VENISON STEAKS WITH TART GRAPE PURÉE
Serves 4
This purée has just the right balance of tart to sweet; it is really more of a relish than a sauce as you don't need very much, so it's a good one for barbecues as well as indoor dining. If you have a glut of gooseberries, you can successfully substitute them for tart grapes. For once, grapes that are
unripe work well. They make a good contrast to crisp sauté potatoes or home made chips. Any sort of steak may be used but I favour plump ones here. Use either thick-cut slices of haunch or loin, or whole fillets.
Ingredients
700g (1½ lb) thick cut venison steaks
2 small shallots, finely chopped
350g (12 oz) green grapes, chopped
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 small glass (100ml) dry white wine
(optional) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander or parsley
To
make the purée, soften the shallots in a very small amount of oil, and once softened, drain off any excess oil and add the chopped grapes, wine vinegar and wine. Boil them until the liquid has almost disappeared, then rub them though a small metal sieve, leaving only the grape skins & pips behind. This can be made ahead and kept warm if wished.
To cook the steaks, heat some butter and oil in a frying pan and brown them all over briskly. Lower the heat and continue to cook for
a further 8 minutes (less if they are thinner), then remove from the heat and rest them for a further five minutes or to taste. Serve with chips or sauté potatoes, glazed carrots and a small pool of the green grape purée.
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