Mediterranean Venison Wellington Recipe, wrapped in puff pastry, with a wine reduction, mushroom pate tucked between the venison tenderloin and pastry.
What’s Not To Love With Mediterranean Flavors And Lean Venison
This venison Wellington recipe, with mushroom duxelles, just a fancy way of saying a mushroom pate, is an easy show-stopping recipe for a dinner party!
My Brit hubby tells me that this is an iconic British dish, often served with black pudding.
So, how about we give this recipe a try at our next dinner party, but perhaps leave off the black pudding!
Did You Know Mediterranean Food Is NOT A Diet
That’s right, we Americans like to make ‘trending’ diets out of everything, however, Mediterranean Food Is Not A Diet, it is a way of life and a cuisine built on some of the healthiest foods in the world!
Often meats cooked throughout the Mediterranean are of animals that have been herded in open land.
Here in America, while deer hunting season brings us the magnificent cuts of lean venison meat, more and more farms are taking to this very healthy meat to raise.
Classic Beef Wellington
Yes, a classic, traditional Beef Wellington was my first introduction to the concept of a beautiful tenderloin of meat, wrapped in a crispy puff pastry.
I have never been a big fan of filet mignon, simply because, while beautifully tender, it has little to no fat, therefore I think it has little flavor.
However, after taking a Master Class course with Gordon Ramsay, and learning the delicious way in which he prepares a beef Wellington, I knew I had to try it with venison.
Pros and Cons With Beef Wellington
What’s not to love about a gorgeous, classic, showstopper beef Wellington! My first time to make it, was for a family Christmas dinner and so I pulled out all the stops, making it with herb crepes, a pate made with portobello mushrooms and all that Gordon Ramsay suggested, including the time to cook it.
Unfortunately, the meat was way underdone and needed to go back into the oven, while all the sides were ready.
Lesson learned? Sear the heck out of the meat on all sides long enough to form a crust on the exterior of the meat, giving it also a jumpstart on cooking its interior before wrapping it.
Beef Wellington vs Venison Wellington
Your best friend when cooking either beef or venison wrapped in a pastry, will be to keep that meat thermometer nearby.
The second time I made beef Wellington, I portioned the center cut of a beef tenderloin, and made into individual portions, which was easier to serve rather than slicing at the table.
Having used all the same methods as the large Wellington, it turned out great, so much more manageable, and it worked beautifully for either beef or venison wellington.
Kid Friendly Wellington
I even experimented with making ‘kid friendly’ individual portions! The good news about a venison Wellington vs the beef, is the size.
It is so much easier to calculate the cooking time on a beautiful cut of venison, and the taste is amazing!
Let’s Talk About Venison
Venison is a very lean meat, with significantly less fat than most other red meats, which also means you will need to introduce your own choice of fats when cooking it.
The nutritional richness of venison is loaded with iron, several of the B vitamins, and of course it is rich in protein.
The only downside to venison is the risk of lead contamination from animals hunted with lead bullets, so it is important to purchase your venison form a reputable source.
Pate
What exactly is pate, you ask? Often we think of pate as a pureed blend of various types of liver; duck, goose or chicken, along with an array of complimenting herbs and spices.
While goose, duck or chicken liver pate is what is often used to cover the meat of a Wellington, I just felt it was too many conflicting flavors and I preferred to allow the venison flavor to stand on its own, rather than other meats.
Chicken liver pate, to me, has a strong flavor, as does faux gras (which, I’m sorry, I just don’t like), and so I opted for mushroom pate.
A beautiful pate of an assortment of mushrooms or simply a heap of your favorite mushroom, gives the coating wrapped around the venison a rich meaty flavor without using other meats.
Mushrooms In Wellington
Who doesn’t love the earthy flavor of mushrooms with meat anyway, especially with the mushrooms have been sauteed with lots of butter, herbs and a douse of wine!
Homemade mushroom pate is so easy to make, you will wonder why you don’t make it often for a variety of other dishes.
Easy Mushroom Pate Recipe
A huge, like really huge, heap of mushrooms gets tossed into a large skillet, with a little butter, garlic, a drizzle of wine and fresh herbs.
This step is then simmered down until the mushrooms are soft and emit that lovely mushroom flavor we all love. Once gently cooked, they are pureed, and that’s about it.
Don’t forget to store leftovers aside (freeze if need be), to toss into many of your winter soups, particularly a soup from homemade bone broth, for winter’s immune boost.
Yes, Venison Is Deer Meat
I still don’t understand why we Americans still have an issue eating venison or rabbit, well, many still do. Thanks a lot Disney!
Both venison and rabbit are widely used in the UK and many of the British Chefs have shared with us, fabulous recipes for these healthier meats, both high in protein and low in fat.
Healthy Venison – Yes Americans, Venison!
The truth is, if you are a meat eater, venison is a high quality source of protein and lower in saturated fats choice, than any other red meat.
I’ve heard folks say, ‘I don’t know how to create flavor to the venison, since it is such a lean meat,’ therefore, this healthy cut of meat is often overlooked.
However, once brushed in olive oil, several slices of garlic inserted into the flesh, seared in a little butter and herbs, venison will fast become your favorite red meat.
Flavor Enhanced Venison
Just as you would treat any lean cut of meat, such as rabbit or chicken breast, or lean types of fish, such as tilapia, cod, flounder, or sole, simply add different types of fat.
For this venison recipe, I chose to stick with olive oil, butter and cream as my fats. Although any type of liver pate or bacon would add more fat inside of the pastry.
Fresh Herbs Add Flavor To Venison
Let’s not forget about the importance of using fresh herbs and smoked spices, and of course garlic.
