Venison Steak with Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients

Parsnip puree (can be made ahead of time):

5 parsnips
Milk (enough to cover parsnips in saucepan)
3 pinches salt
1 tsp white pepper
2 bay leaves
75mL vegetable oil

Venison steak:

Olive oil
4 x 180g-225g venison steaks
50mL beef stock
400g dark chocolate, melted
50mL red wine

Honeyed Dutch carrots:

Bunches baby (Dutch) carrots, peeled, trimmed, leaving 1.5cm stalk intact
1 Tbs honey
7.5g butter

Method

Parsnip puree (can be made ahead of time):

Peel and quarter parsnips. Place in a saucepan, cover with milk and add seasoning and bay leaves. Simmer until parsnips are soft, then drain and remove bay leaves.

Mix in a food processor until fine. Very slowly, add oil to emulsify and stabilise the puree. Season to taste. (The puree can be reheated in the microwave just prior to plating.)

Venison steak:

Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the venison to your liking (approx 3-4 minutes per side to cook medium-rare). Once cooked, remove from pan and let rest for a few minutes on a warm plate.

In the same pan used for the venison, add a splash of beef stock and bring to the simmer. Stir in the melted chocolate and red wine and simmer gently for a few minutes, whisking occasionally.

Honeyed Dutch carrots:

Add carrots to a pot of salted water. Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes or until just tender. Drain.

Cook butter and honey for about 1 minute over medium heat. Gently toss carrots through until caramelised.

To serve:

On a warm plate, place a swipe or dollop of parsnip puree. Place a serve of venison on the puree, arrange carrots alongside and drizzle the chocolate sauce over the top.