
An elegant hors d’oeuvre or classy light-yet-filling lunch, this recipe is simple but luxurious. It doesn’t have to be served hot, so the components can be made ahead of time for a picnic or party.
Adapted from Matthew Young’s Brook Green Wild Food Market recipe
Ingredients Serves: 2-3
- Roast Venison:
- Venison Tenderloin
- 1 t Pink Peppercorns
- ½ t Black Peppercorns
- 2 t Juniper Berries
- 2 t Allspice
- 1 t Salt
- 1 T Butter
- 1 t High Heat Oil (grapeseed, canola, safflower, etc)
- Hazelnut Cream:
- 7 oz Crème Fraiche
- 1/2 c Hazelnuts
- Salt to Taste
- Lemon Juice to Taste
- Lingonberry Jam
- Artisan Bread Loaf
- Sea Salt
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the juniper berries, peppercorns, allspice and teaspoon of salt in a spice grinder (you could also use a clean coffee grinder). Grind to a fine powder.
Rub the spice blend evenly over the entire surface of the tenderloin.
Combine the butter and high heat oil in an oven-safe frying pan. Get the pan quite hot over medium high heat, then add the tenderloin and sear it on all sides until it develops a brown crust.
Move the pan to the oven and roast the tenderloin to an internal temperature of 130 degrees (check it after 7 minutes).
When the tenderloin has finished roasting, remove it from the oven and put it on a plate covered with a loose layer of foil. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes while you make the hazelnut cream.
Make the Hazelnut Cream. Put the hazelnuts in a blender and blend until ground into nut meal. Add the crème fraiche and continue to blend until the hazelnuts and crème become a smooth consistent mixture.
Taste & add salt & lemon juice as necessary.
Thinly slice & toast the bread. Spread it with the hazelnut cream.
Thinly slice the venison tenderloin & lay strips of it on top of the hazelnut cream. Top the venison with some sea salt and lingonberry jam. Serve.