ROAST RACKS OF VENISON WITH BLUEBERRY BALSAMIC SAUCE
PREP TIME 20 MINS COOK TIME 30 MINUTES (+20 MINS RESTING) SERVES 6
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp avocado oil & rosemary
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 racks New Zealand farm-raised venison
• 4 small red onions, quartered
BLUEBERRY SAUCE
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 sprig Superb Herb rosemary
• 1 cup Blind River Awatere Valley Pinot Noir
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 cup beef stock
• ¹⁄³ cup BluesBros blueberry balsamic drizzle
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• Salt and pepper
• BluesBros blueberry chutney, to serve
1 Preheat oven to 200°C.
In a small bowl, mix the spices, salt and pepper to make a sweet spice mix.
2 Drizzle oil and spice mix over the venison.
3 Sear venison in a large frying pan until brown all over – about 3 minutes each side. Reserve the fry pan.
4 Place quartered red onions in a large roasting pan, drizzle with oil, then place venison racks on top. Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes. To check if venison is cooked to medium rare, insert a metal skewer into the centre of the meat and hold for 5 seconds – it should come out warm. If not, return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
5 Remove venison from the oven, cover with foil and rest for 20 minutes.
6 To make the blueberry sauce, in the reserved frypan, add a little more oil and fry the onion for 2 minutes. Add the rosemary sprig and cook for 1 minute. Pour in pinot noir, add the cinnamon stick and simmer until reduced by half. Mix cornflour and 2 tbsp of the stock in a small bowl. Add the rest of the beef stock, blueberry balsamic drizzle and cornflour mix to the frypan, then simmer until the sauce has thickened a little. Add blueberries and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.
7 Transfer venison racks and roasted red onions to a serving platter. Pour over the blueberry sauce. Serve with blueberry chutney and glasses of pinot noir.