Yield: 4 servings
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Inactive: 40 minutes
Ease of preparation: moderate

Recipe courtesy James Babian, Orchid Restaurant at Mana Lani, Hawaii

Ingredients:

1 venison rack, 8 bones, trimmed and Frenched
oil

For chutney:
1 shallot, minced
1 Tbs. butter
1 cup spiced rum
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 Tbs. tamarind
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. cardamom
2 Tbs. kosher salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. lime zest
1 tsp. orange zest
1 cup sherry vinegar
3/4 cup poha or gooseberries

For venison rub:
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbs. finely chopped rosemary
1 Tbs. cracked black pepper
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 Tbs. sea salt

For sauce:
2 oz. dried cranberries, soaked in 1-ounce brandy
4 oz. venison stock
4 oz. veal stock
1 Tbs. butter
salt and pepper
6 oz. maitake mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
20 pieces fiddlehead ferns, blanched and sauteed
Polenta, recipe follows

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
   
2. To make the chutney, place shallots and butter in a saucepan and sweat. Add rum, cranberries and tamarind and bring to a boil, flame the liquor and reduce liquid by half. Add dry spices and salt and cook until combined. Add sugar and cook until it liquefies. Add zests and sherry vinegar and reduce by two-thirds. Add berries and reduce to thick syrup consistency. Adjust seasonings and set aside.
   
3. To make the rub, mix garlic, thyme, rosemary, pepper, coriander and salt together.
   
4. Brush venison with oil and rub in the spices.
   
5. Sear in a very hot pan with a little olive oil and then roast in the oven to an internal temperature of 135F. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
   
6. To make the sauce, degrease and deglaze the searing pan with the cranberry brandy mixture. Flame and reduce the brandy, add stock and reduce to a cream consistency. Whisk in a tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper.
   
7. Strain sauce. Add mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns and keep warm until ready to serve.
   
8. To serve venison, place on large platter and serve with sauce and polenta topped with the chutney.

Polenta

Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely diced
2 Tbs. butter, plus more for sauteeing
2 cups chicken stock, hot
1 Tbs. finely chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup polenta
2 oz. Parmesan
1/2 cup corn kernels, blanched
salt and pepper
1 egg white, whipped to medium peaks

Instructions:

1. Sauté onions in the butter and add chicken stock and thyme.
   
2. Whisk in the polenta and continue to stir with a wooden spoon until grains are tender.
   
3. Add Parmesan and corn and season with salt and pepper.
   
4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly then fold in egg whites.
   
5. Place polenta in a pan or mold to set up. When ready to serve, cut desired shape and sauté in butter until golden brown and warmed through.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. Fine Living has not tested this recipe in the proportions indicated and therefore cannot make any representation as to the results.