Name: Venison Wellington Recipe
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 1 h 11 min
Ingredients: 1 Venison Tenderloin; Salt & Pepper to Taste; Olive oil; 400g Mushrooms; 2 tbsp Butter; 4-5 Sprigs Thyme; Yellow Mustard; 10 Strips Bacon, Weaved Together; 10x10 Inch Puff Pastry Square; 1 Egg, Beaten; Sea Salt to Garnish

Discover > Texas Recipes > Venison Wellington Recipe

We’ve all heard of beef wellington; (What wine goes well with beef Wellington?) a dish that has become synonymous with Gordon Ramsay despite it being a dish for royalty since the early 19th century. Using venison (What wine goes well with venison?) instead of beef gives the dish a ‘New Frontier' style upgrade.

Until the end of 17th-century Britain, deer was a luxury reserved for the aristocracy. Not long after this, however, most of the stag had disappeared as a result of habitat destruction. Migration to the United States provided a unique opportunity for anyone immigrating by giving them access to some of the most fertile hunting grounds they had ever seen. For the first time, Europeans were freely and abundantly able to enjoy venison.

Venison was in fact so popular that, unlike turkey, historians are sure it was consumed during the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

Venison Tenderloin

Many people use the terms tenderloin and backstrap interchangeably for the same cut of meat. While they are both spectacular cuts, the tenderloin, be it smaller, is higher in quality. While the backstrap is cut from outside the rib cage, directly beside the spine, the tenderloin is cut from inside the deer’s abdominal wall.

An important part of any wellington is the sear. It’s particularly important for venison because of how lean it is.

Unlike a lot of dishes and cooking methods, searing isn’t choosy. Use any kind of pan you have handy, except non-stick pans. This is because the temperature required to properly sear will start to break down most non-stick coatings.

Place the pan over high heat, and let it get really hot before adding olive or vegetable oil (how long does vegetable oil last?). The oil should shimmer and be able to move with practically no resistance in the pan.

Season the cut with some sea salt (how long does sea salt last?) and lay it in the hot pan. Give it significant color on all sides (including the top and bottom) then set it aside to rest.

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Duxelles

A duxelles is a finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, sauteed in butter until reduced almost into a paste. The goal of the dish is to evaporate as much water as possible from the mushrooms to intensify the flavor.

Pick or buy a couple boxes of different seasonal, local mushrooms and cut them into even pieces. Toss them into a food processor and pulse until very fine and consistent.

Place a pan with a thick bottom over medium heat, melt some butter into it, then add the duxelles. Season with a pinch of salt to help draw out any moisture then use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly over the pan.

Continue to mix and spread the mixture over several minutes until the mushrooms have been reduced by at least ¾. Add some fresh thyme leaves, transfer to a bowl, and set aside with the venison.

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Puff Pastry

Puff pastry can be made beforehand or store-bought for ease.

How to Assemble & Bake

You’ll need a couple of extra ingredients and some equipment to assemble: a beaten egg, 12-15 strips of bacon (how long does bacon last?), cling film, and a pastry brush.

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Bacon Weave

A bacon weave is a blanket of baken woven together interchangeably. It’s the best way to incorporate bacon into dishes because of how evenly it cooks and how consistent it is. It can be used to wrap a chicken meatloaf, in a sandwich, or as a platter for BBQ.

Assembly

To assemble the Wellington, lay a piece of cling film onto a work surface. Lay a sheet of pastry that is about two quarters thick, as wide as the wellington, and around 12 inches long onto it.

Place the raw bacon weave onto the pastry and use a rubber spatula to spread the duxelles evenly across it. The amount you use entirely depends on how thick you want it.

Lay the seared venison onto it and roll it up as tightly as you can using the cling film to assist you. Once you’ve rolled it there shouldn’t be more than half an inch or so overlap. If there is, use a knife or pizza cutter to trim the excess pastry and close the deal.

Twist both ends of the cling film to tighten as much as possible then place in the fridge to set for a couple of hours.

Baking

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Take the wellington out of the film and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Score the top of the pastry lightly. Make sure you don’t actually cut into the pastry or it will separate in the oven and leave a large gap.

Brush the top of the Wellington with the beaten egg, sprinkle it with some flaky sea salt, and bake until the pastry is golden brown.

Transfer the baked wellington onto a wood cutting board and rest it for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into it.

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Yield: 6

Author: Mariano Clement Gupana