Hello dear reader,

You may remember that I recently went to a venison cookery masterclass at my local farm shop.

Lovely chef Craig Wood of The Wee Restaurant in North Queensferry was kind enough to give me permission to publish some of his recipes. The first one I made was his delicious venison boudin. Craig served this with celeriac remoulade which gave a wonderful fresh crunchy contrast. However I was making it on a cold day, so I wanted something hot and made his lentil cassoulet as an accompaniment instead – it worked really well!

The recipe is very simple.  I started with 200g of diced Hopetoun venison. Venison is remarkably healthy for you. It is very low in fat, leaner even than skinless chicken and has less than half the cholesterol. It is also a good source of Omega 3, iron, protein, vitamins, potassium and zinc! 

I then blitzed this in a food processor with dijon mustard and hazelnut oil.

Then gradually added double cream, blending to a smooth mousse.

This venison mousse can now be chilled and used to fill fresh pasta – it is delicious. To make boudin I now add fresh breadcrumbs and blitz again.

I spooned the mix into cling film.

Then rolled it up like a sausage (boudin is, of course, the French for sausage) and tied the ends with more cling film.

Next I cooked it in hot, not boiling, water for 15 minutes. Notice the change in colour that the cooked version has.

Now the boudin is left to cool and then popped into the fridge for a few hours to set. Meanwhile I got started on the lentil cassoulet.  First up I sautéed a large white onion slowly in a couple of ounces of butter for half an hour.

Then stirred in 100g cooked puy lentils, 200ml beef stock and seasoning. It really just needs heated through, not cooked at this stage. Craig also added spinach.

Once the venison boudin was set, I sliced it. This is easiest to do whilst it is still wrapped in cling film but do then remove the cling film before frying.

I then sautéed the slices of venison boudin for a couple of minutes each side. I also sautéed some black pudding to serve with it for a nice contrast of flavours.

The venison boudin is light and delicate in flavour and deliciously moist. It is smooth and decadent on the inside and crispy on the outside. Craig served his with French black pudding which goes really well as the texture matches that of the boudin. Scottish black pudding is courser in texture but I do love it! 

Venison Boudin – recipe
Recipe © Craig Wood
– 200g diced trimmed venison
– 1 tsp Dijon mustard
– few drops of truffle oil (I used hazelnut oil as this is what I had)
– 200ml double cream
– 100g fresh breadcrumbs

1) Blitz the venison in a food processor for 30 seconds with dijon mustard and truffle oil.
2) Very gradually add the cream, blitzing until it forms a smooth mousse. Mix in the fresh breadcrumbs.
3) Pipe onto cling film (I just spooned it on), roll up and tie securely at each end.
4) Place boudin in hot water (not boiling) and cook for 15 minutes
5) Allow to cool and set in the fridge for a few hours
6) Cut into slices and sauté in a pan for a minute or two each side.
7) Serve with black pudding, accompanied by celeriac remoulade (I swapped this for lentil cassoulet!)

 

 

So, tell me dear reader, which chef’s dishes have you made yourself and are you cheeky enough like me to change them?

Vohn
x

P.S. If you liked this then do check out my guest article for the Crail Food Festival. It is all about the Seriously Good Venison company and includes one of my own venison recipes along with my rendition of another of Craig’s recipes. Craig’s delicious venison carpaccio is perfect for warm-weather dining!