This recipe comes from the 2005 Auckland Bar Winner - Horse & Trap

• 1 Ostrich Fan Fillet - cut in half lengthwise, save half for the BBQ!

For the crust:

• 4 tablespoons of horopito flakes
• 2 tablespoons of smoked, dried kelp flakes
• 1 tablespoon of fleur-de-sel (French herb salt)
• 1 tablespoon of flaky sea salt
• 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

For the blackberry gastrique:

• 2 cup of blackberries
• ¼ cup of white wine vinegar
• ½ cup of white sugar

Boil ingredients all together in a pot for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool and blend together in a blender. Pass through a sieve and cool.

For the wild mushroom vinaigrette:

• ½ cup of chopped shitake mushrooms
• ½ cup of chopped oyster mushrooms
• ½ cup of chopped enoki (needle or taki) mushrooms
• 1 cup of light olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Shallow-fry mushrooms using all of the oil. Let cool and whisk in Balsamic vinegar. Season and serve at room temperature.

To prepare the ostrich:

Rub the ostrich liberally with oil and roll in the herb and kelp mixture.

In a heavy based fry pan, heat ¼ cup of oil until smoking. Carefully place the ostrich in the pan and sear well on all sides. Allow about a minute or so on all sides. Remove from the pan and place immediately in the fridge to slow the cooking process.

To assemble:

When the ostrich is well cooled, remove
from the fridge and slice very thinly across the grain, about a ¼ cm slices.

Arrange on plate and drizzle blackberry gastrique and mushroom vinaigrette around the plate.

Garnish in the middle with frisee (curly endive), which has been dressed with the liquid from the mushroom vinaigrette.

Match with Monteith's Celtic