VENISON DIANE

We are so fortunate to have such exceptional venison. The meat is lean, nutritious, aged and full of flavour and unbelievably tender. All thanks to Duncan Venison based here in Dunedin. I kept the dish simple and went back to the old days with this classic Diane sauce which enhanced the meltingly tender venison.

The dish was so good that you would be excused to think you were dining at a restaurant.

serves 2

Skill level - easy

Time - 30 minutes

Gluten free

Ingredients

2x 200g venison backstrap

1-2 Tbsp oil

½ tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

½ tsp fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped

1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed

Sea salt flakes

50g unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely diced

300g mushrooms, portobello, chestnut etc

2 Tbsp brandy

2 Tbsp red wine

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp english mustard

100 ml cream

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped 

Method

Rub the thyme and rosemary over the venison and allow to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a medium sized fry pan over moderate to high heat. You want the pan to be smoking hot.

Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of oil over the venison, sprinkle over a little black pepper and a little sea salt.

Place the venison onto the hot pan and let the venison sear and sizzle without moving it.  Cook the venison for 3 minutes before turning over and continue to sear the venison for a further 3 minutes. Add a knob of butter and a little oil, turn the steak over in the bubbling butter, baste the venison with the juices in the pan.  When the butter has turned brown and the venison has good colour, remove the venison from the pan and keep in a warm place to rest for 10 minutes.

While the venison is resting, get making the sauce.

Wipe the pan clean and place the pan back onto the heat, add the remaining butter, shallots and mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper, jiggling the pan to keep the mushrooms and shallots moving.

Pour in the brandy, then carefully light the brandy and allow the alcohol to burn off, add the red wine and reduce by half.  

Add the cream, mustards, worcestershire sauce, stir, making sure you get all the tasty bits of the bottom of the pan. Take the sauce off the heat when the sauce has thickened and become glossy and has a taken on a deep caramel colour.

Add the parsley and remaining pepper.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. 

Serve the venison with the delicious diane sauce.