Rosemary Shrager
Venison Carpaccio with Black Olives and Capers
For this dish, it is absolutely essential that the meat should
trimmed clean of any trace of sinew or fat.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
1¼ lbs. (500g) loin of venison, prepared as above
1 tsp. small capers
12 black olives, stoned and halved
1 small shallot very finely diced
1 tsp. chives, very finely chopped
¼ lb. (120g) fresh parmesan, in the piece extra-virgin olive
oil
For the marinade:
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt
Method:
Cut the venison into slices about 1/8 inch (½ cm) thick and
put them in between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Bang them
with a rolling pin (but not too hard) and then roll them out, still
between the sheets of film, until the become as thin as Parma ham.
Put the venison on plates - this is tricky, as the slices are delicate,
so peel off one piece of film then invert the meat onto a plate
and peel off the top layer. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and
spoon the marinade ingredients, separately, over the venison. Allow
it to stand for about and hour at room temperature. Then sprinkle
each plate with capers, olives, shallot and chives and shave fine
slivers of Parmesan over the top.
Extras:
Other Carpaccios
A carpaccio is meat or fish sliced very thin and not cooked but
marinated. You can eat beef, venison, and many types of fish like
this.
Be careful
Raw meat or fish is delicious - but be careful. If you eat anything
raw it must be of the best quality, and it must be absolutely fresh.
It's easy to do at Amhuinnsuidhe, because we know where all our
produce comes from but if you're trying it at home be sensible…
Good Venison
The season for stags runs from August to mid-October, and the season
for hinds follows on over the winter, until February 15th. The venison
we eat at the Castle comes from the red deer that roam freely over
the estate. The meat is sweet and tender, with very little fat.
We don't hang our venison for very long - rarely more than three
days. I like to cook the saddle mostly - which compromises the fillets
and loins - but the haunch is good for slow roasting and casseroles,
while meat from the shoulder or flank makes an unusual terrine.
Although there isn't much red deer available outside Scotland, other
varieties, such as the fallow and the sika, are becoming more widely
farmed and their meat is also delicious.
Saddle of Lamb with Kidneys and Spinach
This dish is not difficult, but the preparation takes time and
care - as you might expect from such a seriously impressive party-piece.
Most of this preparation can be done well in advance (up to *).
Ask your butcher to fillet the lamb very carefully keeping the skin
intact and giving you the bones for stock. You should be left with
the loins, fillet and flank, which you will be wrapping in the skin.
(In fact there's another way of doing it, if you can get hold of
about 11/8 lbs. (½ kg) of caul-fat. If you do, soak it in
cold water before squeezing it out, spreading it out flat like a
cobweb and rolling up the lamb - If you do it this way, obviously
you won't need the skin.)
Ingredients:
1 saddle of lamb, weighing about 9 lbs. (4kg) before boning
12 slices prosciutto or Parma ham
2 shallots, finely chopped
1¾ lbs. (800g) fresh spinach
8 lamb's kidneys
8 tbsp. butter
For the sauce:
1 slice smoked bacon, diced
1 medium leek
8 tbsp. butter
2½ cups lamb stock
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1¼ cups (280 ml) Madeira wine
1 sprig rosemary
1 tbsp. redcurrant jelly
You will need a lot of string - enough to tie up the meat at ¾
inch (2 cm) intervals.
Oven: 450ºF / 230ºC
Method:
Ask your butcher to prepare the meat (see above), then make sure
that all fat and sinews have been removed, season it well and set
it aside.
Take the long stalks off the spinach and discard them. Wash the
spinach-leaves thoroughly and drain them. Soften the shallots in
4 tbsp. butter and add the spinach, turning it gently over the heat
until it wilts. Drain it thoroughly, pressing all the liquid from
it.
Prepare the kidneys by halving them horizontally and removing and
discarding the hard sinews. Sear them on all sides in butter and
leave them to cool, allowing all the juices to drain away.
Spread out the skin (or caul-fat) ready for wrapping. Arrange the
two pieces of loin on it, close to and parallel with the longer
side of the skin, with a little trough between them for the stuffing.
Putt the fillets on top of the smaller ends of the loins, to balance
them up.
Line this trough with 8 slices of prosciutto, each crossing the
center and hanging over the side, ready to be rolled around the
spinach. Put a row of kidneys along the trough and season them well
before covering them the rest of the spinach. Now bring up the ends
of the prosciutto to cover the ends. If you can, leave it for a
few hours in the fridge to allow it to settle. Roast it for 35 minutes
if you like it rare, longer if not, and allow it to stand, covered
in aluminum foil for 20 minutes on a rack, before carving.
Make the sauce by gently softening the bacon and leek in 4 tbsp.
butter for five minutes. Then add the red wine and Madeira and reduce
it to 1/3 of its original volume. Add the lamb stock, tomato paste
and redcurrant jelly and reduce it again to 1/3 until it becomes
slightly thicker. Whisk in 4 tbsp. butter at the last minute. Serve
with minty new potatoes.
Extras:
Why Brown the Kidneys first?
It gets the blood out, which would otherwise soak through the stuffing.
When browning something like a kidney that holds a lot of fluid
do space them well apart in the pan - or do them in batches otherwise
there's too much liquid in the pan and they will braise not fry.
Tie it with String
When you tie it up, tie it tight. The meat will contract slightly
during cooking, and if the string is loose, the sausage will fall
apart.
Raspberry Soufflé
Ingredients: (serves 6)
½ lb. (200g) raspberries
3 tbsp. crème patisserie
8 egg-whites
3 tbsp. sugar
1 egg yolk
few drops of good vanilla extract
sugar
Oven: 350ºF / 180ºC
Method:
Butter 6 ramekin or custard dishes very thoroughly, dredge them
with sugar and put them in the fridge. Crush a third of the raspberries
with a fork. Mix the crème patisserie with the vanilla extract,
the egg yolk and the crushed raspberries. Beat the egg-whites until
they form soft peaks and then add the sugar and beat again for a
few seconds. Fold one third of this into the raspberry mixture,
to slacken it and then fold in the rest, gently so as not to lose
the air. Fold in the rest of the whole raspberries.
Fill the chilled ramekins to the brim. Smooth the tops over and
run your thumb round each, just inside the rim. Pop them immediately,
sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Extras:
Crème Patisserie Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. cornstarch
4 egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
This makes quite a lot, but I like to keep any that is left over
in the fridge to use in other recipes.
Method:
In a bowl whisk the egg and sugar together, then add the cornstarch
and the flour. Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring it to the
boil. Very slowly add the milk to the egg mixture making sure you
whisk continuously. Remove from the heat.
Pour the mixture into a clean saucepan and bring it up to simmering
point until it thickens. Cook gently for about 1 minute. Finally
take the saucepan off the heat and leave the crème to cool.
Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the mixture forming a skin.
Why run your thumb round the top?
This stops the soufflé sticking to the ramekin and means
it will rise upwards (like a chef's hat) not round (like a cake).
Never use melted butter
When buttering the ramekins, use soft butter - and lots of it. Melted
butter won't stick properly to the sides of the ramekin.
| 
