Venison Pie

Venison Pie

Deep, slow and properly built. The marrow finishes it.

PHATS USED: Organic British Grass-Fed Ghee 
SERVES: 4 
PREP TIME: 25 mins 
COOK TIME: 2 hrs 30 mins

INGREDIENTS

For the filling

Diced venison
1 tbsp Organic British Grass-Fed Ghee
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
1 carrot ½ punnet mushrooms
1 packet pancetta
1 big glug of port
1 tbsp tomato purée
2 bay leaves
2 thyme stems
2 rosemary stalks
1 packet beef stock
1 marrow bone

To finish

1 sheet of puff pastry 1 egg, whisked

METHOD

1) Preheat the oven Set to 160°C fan.

2) Prep your vegetables Dice the carrots, shallot, and garlic. Slice the mushrooms and set everything aside.

3) Brown the venison In a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pan - you're building the pie in this dish. Heat the ghee over medium-high. Season the venison liberally and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Venison is lean. The ghee gives you the heat and fat you need for clean, even contact without burning off.

4) Build the base In the same pan, add the shallot, carrots and garlic and cook until soft. Add the pancetta and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have a little colour and the pancetta has started to caramelise.

5) Add the tomato purée Stir in and cook out for a minute. Removes the rawness, adds depth.

6) Deglaze Add a big glug of port - sub with red wine if needed  and reduce by half. Scrape all the flavour from the bottom of the pan as you go.

7) Bring it together Add the beef stock, return the venison, and add all your herbs. Lid on, into the oven.

8) Low and slow Cook for 2 hours or until the meat is completely tender.

9) Turn up the heat Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 180°C fan.

10) Add the marrow Make a small hole in the centre of the pie filling and press the marrow bone in.

11) Lid the pie Score an X in the centre of your pastry sheet. Drape over the top, X centred over the marrow so it peaks through. Crimp the sides rustic is fine. Brush generously with egg wash.

12) Bake Back in the oven for 30 minutes until the pastry is deep golden.

13) Rest and serve Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Chef's Tip Venison is lean. That's why it needs Ghee here, not butter, not a neutral oil. Ghee handles the heat of browning without burning, giving you clean contact with the pan and real flavour in the fond. Everything that comes after the braise, the stock, the herbs builds on that first step. Get it right and you'll taste the difference all the way through.