Serves: 4 Preparation: 40 Time to cook: 40
1 8-rib rack of farm-raised venison
100 ml meat stock
50mls of Madeira or tawny port
¼ cup of fresh red currants
1 orange juice and zest
Red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper
4 sheets of filo pastry
100g of butter
2 sticks of celery peeled and finely chopped
½ cup crushed hazelnuts
12 dried apricots
½ an onion
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
½ tsp thyme fine chop
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Remove the outer cap muscle and the silver skin with a sharp knife; season with salt and cracked pepper.
Sear the rack in a large pan or BBQ hot plate until nicely browned, cover the bones with tinfoil and roast for 25-30 minutes at 180°c or internal temperature of 60°c. Rest for ten minutes in a warm place.
Clean the cap muscle of all silver skin and chop coarsely, you will end up with about 120gm of venison. Place chopped meat in food processor and add egg to make a sausage meat.
Finely dice the celery and onion sauté in 30mls of butter. Add the crushed hazelnuts and diced apricots, cook until soft. Then add the thyme, parsley, mustard and the breadcrumbs.Cool the mixture, then mix in the venison sausage meat thoroughly and form into 4 cylinders about 100mm long by 25mm thick.
Take a sheet of filo and brush with melted butter on 2/3rds. Fold the pastry sheet into 3, brush with butter and place the venison sausage on the pastry. Roll and twist the ends like a cracker, sealing the join with butter. Place on a non-stick tray ready to bake.
Bake the crackers for 10 minutes.
Add the Madeira to the roasting pan and deglaze the meat browning’s. Reduce and add the orange juice, and a pinch or two of zest. Further reduce, and add a teaspoon of mustard and stock, reduce to thicken, add the red currants and check the acidity/sweetness adding a little red wine vinegar as required.
To serve put the rack back in hot oven for 2-3 minutes to bring it up to temperature. Cut the crackers in half on the bias and arrange on a plate. Pour around the sauce and serve with a bouquet of steamed summer vegetables or a salad.