Venison Tartare with pickled girolles and autumn truffle

Ingredients

200g venison loin
120g small Scottish girolles
25ml red wine vinegar
½tsp caster sugar
150g good quality crème fraîche
20g good quality truffle paste plus a dash of truffle oil (use fresh truffle if feeling extravagant)
50ml olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 baby artichoke
100ml rapeseed oil
10 small silver skin onions

Holland & HollandHead Chef: Joshua Hunterwww.hollandholland.com

Serves 4

Tartare is one of my favourite ways to enjoy venison. The loin is the best cut to use as it will be meltingly tender, however it is also possible to use a piece from the haunch that has had all of the sinew and silver skin removed.

Start by preparing the venison. Remove any sinew and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up: semi- frozen venison will be much easier to work with. Slice it into even 5mm slices. Pop it back into the freezer for another 20 minutes, then dice it into small, even cubes. Put aside in a small bowl at room temperature while you prepare everything else. 

Clean the girolles with a small sharp knife, scraping down the stems and trimming off the ends. Wash in lukewarm water and leave on a tea towel to dry off for 20 minutes. In a small pan on a medium heat, sweat the girolles in a little oil, pepper and salt, then add the vinegar, sugar and olive oil. Pop on a lid and remove from the heat.

Mix the crème fraîche with the truffle paste, oil, and honey: season with salt and pepper.

Wash the artichoke and peel off the green outer skin. Carefully slice on a mandolin and fry in the rapeseed oil at about 130˚C, carefully moving them around with a spoon until golden brown. Lay on kitchen paper and season with salt.

Blanch the onions for three minutes in salted water. Cut in half and blow torch until charred.

Season the diced venison with a pinch of salt and add a splash of the dressing from the mushroom pan. Put a generous amount of truffled crème fraîche onto the plate and spread with the back of a spoon. Arrange the tartare on top (use a circular cutter if you want it to look fancy). Arrange girolles and artichoke crisps around the tartare and serve.