A dish of pure decadence, this roe deer loin is seared to perfection, showcasing its tender texture and bold, gamey flavor. Paired with a luscious Piedmont aromatic cheese fondue, it gains a creamy, nutty depth, while the foie gras adds an unctuous, melt-in-your-mouth richness. This dish is an exquisite balance of bold and refined flavors, ideal for an elegant winter feast that celebrates the art of fine dining.
Ingredients
Method
- Take the venison out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, pat it dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Melt the 15 g butter in the medium saucepan and cook the mushroom strips over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, until soft.
- Add the Jerusalem artichokes, parsnip, stock and a pinch of salt, cover and simmer for 12–15 minutes, until tender.
- Uncover and boil for 2–3 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a glaze; keep warm.
- Heat the milk in the small saucepan until steaming.
- Lower the heat, add the Taleggio and Fontina and stir for 3–4 minutes, until melted and smooth; do not let it boil.
- Whisk the yolk in a cup with a spoonful of the hot cheese sauce, then whisk it back into the pan.
- Stir over the lowest heat for 1 minute, until slightly thicker, and keep the fondue warm off the heat.
- Heat the oil in the heavy pan over high heat and sear the venison for 2 minutes on each side.
- Add the butter, lower the heat to medium and keep turning and basting until a thermometer in the centre reads 55–57°C (131–135°F); finish a thick loin in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 3–5 minutes.
- Rest the meat for 5 minutes and keep the pan juices.
- If using foie gras, heat the small pan until very hot, season the slices and sear them without oil for 30–45 seconds per side, until browned outside and soft inside.
- Drain the foie gras on paper towels and cut it into cubes.
- Spoon the fondue into the warm bowls.
- Slice the venison thickly, lay it on the fondue and spoon over the pan juices.
- Arrange the vegetables and the foie gras around the meat.
- Shave over the truffle, if using, and finish with the herbs.
- Boil the milk and let all the cheeses to enjoy joint melting in it, then add the sauce Japan egg yolk into the resulting mixture.
- Braise Jerusalem artichokes and salsify together with Mushroom Jus Julienne.
- Pan fry the foie gras on a minimal quantity of oil and dice it.
- Just not pouring too much oil into the pan, put roe deer meat.
- And let it be there to the average level of roasting.
- Pour the cheese sauce in a bowl, and place the roe deer meat on top, slightly watering juice from the frying pan.
- Add winter vegetables and sliced foie gras in a circle of the dish, by surrounding dish with them.
- Cut a little white truffle and place a bit of greenery as your aesthetic taste tells you.
What we changed for home
- Portions raised from 70 g to 150 g of meat per person, with vegetables and fondue to match The chef's dish is one course of a tasting menu; at home it is the main course.
- Roe deer can be red or fallow deer loin, or beef fillet Roe deer is rarely sold outside Central Europe, and only in season.
- Tuma di Paja and Pajarin cheeses replaced with more Fontina alongside the Taleggio Both are small Piedmont cheeses that are hard to find abroad; Fontina melts the same way and is the classic cheese for fonduta.
- 'Japan egg yolk' sauce replaced with a fresh egg yolk whisked into the fondue The chef does not explain the sauce. A yolk thickens and enriches the cheese, as in a Piedmont fonduta.
- Salsify replaced with parsnip Fresh salsify is rarely in shops; parsnip has a similar sweet, earthy taste. Salsify from a jar also works.
- 'Mushroom jus julienne' made by cooking thin strips of mushroom in chicken stock with the vegetables The original lists it as a ready component without a method.
- Foie gras and white truffle made optional Both are costly, and foie gras is hard or impossible to buy in some places; the cheese and vegetables carry the dish without them.
- Doneness given: 55–57°C (131–135°F) in the centre The original says only 'to the average level of roasting'.
The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.
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