Texas Venison Tartare

Egg Yolk, Smoked Aïoli, Juniper, Dried Cherries, Fried Shallots, and Ciabatta

Chef Matt Ford of Billy Can Can | Dallas
Yield: 1 serving

Adapted by StarChefs | November 2021

INGREDIENTS:

Plumped Dried Cherries:
Simple syrup
Red wine vinegar
Ground fall spices
Dried cherries

Maldon Juniper Salt:
Juniper berries
Maldon salt

Smoked Aïoli:
¾ cup grapeseed oil
2 egg yolks
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Crispy Shallots:
Shallots, thinly shaved
Flour
Neutral oil

Texas Venison Tartare:
3 ounces lean, small diced Texas venison
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon diced capers
1 teaspoon brunoise shallots
1 teaspoon minced parsley
1 teaspoon Texas extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper

To Assemble and Serve:
1 beautiful farm-fresh egg yolk

METHOD:

For the Plumped Dried Cherries: 
In a pot, bring simple syrup, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a few pinches of fall spices to a boil. Pour hot syrup over dried cherries. Let sit at room temperature until cherries become plump.

For the Maldon Juniper Salt:
Using a spice grinder, pulverize juniper berries. Add salt to spice grinder and pulse a few more times. Set aside.

For the Smoked Aïoli:
Using a smoker, cold smoke grapeseed oil about 30 minutes. In a Vitamix blender, add yolks, garlic, and mustard and blend until smooth. While blending, slowly add the smoked oil and emulsify. If needed, adjust thickness with 1 to 2 dashes of water. Stir in salt and lemon juice. Season to taste.

For the Crispy Shallots:
In a bowl, coat shaved shallots in flour. In a pan over low flame, heat oil to 275°F. Fry shallots until they become nice and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove shallots from oil and let drain on a paper towel. 

For the Texas Venison Tartare:
In a mixing bowl, stir to combine venison, mustard, capers, shallots, parsley, olive oil, black pepper, 1 tablespoon Plumped Dried Cherries, and 1 teaspoon Maldon Juniper Salt. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

To Assemble and Serve:
Spoon Texas Venison Tartare onto a chilled serving plate. Garnish with egg yolk, Crispy Shallots, a few dots of Smoked Aïoli, and a sprinkle of Maldon Juniper Salt.

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