Cooking all over the World: IDEAS IN FOOD

Friday, September 2, 2011

IDEAS IN FOOD - Venison Shank

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Venison Shank

The shank is cooked sous vide for 24 hours at 57°C. The results are both juicy and tender, but certainly not braised. I think we are often confused by the expectations we get from food cooked sous vide because we are using an older language and different points of reference to describe the preparations we are making. In this we could call the venison braised, but it would underwhelm in the idea of what braised is. The meat does not fall apart, the sauce is not thick and unctuous. Rather, the meat has texture and juice and body and character. We cook the shank in a stock made from country ham skins and it picks up an additional gaminess from this which we did not intend upon but are happy to utilize and springboard from. The shank is taken off the bone and here we have to refocus our attention. In the case of most braises you cook it, you cool it, you re-heat it and serve it. Here we need to do some work after the fact. The connective tissue, the silver skin and the pieces of tendon which break down in traditional braises remain inedible in this preparation. And we are ok with that. We are happy with that because we end up with a cut of meat, rather a texture and experience for a cut of meat we would or could not previously achieve. The shank is served broken down with nasturtium leaves and stems, garlic chive blossoms, coconut crisps seasoned with Tasmanian pepper and grains of paradise, cabbage leaves cooked in butternut squash butter-cream and lemon oil cooked calamari. A grating of dried venison heart completes the dish.