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

Sugar-cured venison.

INGREDIENTS FOR SUGAR-CURED VENISON
10 juniper berries
2 cloves garlic
6 bay leafs
12 black peppercorns
10g fresh thyme
1 venison loin
110g palm sugar
90g flaky sea salt

INGREDIENTS FOR MISO TOAST
250g unsalted butter
250g white miso paste
2 ciabatta loaves, chilled
Clarified butter

INGREDIENTS FOR APRICOT AND PLUM RELISH
25ml Riesling verjuice
Umeboshi paste (pickled plum paste - available from Japanese stores)
I tbsp minced chives
Sea salt

TO SERVE
Truffle oil (optional)

1 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.

2 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.

3 When ready to serve, remove the venison from the refrigerator, wipe clean with paper towels and set aside.

4 For the miso toast, combine the miso paste and butter and set aside.

5 Slice the chilled ciabatta and cut rounds (about 4-5cm in diameter) using a cookie cutter.

6 Heat the clarified butter and cook the toasts until crisp. Drain and cool on paper towels.

7 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.

8 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.

9 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.