Venison wellington

Classic from Rachel Khoo's Little Paris kitchen series,  you can really see why this is her favourite dish and now its one of our favourites too.


Serves 2-4

2-4 Venison steaks (around 175g each 2cm thick)
3 Large red onions, chopped finely
25g Butter
2 Tablespoons Calvados (or Armagnac)
500g Puff Pastry (ready-made is fine)
3 Tablespoon's Dijon mustard
1 Egg yolk, beaten
Pinch of caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.

2. Season the venison steaks with salt and pepper and set a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat, when the pan is smoking hot place the venison in to sear on all sides for around 30 seconds. Once browned, place the meat onto a plate and set aside.

3. In the same pan set over a medium-low heat, add the onions, butter,sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 20 minutes until the onion's are caramelised, add the calvados and reduce for 10 minutes or so until the mixture dries out. Add to a blender and blitz to a smooth puree and refrigerate for around an hour once cooled slightly.

4. Roll out the pastry to a thickness of around 5mm in a large rectangular shape, divide the pastry into four equal squares. Brush each venison steak with the mustard and place onto a square of pastry, spoon two tablespoons of the onion mixture on top and around the steak, brush around the edges with the beaten egg and place a square of pastry on top, crimping the edge down with the back of a fork.

5. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or baking parchment and lay the venison wellingtons on to the tray. Brush the top's of the pastry with the remaining egg and make a small hole in the top's of each wellington. Place into the oven for 15 minutes for medium-rare meat and 20-25 for medium-well done meat, rest for 5 minutes or so prior to serving.

6. Serve with french beans or sauteed potatoes.