Watercress salad with pickled quail eggs

2 tbsp pickling liquid from pickled quail eggs
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp olive oil
6 oz organic baby watercress
20 pickled quail eggs, halved, quartered, or sliced


Whisk together pickling liquid, mustard, salt, and pepper in small bowl, then add oils, whisking until emulsified.
Toss watercress with just enough dressing to coat in large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Serve salad with eggs.

Pesto marinated Pittsworth quail, with colcannon and a Rimfire port wine beurre blanc

1 quail, boned and cut down centre
3 tbsp pesto
100g potato mash
50g Savoy cabbage, cut into large pieces & blanched
20g spring onion sliced
10g French shallots, sliced
4 slices of crisp pancetta
1 tsp julienne of continental parsley
Olive oil
2 small green asparagus spears, blanched
½ red toasted capsicum
3 kalamata olives
1 quail egg, soft boiled, cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Beurre blanc:
25ml balsamic vinegar
20ml Rimfire port wine
25g sliced shallot
1 sprig of thyme
4 crushed white peppercorns
25ml cream
110g diced, chilled butter
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper


Place quail in bowl with pesto and couple of lugs of olive oil and marinate overnight.

To prepare colcannon: add cabbage, spring onion, shallots, crisp pancetta and parsley to potato mash and fold through. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and keep warm.

To prepare sauce, place balsamic vinegar, shallots, thyme and crushed peppercorns in saucepan and reduce to a glaze. Add cream and bring to the boil then reduce heat.
Whisk in diced butter until full incorporated, season, mix in port, then keep warm.
Remove quail from marinade and quickly panfry in sauté pan until cooked.

To prepare garnish, cut out a circle of roast capsicum about 4cm in diameter and place on plate. Place olives, then quail egg on top of circle, finish with asparagus spears.
Place dish in warm oven for a minute for garnish to warm through. Place colcannon in, top with quail then spoon beurre blanc around.

Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pie

Filling:
2 tablespoons cooking oil
400g chicken fillet, cubed
50g butter
250g button mushrooms, sliced
3 shallots, finely chopped
200ml UHT cream
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

400g frozen puff pastry
1 egg (for egg wash), beaten


To prepare filling: Heat oil and sear the chicken over high heat until browned. The chicken should not be fully cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add butter and cook mushrooms over high heat until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside with the chicken.
In the same pan, fry the shallots over low heat until translucent. Add cream and bring to boil. Add mustard, chicken and mushrooms and season to taste. Dish into the pie dish.

To assemble & bake: Roll out the thawed puff pastry and place over the top of the pie dish. Brush with egg wash. Bake in a preheated at 180ºC for 15 minutes or until pastry is crisp and golden.

Pavè (Tournedos) of Venison with Red Pepper and Onion Relish

2 tbsp Olive oil
2 medium Onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 large red peppers, halved, seeded and finely sliced
2 tsp chopped thyme
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 venison tournedos
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp Butter


Heat olive oil and add onions. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in sliced peppers and cook for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in chopped thyme . Keep warm.
Place large heavy frying pan on high heat. Season steaks with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add oil to hot pan. When it starts to smoke add steaks, butter and allow it to foam and cover steaks. After 2-3 minutes, spots of blood will appear on top, they are now ready to turn. Cook again for another 2-3 minutes. Remove and serve with pepper and onion.

Seared Venison Nicoise

2 tbsp lemon juice
5 tbsp Olive oil
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
225g Venison steaks
350g waxy potatoes, small
175g French beans, fine, trimmed & blanched 3 mins.
3 large eggs
2 large tomatoes
1 can anchovy fillets
50g black olives

For the garlic dressing
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red or white wine vinegar, or lemon juice
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
0.5 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp capers, rinsed
3 tbsp chopped mixed herbs
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper


Whisk all ingredients for dressing together in small saucepan and leave to infuse.
Mix lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in non-metallic dish. Add steaks and toss to coat in marinade. Cover and marinate for 1 hour.
Boil potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes, adding French beans 4 minutes before potatoes are ready. In separate pan, cover eggs with cold water. Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes from boiling. Drain and cover with cold water. Peel and quarter eggs.
Drain potatoes and beans. Remove beans to bowl, slice potatoes thickly and add to beans, moistening with little dressing.
Pile potatoes and beans into shallow serving dish. Arrange sliced tomatoes and quartered eggs on top. Heat a ridged griddle pan or heavy skillet until smoking. Drain venison and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Pile into centre of salad.

Roast French Rack of Venison with Garlic, Rosemary and Mustard Crust

1 Venison, 9 bone rack, trimmed
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper

For the garlic, rosemary and herb crust
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp Butter, softened
3 garlic clove, finely chopped
8 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
6 tbsp finely chopped parsley
3 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves


Preheat oven to 200C. Score outer surface of meat very lightly to hold herb crust.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay on baking tray and roast in oven for 15 minutes.
Mix mustard, softened butter and garlic to form a paste. Spread over meaty side of venison.
Mix breadcrumbs with finely chopped parsley, rosemary and melted butter, and pat over mustard-coated side of venison and replace on baking tray. Roast for further 15-20 minutes in hot oven.