Greig Young, head chef at the Bildeston Crown, highlights the versatility of game and gives a tasty sauce recipe for a venison steak
Our menus regularly change with the seasons and that’s part of the fun. We’ve just popped the date in for our Game Dinner on November 14. We’ll be serving a five-course supper of game with wine pairing. In the winter, we serve wild game from the family shoot and venison from the estate’s fallow and roe deer. This is all key to our sustainability efforts, reducing food miles and allows us chefs to craft new dishes. We plan to have a number of game specials on the menu too; it’s our first winter season as ‘East Game Pub of the Year’.
To ensure the maintenance of the estate’s ecosystem, shooting sustains a healthy population of wild game. Whether it’s venison, pheasants or partridges from the estate, you can enjoy our game at The Crown knowing it's lived a life that nature intended and is available to us through our efforts to maintain a balance.
I grew up eating and prepping game - I butchered my first fallow at 14 in the garden with my stepdad. We rarely had beef mince in our house and venison was always a staple, be it stewed or minced, and used in the homeliest bolognaise. So thinking back I do think this is the best way to cook game. Replace the chicken in your weeknight curry with partridge or pheasant, swap the diced beef with some diced venison in that slow-cooked stew and stir in a couple of tablespoons of spicy apple chutney for a real winner.
So today I’ll share a simple crowd pleaser of a sauce with a little twist to make it memorable, the perfect accompaniment to a lovely medium-rare venison steak!
BILDESTON PEPPERCORN SAUCE BASE
4 tablespoons black peppercorns, lightly toasted and crushed in a pestle and mortar
2 tablespoons oil
3 banana shallots, nicely diced
80ml of good brandy
50g green peppercorns
400ml dark beef, veal or game stock
400ml cream
SWEET AND SOUR BLACK PEPPER
100g caster sugar
100ml white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon crushed black pepper
To finish:
10 nasturtium leaves
Sauce base method:
1. In a heavy-based pan on a medium heat add your peppercorns and re toast lightly.
2. Add your oil and mix in, then add your shallots. Turn down the heat if needed as we don't want any colour.
3. Once the shallots are tender, add your brandy and turn the heat back up. Light the pan if you feel brave enough to cook all the alcohol off. Reduce down to nothing and add your stock. Reduce down by threequarters always cleaning the side of the pot by scraping down any bits. Once reduced, transfer to a clean pot, add the cream and reduce by half - I like to keep whisking at this stage. Reduce until a lovely glossy texture is achieved. Finish with the green peppercorns and then cool over ice while stirring (this will help keep the peppercorns from all sinking to the bottom if you are making a larger batch).
Sweet and sour black pepper method:
1. Toast your peppercorns in a small clean pan, add your sugar and cook to a light caramel, deglaze with the vinegar and reduce to syrup - be careful when adding the vinegar as it may spit a little. (This will make a good sized batch but it will keep and is great with strawberries.)
To finish:
1. Gently warm up your peppercorn sauce base and try not to boil it. Add salt as necessary. Now add half a teaspoon of your sweet and sour black pepper. Add more if needed. This will lighten up the heavy sauce and add a new dimension to the spice in the pepper. Now finely dice up your nasturtium leaves and add in to finish. The green fresh heat will make your sauce unforgettable!
A little more effort, but definitely worth it.
Greig Young is head chef at The Bildeston Crown, 104 High Street Bildeston
Tel: 01449 740510