Treat your guests to a stylish meal with this flavourful French recipe.
For the blackcurrant gastrique, put the sugar and vinegar in a saucepan and cook until it has reduced to a syrup and is golden in colour. Add the frozen blackcurrants and cook until the berries break down. Taste the gastrique, add more sugar if it is too sour or a little more vinegar if it is too sweet.
For the honey reduction, put the honey, red wine vinegar and 450ml/16fl oz water in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer, cook until it has reduced in volume by two-thirds. Set aside.
Peel and wash all the root vegetables. Cut all the root vegetables into the same sized chunks. Blanch the carrots and swede briefly.
Bring the duck fat to a gentle simmer. Wrap the lemon thyme, garlic and rosemary in a muslin cloth and add to the duck fat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the parsnips in the duck fat for 10-15 minutes - they should be cooked through but still retain a bite. Drain the parsnips in a colander and sprinkle with a little seasoning. Once drained, cool down on a tray so they stop cooking and don’t get mushy. Repeat the same process for all the remaining vegetables.
When all your vegetables are done and still tepid mix them all gently. Fry the vegetables in a large non-stick pan (the pan should be big enough so that the vegetables do not overlap). When the vegetables start to turn a nice golden colour, add the honey reduction to glaze.
For the butter emulsion, bring 150ml/5fl oz water to the boil. Add the salt, thyme and pepper. Leave to infuse then add the cream. While the water is still hot, add the butter and use a hand blender to create an emulsion, then add the oil and use the hand blender again. Check the seasoning, balance with a squeeze of lemon juice and pass through a fine sieve. Leave at room temperature.
For the cabbage, make a garlic butter. Mix the garlic and parsley with the softened butter. Blanch the cabbage for 1-2 minutes, then drain. Melt the garlic butter and toss the drained cabbage in it.
For the venison, toast the peppercorns and juniper berries in a frying pan (as you would do with seeds) until they release an aroma, then grind using a spice grinder or in a pestle and mortar. Lightly dust the venison with the ground spices. Sear the venison gently and cook until rare, leave to rest in a warm place.
Carve the venison and serve with the honey glazed vegetables and garlic butter cabbage. Drizzle over a little of the emulsion and spoon the blackcurrant gastrique over the venison.
