We at Rouse food collaborated our talents and abilities by challenging both our chef, Jamie Johnston and sommelier Andrew Giles to a food & wine pairing dinner. The basic theme of this dinner was designed around the New Zealand legendary Cervena venison.

The name Cervena, comes from the Latin Cervidae, meaning deer, and venison, which is Latin for hunting (although now used to refer to deer meat). Deer were introduced to New Zealand in the late 1800s to provide hunting sport for European settlers. Venison exporting began in the 1960s when hunters were hired to control the rapidly growing deer population. Deer farming began in New Zealand in the 1970s. Now in New Zealand, venison has become less of a rare delicacy fit only for kings, and is now readily available all year round.

Cervena lends to its consumer a sort of excitement before cooking it, like the excitement of a child on Christmas day. The real reward though, comes when this splenduorous venison, with its subtle tones of Aotearoa, is brought alive through flavors of allspice, juniper, sage and anise…

Surprisingly all the winter tones and flavours that are usually the epitome of a venison dish are transformed into spring glory with this collaboration of wine, food and laughter.

Embark upon this celebration of spring with our easy to follow recipes, and wine notes…

Note from the chef:
I was recently invited to work at with Enzo Bettio at Vin Alto, for one of his game and wine pairing degustation dinners. It was so exciting working with wild game such as pheasant, thar and his own fallow deer. He generously gave me some of his smoked deer prosciutto with a stunning bottle of his Barbera to take home. So when we decided to do our own wine and food pairing, I was just as excited. Here’s our menu:

Entree

Venison Sur Le Pont Carpaccio

Serves six to eight

500g venison sur le pont
(Your butcher will also call this topside, the English translation means “on deck”)
100g pecorino shaved
4 juniper berries crushed finely to a powder (I use a pestle and mortar)
3 tbsp. frantoio olive oil – village press
1 tbsp. Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
1 tsp. of pomegranate molasses
1 handful rocket and purple basil leaves
1 lemon cut into wedges
kosher sea salt
fresh ground black pepper

Wrap venison Sur le pont very tightly in cling film/glad wrap, tie the ends with string and freeze overnight.
To make the dressing, whisk oil, vinegar, molasses, juniper berries, salt and pepper to taste, until emulsified, set aside.
Remove venison from freezer at least one hour before serving and cut into nice thin slices using a sharp knife while pulling the plastic wrap away, and lay slices decoratively on a plate.
Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve with lemon wedges, rocket, purple basil leaves and shavings of pecorino.

Asparagus and Purple Heart potato salad:

Serves six to eight

2 bunches asparagus trimmed and blanched
1 bunch sage (Fried until crisp)
150g speck (grilled until crisp)

Purple heart Salad:
4 purple heart potatoes
4 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
black pepper
fine salt
handful chives finely chopped

Boil until tender, dress with remaining ingredients while warm and set-aside until cool.

All that is left to do is indulge with a glass of Koru Pinot Noir 2009

Main

Venison Loin

Serves four

2 venison loins of roughly 400g each

Firstly preheat oven to 160°C
Season your loin with oil, fine salt and ground white pepper, seal in a hot pan and set aside.
To seal meat is to scorch the outer layer of skin to lock in all juices and flavors.

Parsnip puree
2 large parsnips peeled and chopped into chunks, cover with half water and milk
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 knob of butter (less than 50g)

Round up all parsnip ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer and turn down to a low heat cook until very tender, remove herbs and blend in a bar blender until smooth as silk.

Beetroot Fondant
8 large beetroots (make sure they are all the same to ensure even cooking) peeled and cut into large cubes
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
2 sage leaves
1 knob of butter (less than 50g)
drizzle of olive oil
Fine salt and white pepper

Wrap in two sheets of foil (fold over sides into a nice parcel place on a oven tray)
Place Beets wrapped in foil in the oven for an hour until tender (use a prep knife to test this), set aside and turn down oven to 100 degrees.

Anise beurre monté
1 litre of beef stock
2 star anise
1 bay leaf
4 pink peppercorns
2 juniper berries
4 knobs of butter (less than 50g each)
Reduce stock by half once this is achieved add all aromas and bring to the boil once, strain and turn heat down and whisk in butter until it blends and shimmers.

Burnt spices
Take a blend of your favorite spices add to a dry pan and toast on a low heat for as long as desired, blend in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.

Take your loins and put them on a paper lined baking tray and cook in oven at 100°C for 45 minutes, turning once.
Now return beets to oven.
The low cooking temperature will ensure a tender, and perfectly cooked loin.

To serve smear a spoon full of Parsnip puree on each plate, slice each loin into 4 even pieces and place two slices on puree, serve with Beetroot and drizzle generously with the Anise beurre monte. Garnish with burnt spices & micro watercress.

Indulge and Enjoy with a glass of ¼ Acre Merlot Malbec 2009

Cervena is readily available all year round, use the following link to see where you can purchase this wonderfully versatile meat from: http://www.cervena.com/nzretailers