One of the memories I brought from my trip to the The Grand Viglas Castle is that of the venison paté made by the Grand Viglas Castle chef Vladimir. He was happy to share with me the recipe, and he also agreed to pass it on to my readers. I’m going to try it myself as soon as I get hold of venison.

The Grand Viglas Paté

Serves 10

1 kg venison
150 ml oil
500 g onion
1½ kg root vegetables (carrots, fennel, celery etc.)
100 g chopped walnuts
100 g salt
100 g bay leaf
100 g ground black pepper
200 g thyme
200 g rosemary
100 g crushed garlic
200 g game spices
300 ml red wine
200 ml cream (15% fat content)
250 g melted butter
water

Method:

1. Rinse the meat and pat it dry. Peel and chop the onion. Peel, wash and slice the root vegetables. Dice the meat.
2. Pan-fry the onion and the root vegetables in the oil until lightly brown. Add the meat and brown from all sides. Throw in the chopped nuts and saute for another 2 minutes before adding the salt, black pepper, herbs and all other spices including the chopped garlic. Only add as much water as to cover the meat and braise for about 80 minutes or until almost tender. Remember to stir occasionally and add more water if needed.
3. When the meat is almost done, pour in the wine, stir well, and continue cooking until the meat is soft and tender. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Prepare clean, dry jars and melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.
5. Use a blender or a food processor to blend the meat into a creamy consistency. Spoon into the jars and pour in the warm butter on top. Cover with the lids and let cool down.As you can see in the photo above, The Grand Viglas Paté came with a fabulous onion marmalade. I enjoyed it so much that I made a promise then and there to try and make my own onion marmalade soon.