Venison Tartare Dubbed "S E X Y"

By NZ Chef Si@ChefSarawak




This was AHCTS L5 Cookery first batch students' final assessment entree recipe. I remember during our verification, everyone was given a small piece of venison to create their own recipe. I was the only one in class who created a raw version accompanied with "red" sauce.  

There was a very interesting episode during half-way when I prepared the "red sauce," when my chef tutor suddenly discovered I produced something very unusual in the pot than the rest of the class, he sternly asked me, "WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR RED COLORING?" He got all excited when he saw red,  often his exclusive restaurant's parking lot parked a dozen of those expensive red cars reflected like my red sauce, that's one of his signature colors! Being colorful and never forget about edible flowers garnishing during plating has turned him into one of the most successful commercial caterers in New Zealand. I looked at him with my innocence panda eyes purred, "Chef, from your given beetroot." The minute I turned my head, he already disappeared. LOL, that's my Chef Awesome!

And finally when I presented my "creation," he said a word that really made everyone laugh, "S E X Y!" And when I showed the picture to my celebrity chef's mentor over the yonder land, he pulled my leg as well, "Yes, S E X Y!"  In short, the first time in culinary world's history, the word S E X Y was used to describe a dish through this venison tartare! At last, I must say "Thank You" to my term members to select this venison tartare to represent our team's assessment life service.

Entrée Recipe

Red Deer Venison (Tartare)

Sugar & herb crusted w/beetroot relish, confit of tomato, bush nuts, avocado, herb salad

Menu designed by Chef Craig Scholten

Recipe created by Si Wong

Ingredients (1 portion):

Tomato confit:

1 chunk tomato, concase, cut into brunoise, confit

1/8 clove garlic, confit

½ tsp mixed herbs of parsley and coriander, confit

½ tsp olive oil, confit

A pinch sugar

TT Salt and pepper

Brush Nuts:

½ tsp Macadamia, shaved, garnishing

½ tsp hazelnuts, shaved, garnishing

A pinch ground pine nuts

Herb Salad:

½ Handful spinach, herb salad (Trim off stems)

A pinch coriander, herbal salad 

 A pinch plucked parsley leaves, herb salad

½ tbsp Tomato julienne, herbal salad

1 tablespoon olive oil, salad dressing

½ clove garlic, minced, salad dressing

A pinch lemon zest, salad dressing

½  tsp vinegar, salad dressing

¼ tsp mash olive, salad dressing

A pinch sugar, salad dressing

TT Salt and pepper

Venison (Tartare):

1 tsp pine nut, ground, tartare

25g venison, diced into fine brunoise, tartare

½  pinch Cayenne, tartare

½  pinch turmeric, tartare

½ tsp shallot, fine brunoise, tartare

¼ clove garlic, mince, tartare

¼  tsp rice vinegar, tartare

½ tsp Avocado oil, tartare

½ tsp olive oil, tartare

1 tsp Pasley, finely chopped, tartare

¼ tsp Black olive, mash, tartare

½ pinch brown sugar, tartare

½ tsp Djon mustard

½ tsp Japanese soy sauce

TT Salt and pepper

Avocado: (Salsa)

1.5 tbsp avocado, cubes, avocado

1 tsp baby coriander, avocado

1 tsp tomato, cubes, avocado

¼ wedge of lemon(juice), avocado

1  tbsp avocado or olive oil, avocado

2 drops Tabasco sauce

TT Salt and pepper

Sugar & Herbs crusted w/Beetroot Relish:

2 tbsp beetroot, cubes, relish

½ tsp brown sugar, relish

1 tsp ginger candy, fine brunoise, relish

½ shallot, fine brunoise, relish

1 sprig thyme, relish

1 sprig rosemary, relish

A pinch coriander, relish

2 tsp brown sugar, relish

100 ml water, relish

½  Black olive, minced, relish

¼  tsp butter, roux, beetroot sauce

¼  tsp flour, roux, beetroot sauce

2 tbsp Sieved beetroot jus (from relish)

Garnishing:

A flower

Method:

Beetroot relish and beetroot sauce

1.       Boil water with vinegar, sugar, shallot, beetroot cubes, herbs, until soft (not too soft). Discard the herbs if necessary, sieve and reserve the beetroot jus

2.       Cook the roux

3.       To prepare the beetroot sauce, thicken the jus with ¼  tsp of roux to nape consistency

Confit of tomato:

1.       Concase tomato and cut into brunoise, add olive oil, sugar (optional), garlic,  herbs, salt and pepper, rest

Herb salad and dressing:

1.       Half handful spinach, mixed with tomato julienne, mixed herbs of baby coriander and parsley

2.       Prepare salad dressing by mixing olive oil, minced garlic, olive mash, vinegar, lemon zest, salt and pepper

3.       Mix the salad with dressing

Bush nuts:

1.       Shave macadamia and hazel nuts and add ground pine nuts

Avocado:

1.       Dice avocado and tomato into cubes, mix with baby coriander, lemon juice, oil, season with salt and pepper

Tartare:

1.       Dice venison into fine brunoise, add cayenne, turmeric, avocado oil, olive oil, brown sugar, Japanese soy sauce, Dijon mustard, parsley, vinegar, shallot, garlic, black olive, pine nuts, season with salt and pepper. Cover, label, chill immediately.

Plating:

1.       Draw a beetroot sauce line across center of a round plate

2.       Place a ring mould  near the center, add beetroot relish to the bottom, press

3.       Add avocado salsa, press

4.       Add tartare, press

5.       Top up with herb salad, garnish with a flower

6.       At the side of the plate, make five dots with tomato confit

7.       Sprinkle shaved nuts across but opposite of beetroot sauce line

Pictures: Three different versions of Red Deer Venison Tartare, each dish changed slightly due to available of ingredients during each mise en place session.