Robust, tender venison—this meal is the painting of winter: bracing juniper berries, velvety beurre rouge, studded with scarlet sour cherries and green peppercorns. All this, nestled onto snowy peaks of buttery sour cream mash.
Serves 4
You will need:
For the venison:
1 venison backstrap (or 1 grass fed milet mignon), cut in half
1 tablespoon juniper berries, crushed with a mortar and pestle
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
good olive oil
For the Beurre Rouge:
1/c up Carpano Antica vermouth
2/3 cup dried sour cherries, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons green peppercorns in brine, drained
2 shallots, sliced into thin rings
1 tablesoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons grass-fed butter, in small cubes
- Pat the venison dry.
- Coat all sides in crushed juniper berries and season with salt and pepper.
- Set aside to marinade for 20 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, heat Carpano Antica until steam rises, remove from heat, and add sour cherries. Set aside to steep.
- In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add a glug of olive oil and hard sear the two backstrap segments for 5–7 minutes each side for medium rare.
- Remove from heat and tent with foil while meat rests.
- Deglaze the pan with red wine over medium-high heat, scraping up any bits stuck to bottom of the pan.
- Add stock, vermouth and cherries, shallots, peppercorns, and vinegar, and reduce by half, about 10 minutes.
- Turn heat to low and add butter a couple cubes at a time, whisking continuously to emulsify.
- Continue adding butter and whisking until it has all been added. Sauce should be thick and satiny.
- Taste, adjust seasoning as necessary.
- lice venison into 1⁄4” thick slices and arrange atop spoonfuls of sour cherry-green peppercorn beurre rouge.
- Serve immediately.
TIP:
Photography by
Food+styling+photography by Melina Hammer
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