Fancy flavors to turn deer camp into a five-star feast 

LITTLE ROCK — There’s something about the word “venison” that sounds too refined to be relegated to sloppy joes or tacos. The backstrap, essentially the filet mignon of the deer, serves as an ideal canvas for more extravagant efforts.

This take on beef Wellington — courtesy of Spencer Griffith, deputy director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and Kyle Curry, assistant chief of the AGFC’s Information Technology Division — will have everyone at the dinner table wondering how you had time to create such an appetizer. But make no mistake; this dish is just as at home on paper plates at a tailgate as it is on fine china.

The key, as with most venison recipes, is to avoid the temptation to overcook the meat. A quick sear is all it takes to form a crust on the meat, leaving the inside rare and full of flavor.

Venison Wellington Bites in Puff Pastry

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 package (17.5 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed

• 2 pounds venison backstrap, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

• 2 packages (12 ounces total) baby bella or shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

• 2 shallots, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

• 2 packages (3 ounces each) prosciutto

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Fresh parsley, chopped

Red Wine Sauce (Beurre Rouge)

• 1 cup dry red wine

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

• 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• Kosher salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sauté mushrooms, shallots and garlic in butter in a pan over medium-high heat until golden brown. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan by adding a splash of red wine and set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of red wine, 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of finely chopped shallot. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons (approximately 10 minutes). Reduce heat to low and add cold butter, one or two cubes at a time, whisking rapidly as each cube melts and incorporates. Remove the pan from the heat while whisking the last two to three cubes of butter. Sauce should be thick and smooth. Season to taste with salt. You may strain the shallots before serving or leave them in. Keep warm, but do not boil.

Sear venison backstrap cubes on all sides using a separate pan over high heat with butter and 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. Sear quickly and remove from the pan. Set aside.

Cut thawed puff pastry sheets into 3-inch squares and place each into a section of a well-greased mini muffin tin, pressing the dough into the cavity to form a cup. Bake for eight minutes to establish the cup shape and remove from the oven.

Place a half-teaspoon of the cooled mushroom mixture into the bottom of each partially baked puff pastry cup. Lightly smear Dijon mustard on one side of a venison cube and place it mustard-side down on the mixture. Place a small strip of prosciutto on top of the venison and bake for another seven minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Drizzle a half-teaspoon of the sauce over each bite and serve immediately.

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