Seared Venison with Wild Mushroom Sauce

There's nothing more autumnal than wild mushrooms and venison and they work beautifully together. This dish is inspired by a recipe from one of my food heroes - the late, great Anthony Carluccio.

Never one to be shy with butter and cream this is the perfect celebratory dish. Full to the brim with flavour and luxury, each mouthful is pure heaven. You should be able to get venison steaks from your butcher and some of the larger supermarkets but if you wanted to swap it for a steak instead I would go for a good quality rump.

Seared Venison with Wild Mushroom Sauce

Serves 2

For the venison:

2 venison steaks

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tbsp balsamic vinegar 

1 carrot, finely chopped 

½ onion, finely chopped 

salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the sauce 

50g unsalted butter 

½ onion, very finely sliced 

20g dried mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 2 hours, drained (reserve the water) 

150g fresh wild mushrooms, large ones thickly sliced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

2 tbsp dry sherry or port

3 tbsp double cream 

salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the venison, ideally the day before cooking or at least 2 hours before, place the venison in a dish and cover with 2tbsp of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar, carrot and onion. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place into the fridge to marinate overnight (or at least 2 hours). 

For the sauce, heat a non-reactive frying pan until hot. Add the butter and onions and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the soaked dried mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and fry for a further 3-5 minutes.

Add the balsamic vinegar, sherry and cream and simmer for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (The sauce may become quite thick, so add a little of the morel soaking water to the pan.) 

To cook the venison, remove the venison from the marinade, pat dry with kitchen paper, then season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a separate frying pan or griddle pan until very hot. Drizzle the venison steaks with the remaining tbsp of oil and rub all over to coat. 

Fry the venison on each side for 3-4 minutes, until golden-brown on the outside, but still pink on the inside, or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the pan and wrap in tin foil to rest for a further 3-4 minutes. Slice into thick pieces and add any resting juices to the sauce.

To serve, spoon the mushroom sauce onto warmed plates, then top with the slices of venison. Season the meat with a little more sea salt then enjoy.