Italian Venison Wellington takes the deer tenderloin and wraps it in puff pastry much like Beef Wellington. In this version, we swap prosciutto for the usual pâté but keep to the traditional duxelles of mushroom, shallot, and herb mixture cooked in butter. This is the ultimate elegant holiday dish that you assemble ahead so you can enjoy celebrating with your friends and family.
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First, prepare the tenderloin for the Italian Venison Wellington
Until our son starting hunting I knew nothing about wild game meat. I knew there was the camp that absolutely loved the meat and then there was the other. I can honestly admit now that it's a delicious source of protein and I'm in the "love it" camp.
One of the main things, I learned, that you had to remove the silver skin. Never heard of that? I hadn't either. The silver skin is a thin membrane attached to deer meat and it's important to remove it. Membranes and connective tissues give the meat a "wild taste" so anything that is not rich red meat? Trim! We had to do this with our Italian Venison Stew.
A tenderloin comes in an uneven cylindrical shape so in order to give it an even thickness, tie the roast. The butcher's twine comes off before wrapping the meat for the Italian Venison Wellington.
Next, drizzle the meat with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Sear the meat, including the ends, in a hot, heavy skillet that's lightly coated with olive oil. This takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and chill at least 30 minutes.
Second, prepare the duxelles
Chop the mushrooms and shallots really fine. You can hurry this up with a food processor but we thought it might get too fine and end up with mush. Mince the garlic and fresh sage.
Melt the butter in the same pan you used for the meat. Then, add the duxelles ingredients and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are browned and the moisture evaporates.
Deglaze the pan with Marsala and cream, scraping up any brown bits. Stir in sage and season with salt and pepper. Let this cool to room temperature.
Third, wrap the deer tenderloin
Now, set out the prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap about 1 ½ feet in length. I know that's long but you'll need it so you can wrap the tenderloin in the wrap. Shingle the prosciutto, like a roof, so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to wrap the entire venison tenderloin.
Using a rubber spatula cover the prosciutto evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper.
Cut the twine from the tenderloin, carefully, so it keeps its shape. Smear the meat with Dijon mustard -- not too heavy of a hand.
Roll up the meat in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up -- cozy and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely cover the venison.
Twist the ends to seal it completely so it holds its nice log shape. Set the log in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Fourth, roll out the pastry dough
This is the part along with the duxelles, that makes this delicious dish a Wellington. Mmm!! ???????? Meat cooked in puff pastry! All those wonderful juices contained in a delicious buttery puff pastry. I could almost write an ode to the dish.
I'd better get back to the recipe, ???? I think my tummy is growling! Okay, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to about ¼-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your puff pastry you may have to use two sheets and overlap, pressing them together.
Remove the venison from the fridge and cut off the plastic. Set the tenderloin in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal.
Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold to completely seal the deer tenderloin. Place the puff pastry wrapped venison seam side down on a baking sheet.
Brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash. Using the tip of a paring knife make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry. This creates vents that allow the steam to escape when the meat is cooking.
Fifth, bake the Italian Venison Wellington make Marsala sauce
Bake the Italian Venison Wellington in a 425 F preheated degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes. The pastry is a gorgeous golden brown and the venison registers 140 F on an instant-read thermometer.
Remove the tenderloin from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Serve thick slices with Marsala Sauce.
We wanted to keep the Italian flavors alive, so we served the venison tenderloin with a rich Marsala sauce. All it requires is just some herbs and aromatics to enhance the flavor. We use cornstarch to thicken the sauce and butter to make it silky smooth.
If you don’t have a venison tenderloin in your freezer, you can use this recipe to make a beef tenderloin. The procedure is exactly the same. Another delicious special occasion recipe you may consider is a standing rib roast with herb rub. The meat is outstanding.
Italian Venison Wellington is a beautiful dish for any special occasion. If you already have your main dish for Christmas, how about New Years ???? or even Valentines Day? ❤️
Another cut of venison to enjoy is the venison backstrap. All you need is a bit of our wild game dry rub and it is seasoned to perfection.
If you'd like to create a delicious Northern Italian recipe that is a classic, try our Ossobuco alla Milanese with Saffron Risotto. This is the type of meal you'd find at the finest restaurants.
More special occasion meat dishes you may enjoy
Balsamic Glazed Lamb Chops with Creamy Polenta
Grilled Antelope Tenderloin | Bacon-Wrapped and Succulent
You may substitute beef or pork tenderloin for the antelope and if you purchase a prime rib just follow the standing rib roast recipe and it will be delicious!
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
Italian Venison Wellington Recipe
📖 Recipe
Italian Venison Wellington The Ultimate Elegant Holiday Dish
Ingredients
- MEAT:
- 1.5 lb. venison tenderloin trimmed
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- DUXELLES:
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 Oz. crimini mushrooms minced
- 2 Tablespoons minced shallots
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 2 Tablespoons each dry Marsala and heavy cream
- 4 teaspoon minced fresh sage
- PASTRY ROLL:
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed (half a 17.3 oz. box)
- 10 slices prosciutto
- 1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water beaten (for egg wash)
- Dijon Mustard
- Butcher's twine for tying meat
- MARSALA SAUCE:
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ¼ cup chpped shallots
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 Tablespoon fresh sage
- 1 cup dry Marsala
- ¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
- salt and pepper -- quanto basta!
Instructions
- FOR THE MEAT:
- Trim the venison tenderloin. Make sure there is no silver skin present. Bring the meat together so it's in a cylindrical shape and tie with butcher's twine in at least 4 different places. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. In a hot, heavy skillet lightly coated with olive oil sear the meat all over, including the ends until browned. Do not overcook. Transfer to a plate and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- FOR THE DUXELLES:
- Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. Cook until mushrooms are browned and moisture evaporates, about 10 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with Marsala and cream, scraping up any brown bits, and cook until liquid evaporates. Off heat stir in sage and season with salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile tear a sheet of plastic wrap about 1 ½ feet long. Shingle the prosciutto on the wrap so it forms a rectangle that's big enough to surround the entire tenderloin.
- Using a rubber spatula spread the duxelles evenly over the prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the tenderloin from fridge and cut off twine. Keep the meat together in its log shape. Lightly smear Dijon mustard all over the venison. Place the venison lengthwise on one end of the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to roll it. Tuck in the ends of the porsciutto as you roll to completely encompass the venison. Roll it up tightly and twist the ends to seal it completely and to hold its log shape.
- Set in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat ovento 425 F.
- FOR THE PASTRY ROLL:
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to about ¼-inch thickness.
- Remove the venison from the fridge and cut off the plastic. Set the meat in the center of the pastry. Fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the venison. If you have extra dough you can use it as a decoration on top. We didn't have extra.
- Place the venison seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry for venting allowing the steam to escape when cooking.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and the venison registers 140 F. degrees on an instant-read-thermometer. Remove from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Serve thick slices with Marsala Sauce.
- MARSALA SAUCE:
- Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook until beginning to brown, 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf, and sage; cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Deglaze pan with Marsala, scraping up any brown bits, and cook until reduces by half, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk together broth and cornstarch and shisk into sauce; simmer until thick 5 minutes.
- Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve;discard solids. Return sauce to pan and heat over medium-low; cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in remaining 2 Tablespoons butter, one tablespoon at a time, until emulsified. Stir in Worcestershire and season sauce with salt and pepper.
Notes
Hands on time for this recipe may vary. The baking time for the venison is under an hour. The rest of the time is spent in preparing the meat and letting it rest.
Nutrition
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