To make beef stock, put the bones left over from a roast into a deep saucepan with a carrot, an onion, a celery stick and a bay leaf. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about \Vi hours. Skim off surplus fat. Don’t be put off by the time this takes; once everything is in the pan and simmering, the stock makes itself and you have a bountiful supply to use in other recipes. I like to call stock a half-made meal.
Once the beef has been roasted, pour off the dripping (fat) through a sieve into a little bowl and store in the fridge. Use it to fry or roast potatoes. Spread the jelly that sets underneath the fat on to hot toast and throw over some sprouting seeds – broccoli seeds are perfect for this. You can buy them from Goodness Direct (www.goodnessdirect.co.uk; tel: 0871 871 6611).
Venison Marinated in Blackcurrants
I went on a radio programme once to discuss ‘blackcurrants as a superfood’ with a representative of the Blackcurrant Foundation. Asked by Jenni Murray, of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, where the fruit originated, the expert said France. Well, it seemed rather rude to embarrass this blackcurrant expert in front of millions of people so I buttoned my lip. But it is not true. Blackcurrants, like white and redcurrants, are very northern-and originally grew wild all over Europe and Northern Asia, including Nordic countries. They love our climate, and grow well in Scotland. It is nice, for once, to look at a fruit and not think of it as better grown in France or Italy, like peaches, apricots and grapes. Blackcurrants are high in vitamin C, and the subject of many glowing tabloid health claims, since they have a high level of antioxidants (nutrients that help protect against cancer). The only problem with these claims is that currants of all colours usually taste even nicer with rather a lot of refined white sugar, which negates the goodness somewhat. But as a treat, puddings made with blackcurrants are among my favourites: their midnight inkiness, the rich and delicate flavour of the juice, the heaven that is blackcurrant jam, and the way you can use the leaves to add more blackcurrant flavour. And don’t forget white and red currants – the latter make an extraordinary cake.
Buying blackcurrants
I see a lot of blackcurrants during the season, in vegetable markets and farm shops, and they are an excellent buy at pick-your-own farms. Double check the label – it is better, and always cheaper, to buy British.
Sweet, intensely flavoured little tarts. Serve them warm after baking and spoon some vanilla ice cream on top. Alternatively, if the season for blackcurrants lingers on into that for cobnuts, try them with Cobnut Ice. If you don’t feel like making pastry, a West Country producer will come to your rescue. Dorset Pastry is made with proper butter and all natural ingredients. Its sweet shortcrust pastry is impressive – available from Waitrose, or contact Dorset Pastry for other stockists: www.dorsetpastry.com; tel: 01305 854860.
Makes 24
For the jam:
1kg/2¼lb blackcurrants, plus 6 blackcurrant leaves
1kg/2¼lb granulated sugar
For the sweet pastry:
55g/2oz icing sugar
250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
a pinch of salt
125g/4½oz softened unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
1 large egg yolk
1-1½ tablespoons double cream
Make the jam the day before. Pull the blackcurrants off the stalk using a fork, then put them in a ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Cover with the sugar, give them a stir and leave for an hour or so to soften. Then put them in a pan, bring to the boil slowly and boil for 15 minutes. You don’t need to boil it to a traditional jam setting point – sloppy jam is much better. Leave it to cool and set overnight.
To make the tarts, you will need 2 bun trays, greased lightly with butter (if you don’t have any bun trays, it is possible to make one large tart in a 20cm/8 inch tart tin). For the pastry, put the icing sugar, flour and salt into a food processor and whiz for a few seconds. Add the butter and egg yolk, plus enough double cream to form a paste when the mixture is whizzed briefly. Do not overwork it. Remove from the food processor, place on a well-floured board and lightly work into a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.
Roll out the pastry on a well-floured surface, dusting the rolling pin frequently with flour, until it is about 3mm/⅛ inch thick. Work lightly and quickly – this is a rich pastry that can become greasy and difficult to handle. Using a glass or a pastry cutter that is about 2cm/3/4 inch wider than the circumference of the bun moulds, cut out 24 circles of pastry. Press them into the bun trays, then refrigerate for about half an hour, until cold and solid.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Remove the pastry cases from the fridge and fill each one three-quarters full with jam. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is crisp. Remove them from the oven, leave for a minute or two, then lift the tarts out on to a cooling rack. Serve warm.
Venison Marinated in Blackcurrants
There is something very right about eating deer accompanied by berries. Deer can be a pest, roaming the countryside on an endless raid. They nibble the young shoots of brambles, preventing them cropping, and given half a chance will do the same with cultivated fruit in gardens. There is only one way to combat deer break-ins, and that is to feast on the intruders themselves. Revenge is a dish served hot.
Serves 4–6
1.25kg/2¾lb well-hung venison saddle, boned and rolled
450g/1lb fresh blackcurrants
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
85g/3oz butter, at room temperature
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the vegetables:
55g/2oz butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
200g/7oz pot barley
450g/1lb curly kale, shredded into fine strips
Put the venison in a ceramic dish and cover with the blackcurrants. Leave to marinate in the fridge for several hours, turning occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/Gas Mark 9. Lift the venison out of the marinade and put it in a roasting tin. Season with black pepper, place in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 175°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and roast for another 20 minutes. Test with a skewer (see the roast beef) or a meat