Cervena Venison BLT Salad

From: Chef Chris Shepherd
Catalan Food & Wine, Houston, TX. Yield: 4 servings.

Venison:
12 oz. Cervena Venison Denver Leg
to taste, salt and pepper
2 oz. olive oil

Arugula Cream:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups arugula
to taste, salt and pepper

Bacon Fat Powder:
120 g rendered bacon fat
80 g tapioca maltodetrin

2 large Beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
12 crispy strips of bacon
1 cup toasted bread, cubed
for garnish, bacon fat powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season venison with salt and pepper. In large sautee pan over medium high heat, add oil and sear the venison on all sides. Place in oven and cook until medium rare. Cool and let rest. Slice thin.

For Arugula Cream: In a saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Add arugula and stir until it wilts in the cream. Puree until smooth and season to taste.

For Bacon Fat Powder: Process both ingredients in a food processor until they're powdery. Pass through a fine mesh sieve and reserve.

To assemble: Spoon a quarter of the arugula cream onto each plate. Top with equal amounts of sliced tomatoes and bacon. Arrange slices of venison over the bacon. Top with toasted croutons and a generous sprinkle of bacon fat powder.