Venison Wellington
Venison Wellington by Charlotte Vincent at The Five Bells in Clyst Hydon
We are proud to be working with Taste of Game to celebrate Great British Game Week.
“Provenance is massively important to me and I love the way Curtis documents his stalking on his social channels, so I know exactly where it comes from and can see the humanity and respect with which it is treated throughout the harvesting and preparation process. The meat is absolutely beautiful and very easy to work with. It comes ready loined-down which really helps me out in my busy kitchen. The Five Bells will continue to do take out during Lockdown 2. We’ve also launched a new ‘Five Bells at Home’ service this weekend. Our week three box will be a delicious Venison Wellington dish that our customers can make and enjoy at home and this will be Curtis’ finest locally-sourced venison.”
Ingredients
- 500g loin of venison from Curtis Pitts Deer Services, cleaned with sinew removed
- 4 slices Parma ham
- 400g puff pastry
- 2 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp milk
- Salt for seasoning
- Pepper for seasoning
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
MUSHROOM DUXELLE
- 250g button mushrooms, chopped
- 30g dried wild mushrooms, chopped
- 4 shallots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 100ml white wine
- 4 tbsp double cream
- 25g butter
- Salt for seasoning
- Pepper for seasoning
Method
Start by searing the venison. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, season the loin with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Turn every 1–2 minutes to colour the loin on all sides, until it is evenly browned and rare in the centre. Remove from the pan and refrigerate.
Rehydrate the wild mushrooms in boiling water for at least 15 minutes.
For the mushroom duxelle, melt the butter in the same pan, add the chopped button and wild mushrooms, sauté until golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep to one side.
Add the shallots and chopped garlic to the pan. Cook until soft then add the mushrooms again and cook quickly until the liquid evaporates. Add the white wine and boil until reduced by half.
Add the cream and cook until the mixture is thick and beginning to darken. Season with salt and pepper and leave to one side.
Lay a sheet of cling film on a board and lay 4 slices of Parma ham onto it, overlapping so they cover the cling film.
Spread the mushroom duxelle over the Parma ham in an even layer and place the venison on top. Roll the Parma ham and mushroom mix around the venison, using the cling film to wrap it tightly. Leave to cool in the fridge, preferably overnight.
Roll out the puff pastry into a thin sheet around 1/4 cm thick – if it is pre-rolled it will need to be rolled thinner.
Remove the Wellington from the cling film, lay on top of the pastry and brush the borders of the pastry with egg wash. Roll the Wellington in the pastry, sealing the joining edge with a little extra egg wash.
Roll the Wellington so the seal is on the underside and set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
Place the Wellington into the oven for 20–25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. To tell if it is cooked, place a thin metal skewer in the centre of the venison, it should be slightly warm (which means the internal temperature is about 49–52°C).
Remove the Wellington from the oven, rest for at least 10 minutes in a warm place. Slice and serve.
