 tbsp gin, 1 tbsp juniper berries, 3 sprigs of thyme and 3 sprigs of parsley. Marinate for two hours, turning the meat after one hour.

Pat the meat dry. Fry quickly in hot and dry pan for 30 seconds on each side. Cool down and cut in thin slices.

Fry some wild mushrooms in butter on medium/high heat until firm (5 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve as in the picture with sour cream, cranberries and cress. 

Recipe by Andreas Nicoletti on cookniche.com

PS 'Cut an apple into thin strips (julienne style), said the recipe'. But I like it without the apple.           

          

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Venison, figs, port sauce

Start (a day in advance) with the sauce by sweating a sliced shallot. Add 200 ml red port, 100 ml red wine, 200 ml brown game stock and 2 tbsp red wine vinegar.

Then add 2 cloves, 2 laurier leaves, 4 junipers and some sprigs of thyme.

Simmer till reduced till 1/3. Sieve and reserve.

Next day add a tbsp fig jam to the the sauce, warm it with the figs in it.

Panfry the venison steaks, 2 mins on each side. Let the meat rest and keep warm in alu foil for 6 mins.

In the meantime whisk small cubes of cold butter in the sauce, till velvety.

Serve with wintergreens and mini rösti.

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Pheasant, Sauerkraut, sauce Calvados

For the sauce (per 2 persons) reduce 200 ml apple juice and 20 ml Calvados till 1/3 is left, then add 200 ml cream and reduce again till nice and thick.

Just before serving: cut an apple in small cubes and add to the sauce

Pan-fry 2 pheasant breasts in butter, softly so the don't dry out, about 4 mins per side.

Serve with sauerkraut, casselerrib and potato croquettes

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