Venison Pastry Recipes

VENISON WELLINGTON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a hot pan over medium-high heat. Brown venison in the hot butter, about 2 minutes per side. Set meat aside.
• Melt remaining butter in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Saute until mushrooms are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Spread thyme, salt, and pepper onto a large cutting board and roll backstrap halves on top to form a coating of herbs. Wrap each piece of backstrap in enough bacon to cover it.
• Unfold 1 puff pastry and place first piece of backstrap into the center. Bring the sides of the pastry together and pinch to seal. Repeat with other backstrap and remaining pastry. Place each into an ungreased baking dish.
• Mix egg yolk and water together in a small bowl. Coat the tops of the dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Continue to bake until dough is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.

VENISON PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut the venison into small steaks and dust with seasoned flour. Heat a little butter in a frying pan and sear the steaks quickly. Put the meat into a 3 to 4-pint pie dish, add the port, lemon juice and stock. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg and thyme, salt and pepper. Lay the butter on top (traditionally it would have been lamb suet), cover with the pastry and glaze with beaten egg. Bake in the oven 15 minutes, Lower the oven temperature to 350 and roast for an additional 1 3/4 hours.

VENISON, STILTON & ROSEMARY PASTIES

Steps:

• Toss the venison in the flour, mustard powder and plenty of seasoning. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish, and brown the venison in batches. Take your time doing this to build up some good meaty flavours. Transfer the venison to a plate.
• Add the onion to the dish and cook for 5 mins to soften, stirring to release any meaty bits from the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle any remaining flour back into the dish and add the rosemary, ale, stock cube, venison, some salt, plenty of black pepper and 200ml water. Cover and cook for 45 mins until the meat is tender but not falling apart. Stir every now and then, and add a splash of water if the dish looks dry.
• Add the potato, honey and a splash of water if necessary. Cover and cook for 10 mins until the potato is just cooked. Leave to cool completely (you can chill overnight or freeze for up to two months).
• To make the pastry, tip the flour into a bowl and add the mustard powder and 1 tsp salt. Grate the butter into the flour, mixing in the strands and dipping the end of the block in flour every now and then to prevent it from clumping. Use a cutlery knife to stir the butter into the flour. Add 100-125ml cold water and mix again with your knife until the pastry forms a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 1 hr, removing the pastry from the fridge 10 mins before you roll it.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. On a floured surface, roll the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use a plate as a guide to cut out six 16cm circles. You may have to reroll the scraps to make all six.
• Divide the venison stew between the pastry discs, piling up the filling on one side. Crumble a little stilton over each one. Brush egg wash around the end of each pastry circle, then lift one side and stick down on the other to create pasties. Use a fork, or two fingers, to crimp the edges firmly shut. Transfer to baking trays lined with baking parchment and brush with more beaten egg. Brush with egg and cover in poppy seeds. You can now chill for 24 hrs, or cook straight away.
• Bake for 30 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through cooking if you need to, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve warm.