The smokey, yet sweet and hot flavor of Aleppo pepper is one of my favorite flavor enhancers in a variety of my recipes.
What To Serve With Venison Wellington
We all have our favorite sides to serve with a festive favorite meal, which often includes a favorite recipe for potatoes.
When serving beef Wellington during the Christmas season, I often stick with Fancy Fondant Potatoes and individual Green Bean Bundles.
Both of these festive sides would be delicious with venison Wellington, or keeping with the Mediterranean flavors, you might prefer my Mediterranean Orzo salad recipe; with lots of olives, roasted peppers and feta.
Inspiration Behind The Side Dishes To Serve With Venison
However, being the whimsical cook that I am, I was reminded, while preparing the venison, of how I work hard to keep the deer out of my vegetable garden.
And so I chose to serve my Garden Inspired Carrot Risotto and Brussels Sprouts with Onion Jam Sliders alongside my venison wellington as a reminder of nature’s gifts to us.
Deer In My Garden?
Carrot risotto, I so enjoy to make to serve with my deer wellington, looks like a carrot on the plate with the carrot tops appearing on top.
And yes, those are the carrot tops I work so hard to keep the deer away from in my garden!
Last but not least, since venison is more widely enjoyed in the UK, why not serve a little English mustard on the side!
Equipment Needed
- Large saute pan, preferably cast iron to obtain the best heat source to sear the outside of the venison.
- Cutting board and a sharp chopping knife
- Tongs, make the job easier to turn the meat while in the hot pan, rather than using a fork which will piece the flesh and release those luscious juices, only to evaporate in the pan.
- Food processor or blender to puree the mushrooms once they have been sauteed and softened.
- Whisk, preferably stainless steel, for whisking the gravy in the hot pan.
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Meat thermometer, the sure way to know if the meat is cooked to the required temperature, while hiding inside of a pastry crust.
- Rolling pin to roll out the puff pastry, and while I’m sure you have a rolling pin, this one is my favorite because it also comes with a pastry mat with measuring aids so I roll out my pastry to the best size for what I am working on!
- Basting brush, for both spreading the mushroom pate across the venison, and the egg wash across the pastry.
- Metal spatula, the easiest way to remove the hot, freshly roasted wellington from the baking dish and onto a cooling rack so that the pastry doesn’t form a soggy bottom.
- Stovetop or burner, where the venison will be seared, the mushroom pate is sauteed and the gravy is made.
- Oven, where the final package of wrapped venison wellington will be roasted to perfection.
Ingredients Needed
- Venison tenderloin, from a reliably sourced wild game provider
- Milk, preferably whole milk to both soak the meat in, which aids in removing some of its gamey flavor.
- Aleppo pepper is my pepper of choice for this Mediterranean infused venison because it is not too hot and has a slightly smoky and luscious flavor.
- Salt, both coarse salt to sprinkle across the venison and across the pastry once egg wash has been brushed on, and crushed salt to season the mushrooms and gravy.
- Black pepper, is the perfect choice of pepper for the mushroom pate and gravy.
- Thyme is my herb of choice because it imparts a slightly strong flavor than oregano, which can also be used.
- Garlic, lots and lots of garlic for the meat, pate and gravy.
- Olive oil, one with a flavor you prefer, as they all have a slightly different taste.
- Butter, will be used to impart the needed fat for the very lean venison meat, as well as be used in the mushroom pate and gravy.
- Mushrooms, any type of mushroom of your choosing, or mix of varied types of mushrooms.
- Red wine, one that is light in flavor, to be used in the mushroom pate.
- Flour, needed to make the roux, which is the base of most gravies.
- Cream, for a rich gravy.
- Dijon mustard, or an English mustard both having a bit of heat and acidity.
- Puff pastry, a reliable brand that will hold up when baking, keeping the luscious juices of the venison and mushroom pate, inside.
- Egg wash, simply an egg and a drizzle of water or milk, to brush the outside of the pastry for a beautiful golden finish.
Mediterranean Venison Wellington Recipe ( with video)
Mediterranean Venison Wellington, wrapped in puff pastry, with a wine reduction, mushroom pate tucked between the venison tenderloin and pastry.
Equipment
- Saute pan
- Rolling Pin
- Basting brush
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs Venison tenderloin
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
- Fresh thyme – several sprigs
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 lb Mushrooms
- 1 cup Red wine
- 1 tbsp Flour
- 1/4 cup Cream
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 sheet Puff pastry
- 1 Egg whisked as egg wash
Instructions
- Blot excess blood from the tenderloin with paper towels, place in an airtight container, pour milk over the meat, sprinkle Aleppo pepper and salt, thyme sprigs and garlic cover and allow to sit room temperature for 30-minutes.
- Place a skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter, sear all sides of the tenderloin, reserving the milk it has marinated in. Remove the seared tenderloin from the skillet to rest.
- In the same pan, add remaining butter and chopped mushrooms, toss to coat, add red wine and cook just until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon, into the food processor to puree into a pate.
- In the same pan, on lowered heat, whisk in the flour, add the reserved milk, mashing any firm garlic cloves remaining in the milk. Whisk in the cream and set this gravy aside to rewarm when serving the Wellington.
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Roll out the puff pastry sheet. Place the tenderloin in the center. Brush a thin layer of Dijon mustard, layer the mushroom pate evenly and begin to wrap the pastry tightly around the meat, trimming off any excess pastry.
- Brush the egg wash over the pastry, place a thyme sprig on top and place in the oven.
- Cook times will vary, depending on the size of the tenderloin. After about 25-minutes, test the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. We are looking for an internal temperature of 135.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest 10-minutes before serving. Reheat the gravy, adding meat drippings from the pan, if needed.
Video
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