Ingredients
| MALTED CARROT PURÉE | |
| 200ml milk | |
| 20g salt | |
| 1 tablespoon turmeric | |
| 300g carrots, peeled, sliced | |
| 70g unsalted butter | |
| 80g malt extract (I use Maltexo brand) | |
| ROASTED CARROTS | |
| 400g baby carrots | |
| 20ml sunflower oil | |
| 10g salt | |
| BUFFALO MILK LABNEH | |
| 200g labneh | |
| 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil | |
| THE FALCON JUS | |
| 150ml The Cardrona Single Malt Whisky The Falcon | |
| 150ml pinot noir (I use Felton Road pinot noir) | |
| 500ml beef jus (I use Foundation brand) | |
| sherry vinegar, to taste | |
| GREMOLATA | |
| 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | |
| 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard | |
| 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar | |
| 1 tablespoon honey | |
| 30g chopped flat-leafed parsley | |
| 20g chopped mint | |
| 2 lemons, zested | |
| VENISON STEAK | |
| sunflower oil | |
| 4 x 200g venison steaks | |
| flaky sea salt |
For this dish we use wild-shot Fiordland venison, carrots from Wānaka, buffalo milk labneh from Glenroy and The Cardrona Single Malt Whisky The Falcon for the jus.
The most notable food-and-spirit match to me is the Cardrona Day Chardonnay Barrel Whisky with this venison dish. This whisky is very special and exciting as it’s the most approachable dram to match with food. It has picked up some incredible notes from the chardonnay, in particular the buttery characteristics which marry beautifully with the Cardrona single malt spirit. This pairs so well with the malted carrots and buffalo milk labneh, all complemented by the richness of the venison jus.
At Cardrona Distillery I serve this dish with a laminated milk bun sent a few minutes after each venison dish arrives at the table – a naughty super-buttery delight to soak up any leftover sauce on the plate and a great way to snack and enjoy the rest of the dram of whisky.
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Instructions
| 1. | MALTED CARROT PURÉE |
| 2. | Put 2 litres water into a pot with the milk and salt and bring to boil. |
| 3. | Once it’s boiling, add the turmeric and carrots and cook for 20 minutes until the carrots are super tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. |
| 4. | Blend the carrots on high with the butter and malt extract until silky smooth, adding a little of the reserved cooking liquid if needed. Season with salt and cool. |
| 5. | ROASTED CARROTS |
| 6. | Heat the oven to 220°C. |
| 7. | Toss the carrots, oil and salt together, place on an oven tray and roast for 25-30 minutes, until just tender and slightly caramelised. |
| 8. | Once cool, choose four nice looking carrots to set aside and dice the rest. |
| 9. | BUFFALO MILK LABNEH |
| 10. | Blitz the labneh and oil together, but don’t overmix as it can collapse. |
| 11. | Put into a reusable piping bag. |
| 12. | THE FALCON JUS |
| 13. | Put The Falcon and pinot noir into a large pot and reduce over high heat until syrupy. |
| 14. | Add the beef jus, lower to a medium-high heat and cook for 20-30 minutes or until it coats the back of a wooden spoon, skimming any foam off the top as needed. |
| 15. | Season with sherry vinegar to taste. |
| 16. | GREMOLATA |
| 17. | In a bowl whisk together all wet ingredients until emulsified. |
| 18. | Fold through herbs and lemon zest then season with salt. |
| 19. | VENISON STEAK |
| 20. | Heat the oven to 225°C fan bake. |
| 21. | Add a small amount of sunflower oil to a heavy-based frying pan and heat on high. |
| 22. | Once the oil starts to smoke, add the steaks and fry until you have a nice colour and sear on all sides. |
| 23. | Transfer to an oven tray and bake for 3 minutes, turn then bake for another 3 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 36°C. |
| 24. | Once cooked, allow to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes. |
| 25. | Reheat the steaks and the reserved baby carrots in the oven for 2 minutes. |
| 26. | Dress the diced carrots with the gremolata and put onto a warm plate (use a ring cutter to keep it neat if you wish). |
| 27. | Season the steaks with flaky salt, cut in half widthwise and plate alongside the whole baby carrot. |
| 28. | Drop a dollop of malted carrot purée off a spoon onto the plate, pipe on some labneh and finish with a generous pour of jus. |
Recipes & food styling Jack Foster / Photography Sam Stewart