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Sugar-cured venison, miso toast, pickled plum and apricot relish

Herald on Sunday

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Sugar-cured venison

6	Bay leaves
2	Garlic cloves
10	Black peppercorns
10	Juniper berries
10 g	Fresh thyme
110 g	Palm sugar
1	Venison, loin
90 g	Flaky sea salt
1 to serve	Truffle oil, (optional)

Miso toast

250 g	Unsalted butter
250 g	White miso paste
2 loaves	Ciabatta bread, chilled
1	Clarified butter

Apricot and plum relish

25 ml	Verjuice, (Riesling)
1	Umeboshi paste, (pickled plum paste - available from Japanese stores)
1 Tbsp	Chives, minced
1	Sea salt

Directions

Combine the juniper, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and thyme with the salt using a mortar and pestle. Grate the palm sugar and combine with the salt mix.
Trim the venison loin of any sinew. Dry with paper towels and put on to a small shallow tray just big enough to hold it.
Cover the venison with the cure mix and rub in to the meat. Cover with cling film and fix a heavy weight on top. Refrigerate for 24-36 hours.
When ready to serve, remove the venison from the refrigerator, wipe clean with paper towels and set aside.
For the miso toast, combine the miso paste and butter and set aside.
Slice the chilled ciabatta and cut rounds (about 4-5cm in diameter) using a cookie cutter.
Heat the clarified butter and cook the toasts until crisp. Drain and cool on paper towels.
For the pickled plum and apricot relish, preheat the grill on high. Slice two of the apricots in half and remove the stones.
Gently heat the Riesling verjuice in a pan and add the apricots flat-side down. Simmer gently for a few minutes then place under the grill until the skin just starts to blister.
Remove from the grill and place the apricots on to paper towels. Gently rub the skin off using a paper towel or cloth. Place into a bowl and set aside.
Halve the remaining apricots and remove the stones. Dice them finely and put them into the bowl with the cooked apricot.
Add pickled plum puree to your taste preference then add the chives. Combine until the cooked apricots have broken down and act as the glue to the relish.
Season with sea salt to taste.
To serve, slice the venison to fit the size of the toast. Smear the toast with miso butter, place the venison on top, add a dollop of the relish and drizzle with a touch of truffle oil.