Cervena Venison Short Loin

Spiced Salt Dough and Braised Red Cabbage

Chef George Mendes of Veranda | New York

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INGREDIENTS:

Spiced Salt Dough:
1 ½ teaspoons juniper berries, finely crushed
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
2 cups all-purpose flour
Kosher salt
2 egg whites

Venison Short Loin:
2 whole 8-ounce Cervena venison short loins
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Braised Cabbage:
½ cup olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 stick cinnamon
Two 2-inch pieces of orange peel
1 red cabbage
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine

To Assemble and Serve:
All-purpose flour

METHOD:

For the Spiced Salt Dough:
In a small sauté pan over medium heat, dry-toast spices until aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add flour, toasted spices, and salt to taste. Mix at low speed, add egg whites, then slowly add ⅔ cup water until a dough forms. Remove dough from mixer and shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes.

For the Venison Short Loin:
Season venison loins on all sides with salt and pepper. In a sauté pan over medium-high flame, heat olive oil. Add venison and sear all sides, remaining cautious not to form a hard crust or venison will be too dry when cooking with dough.

For the Braised Cabbage:
In medium-sized rondeau, heat olive oil. Add red onion, cinnamon stick, and orange peel. Let cook until onions are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add red cabbage and season with salt and pepper. Let cook 5 minutes until cabbage softens. Add the red wine and let simmer over medium heat until cabbage is cooked through.

To Assemble and Serve: 
Heat oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the Spiced Salt Dough to ⅛-inch thick. Cut into rectangular pieces so that each piece is about 2 inches wider than the Venison Short Loin. Place each Venison Short Loin in the center of each piece of Spiced Salt Dough. Roll Spiced Salt Dough over on all sides to fully enclose the Venison Short Loin then pinch seams tightly. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Let rest. Tableside, remove Venison Short Loin from Spiced Salt Dough, then slice. Arrange on serving plates along with the Braised Cabbage. 

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