Prep time:

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 6

30g Dried Figs

100g Unsalted Butter

80g Runny Honey

2 Eggs, seperated

Zest of 1 Lemon

1tsp Orange Zest

1 Apple, peeled, cored and grated

25g Pine Nuts

30g Ground Almonds

50g Plain Flour

¼tsp Baking Powder

75g Coarse Grain Polenta

65ml Milk

1tsp Vanilla Extract

For the Butter:

65g Unsalted Butter

70g Unsweetened Chestnut Puree

1tbsp Honey

½tsp Toasted and Ground Fennel Seeds

Lucinda Hamilton creates a starter using Venison

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
  2. Roughly chop the figs.
  3. Put butter and honey in mixer and beat on high speed until pale and creamy.
  4. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the figs, zests, apple, pine nuts, almonds, flour, baking powder and polenta.
  5. Mix in the milk and vanilla essence until all ingredients combined.
  6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold egg whites into the batter.
  7. Spoon into buttered and lined small loaf tin and bake for about 40-50 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

For the butter:

  1. To make the butter, beat all the above ingredients together until smooth. Chill until needed.

To serve: remove smoked venison from fridge about an hour before needed. Plate up with a couple of slices of warm polenta loaf with the chestnut butter on the side.

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

You may also like

Pot-roast chicken pot au feu

Pot au feu is a classic French dish literally translating to ‘pot in fire’. All the flavours of a well-bred free-range chicken mingle together with summer baby vegetables, herbs and white wine. The technique may be French and harking back...

Cured trout, crème fraîche & pickled kohlrabi, cucumber & dill

This easy starter is impressive in looks and taste; taking only minutes to prepare, it does need to be chilled overnight in the fridge and is a perfect light and summery dish to have ready to serve when your guests...

Gooseberry & elderflower fool

Gooseberries often lose out in the popularity contest to other soft seasonal fruit. These tart and firm little berries just need a little heat and sweetness to reveal their charms. Here Robin pairs the tasty fruit with the classic pairing...