Venison Canapés with Shawarma Paste, Aubergine Mezze and Pomegranate Molasses
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Medium
Serves 20-25 people
Venison is a wonderful meat that deserves to be used more, we paired it with Middle Eastern flavours to create a canapé that is simple to create but will be impressive to guests. The deep flavour of Piper's Farm venison meat can stand up to the spice in Shawarma Paste and the smokey, creamy aubergine holds everything together. Poppadoms make an ideal base as they are both light and crunchy, while the pomegranate molasses keeps the richness in check.
Ingredients
-
300g Piper's Farm venison saddle fillet
-
Salt and pepper
-
1 ½ tsp Shawarma Paste
-
2 tsp Crete Gold Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-
50g unsalted butter
-
2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses
-
½ jar Aubergine Mezze
-
1 pack cooked poppadoms (usually 5-6 pieces)
-
Sea salt, to finish
Method
- Step 1:Season the venison on all sides with salt and pepper, then rub the shawarma paste all over. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes (or longer if possible) in the fridge.
- Step 2:When ready to cook, place a frying pan on a high heat for a couple of minutes to get very hot. Rub the olive oil all over the venison then carefully lay in the pan and sear for around 2 minutes, or until that side has taken on a decent amount of colour, then turn over and sear on the other side for about 2 minutes. If the outside looks like its burning, then turn the heat down. Sear the remaining sides for 1 minute, then finally sear both ends. The outside should have plenty of colour, but the inside should be very rare. Take the pan off the heat to allow to cool a little, then add the butter, which will melt quickly and begin to foam. Turn the heat down to low and place the pan back on the heat and use a spoon to baste the venison with the butter for 1 minute. Turn the heat off, place the venison on a plate and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes (you can pre-cook the venison ahead, then re-heat when ready to serve).
- Step 3:Once the butter has cooled a little, add the pomegranate molasses to the pan with a splash of water and stir to mix everything together. Set aside until ready to plate up.
- Step 4:While the venison is resting, carefully break the poppadoms into bite size pieces and lay out on a board or plate. If you wish, you can warm them briefly in a hot oven.
- Step 5:When ready to assemble, spread around ½ tsp of aubergine mezze on each piece of poppadom. Thinly slice the venison into rounds and lay on top of the aubergine. Season with sea salt.
- Step 6:Gently warm the pomegranate and butter dressing, add any collected juices from the venison, then spoon over the canapes and serve straight away.