Venison Pate Recipes

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• For detailed step-by-step images to help with creating your wellington, visit our guide page. Firstly, dry the venison with kitchen paper, then season well. Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the meat all over for about 8 mins. Brush with mustard, leave to cool, then chill for 20 mins. Reserve any juices for the gravy.
• Melt the butter and soften the shallot and garlic. Add the mushrooms, herbs and seasoning, and cook for 10 mins until you have a paste-like mixture. Add the brandy and cook until it's evaporated. Leave to cool.
• Overlap 2-3 sheets of cling film on a clean surface and lay the prosciutto in 2 rows, slightly overlapping each slice. Spread the cooled mushroom paste all over the prosciutto, creating a thin, even layer.
• Place the fillet in the centre of the mushroom mixture. Using the edge of the cling film, carefully draw the layer of prosciutto and mushroom around the meat.
• Roll into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of the cling film as you do, to form a tight log. Chill for 30 mins to firm up.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry to a rectangle a little larger than a magazine, and trim the edges to neaten.
• Carefully unwrap the prosciutto parcel and lay in the middle of the pastry.
• Fold over the bottom half of the pastry. Lightly brush the rest of the sheet with beaten egg.
• Roll the whole thing around the meat to encase. Neatly fold under the shorter edges to create a parcel.
• Transfer to a baking sheet and, using your hands, smooth the pastry around the meat, pressing it firmly to avoid any air being trapped. Brush the pastry all over with beaten egg yolk.
• Chill for at least 30 mins or up to 24 hrs. Then, using the back of a knife, mark the pastry, being careful not to cut all the way through. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
• Lightly oil a non-stick baking tray and heat until hot. Put the wellington on the tray and bake for 30 mins (35 mins for well done). Remove from oven, brush with extra egg and rest for 20 mins.
• To make venison gravy, melt a large knob of butter in a medium pan, add 1 finely chopped shallot, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 thyme sprig, and cook until soft. Add 1 tbsp flour, brown for about 1 min, then pour in 250ml Port and reduce by two-thirds. Add 400ml beef stock and any reserved juices from the venison, then reduce again by two-thirds until syrupy. Season, add 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly, if you like, and strain before serving.

VENISON PATE

Steps:

• The night before, use 4 cups milk to soak the butchered livers.
• In a small container, cover the bread with the remaining milk and soak for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Drain, dry, salt and pepper the livers.
• Preheat a saute pan to the point where oil smokes slightly on contact. Add the canola oil and livers to the pan and brown both sides lightly. Remove to drain and cool.
• Let the pan cool slightly, and then add the shallots and garlic. Gently sweat until translucent. Add the brandy, cook off the alcohol set aside.
• Squeeze the bread to remove excess milk. Place the bread in a food processor. Add the livers, shallots and garlic, any liquid and scrapings from the pan and the eggs. Pulse until the contents are still chunky, but relatively consistent.
• In large mixing bowl, combine the venison, veal, dried cherries, pistachios, ginger powder, allspice, pink salt, kosher salt and pepper, as well as the contents of the food processor. Mix well with hands.
• Place a small amount of the mixture in plastic wrap, twisting to form a water-tight ball. Drop in simmering water until cooked through. Cool in ice water, and taste for seasoning.
• Adjust seasoning as necessary.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Line a pate mold (or small bread pan) with plastic wrap. Fill with the pate mix, seal the top with plastic wrap and cover with foil.
• Fill a larger cake pan with boiling water to roughly 1 1 1/2 inches. Place the pate in the water bath. Cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1 hour.
• Remove the foil and place an equal size pan or lid over the top of the pate and add weight (soup cans, brick, etc...) to help compress the pate. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
• Slice 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve with mustard and crusty bread.

VENISON LIVER PâTé

Steps:

• Put the liver, butter and vinegar into a small baking dish, and cover with buttered paper or foil.
• Braise at 350F (or 180C) for 25 minutes, stirring half-way through cooking.
• Meanwhile, crush the garlic into a food processor and add the egg, a pinch of salt and some black pepper.
• When the liver is brown all over but still pink inside, tip the contents of the baking dish into the food processor, then whizz until liquid.
• Add the breadcrumbs, then whizz again until smooth.
• Put into small dishes.
• Note - You can freeze this pâté, but after a while it may become a little dry. If this happens, simply pop it into the food processor after you have defrosted it, then add a little brandy or cream, and re-whizz.

VENISON WELLINGTON WITH OYSTER PâTé

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rub the tenderloin with salt and pepper and brush it lightly with oil. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and lightly sear all surfaces of the meat, including the ends. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Melt the butter over high heat; add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the oysters and sherry, and cook until the oysters are opaque. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Drain off any liquid and combine the mixture with the breadcrumbs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well blended and nearly smooth. Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and spoon the pâté into it. Allow to drain for 10 to 15 minutes. If the pâté seems too wet, pick up the edge of the cheesecloth, twist it together, and wring out the excess liquid.
• Roll the pastry dough out on a lightly floured surface to form a rectangle less than 1/4 inch thick. Spoon some pâté into the center of the dough and spread it to form a shape similar to that of the tenderloin. Place the venison on the pâté, then cover the top and sides of the meat with the remaining pâté. Wrap the pastry around the venison, overlapping the edges to form a seam. Moisten the edges with water and pinch lightly to seal. Trim the top layer of pastry from both ends and fold the ends up over the sides of the venison, sealing as before. Carefully turn over the pastry-wrapped tenderloin and place seam-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg. Decorate the top with designs cut from the pastry scraps. Brush the cutouts with beaten egg. Bake the tenderloin for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes before carving.
• Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse once or twice to mix. Cut the butter into chunks and add it to the processor. Process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the sour cream and pulse until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough and knead it a few times. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; allow it to thaw partially before rolling.
• For those who don't care for oysters, a mushroom duxelles may be used instead of pâté. Substitute 8 ounces of finely chopped fresh mushrooms (any kind will do) for the oysters, and follow the above procedure. You may also substitute a beef tenderloin for the venison.

VENISON LIVER PATE

Steps:

• Cook the salt pork in a heavy skillet. Add onion and cook until tender. Add the butter and half of the liver. Cook quickly until brown. Cover and baise genly for 15 minutes or until tender.
• Preheat oven to 350°F Meanwhile soak the 2 slices in milk and squeese dry. Grind with the braised and remaining liver. Stir in everything from the salt to ghe eggs listed above.
• Take a loaf pan and line with the 8 slices. Place the liver in, cover with foil and bake for approx 1 1/2 hours.
• Serve with those toast slices.