Cervena Hot and Sour Soup with Rice Vermicelli

From: Chef Brad Farmerie, Public, New York City. Yield: 6 appetizer servings.

Rice Vermicelli:

6 oz. dried rice vermicelli

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

Hot and Sour Soup:

4 cups chicken stock

1 stalk lemongrass

2 lime leaves, torn

2 star anise

2 sticks cinnamon

3 Tbsp. tamarind water

2 Thai chiles, cut in half

2-3 Tbsp. soy sauce (depending on saltiness of chicken stock)

2 grilled spring onions

1 tomato cut in half

2 dried shiitake mushrooms

2" × 2" piece of kombu

Cervena Venison:

1.5 lb. Cervena loin

2 tsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. Maldon salt

1 Tbsp. light olive oil

Garnish:

15 shiitake mushrooms, cut into slivers and quickly cooked

2 spring onions, thinly siced and soaked in cold water

as desired, chopped chives

as desired, basil leaves, torn

For rice vermicelli: Soak rice vermicelli in warm water for 15 minutes. Drain noodles; rinse with cold running water. Place in a bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp. sesame oil.

For hot and sour soup: Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for another 15 minutes.

For venison: In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar and salt. Stir to mix well. Place venison in the mixing bowl and toss to evenly coat meat with sugar/salt mixutre. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, remove from refrigerator and wipe away excess moisture. Add oil to a saute pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add venison and allow it to caramelize on one side before turning it. This will keep pan hot and allow meat to cook faster. Cook meat to rare (it will cook slightly more when added to broth). Remove venison from pan and rest it at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Slice venison as thin as possible, placing a ring of slices around bottom of soup bowl.

In mixing bowl, combine rice vermicelli with all of the garnish ingredients, mixing them to completely combine. Place a mound of noodle mixture in center of each soup bowl, making sure the venison can be seen around the edges. Reheat soup and place into a French press. Place bowls in front of each guest. Push the plunger down on French press and pour hot and sour broth into each bowl.