Rich, dark braised venison shoulder in a juniper and red wine sauce, finished under a puff pastry lid for a special-occasion dinner.
Prep
30 mins
Cook
2h 50m
Servings
6
Per serving
£3.65
Difficulty
hard
Venison's lean, gamey depth stands up well to bold flavours like juniper and redcurrant, making this a good pie for a colder-weather celebration meal.
Toss the venison in the flour with plenty of seasoning. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole and brown the meat in batches, setting each batch aside.
Fry the bacon lardons in the same pot until golden, then add the onions and carrots and cook for 8 minutes until softened.
Return the venison to the pot and pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the base.
Dissolve the stock cube in 200ml boiling water and add to the pot with the redcurrant jelly, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on a low heat for 2 hours until the venison is tender.
Stir in the mushrooms for the last 25 minutes of cooking. Remove the herbs and leave the filling to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Spoon the cold filling into a pie dish, top with the rolled pastry, trim and crimp the edges, and cut a steam vent.
Brush with beaten egg and bake for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is puffed and richly golden.