- Joined
- Mar 16, 2009
- Messages
- 2,887
Venison Backstrap
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brandy (I used bourbon and Amaretto mix)
1/2 cup venison stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Enough heavy cream to turn the sauce the color of coffee-with-cream, about 1/4 cup
Minced herbs for garnish (basil, parsley, chives, etc)
Let venison come to room temperature. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with s&p.
Heat the butter on med-high heat for about 90 seconds, just to get it warmed up and spread around. Turn the heat down to med so you don't burn the butter and sear the venison on all sides. Don't rush, let a nice brown crust develop. Probably around 8-10 minutes to get all sides like this without overcooking the middle.
Remove the venison and loosely cover with foil.
Put shallot in pan and cook for a minute or so. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Don't burn the garlic, it cooks quickly.
Deglaze the pan with the brandy. I didn't have brandy on hand so I did a mixture of bourbon and amaretto, but straight bourbon, sherry, madeira wine, or similar would work fine. Scrape up the brown bits in the pan and stir. Let the alcohol cook down until it's like a glaze.
Add the beef broth, tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Let this cook down until a wooden spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail that takes a second or two to fill.
Turn down the heat until the boiling subsides and add just enough cream to get the color where you want it. Should be like the color of coffee with cream added. Don't let it boil again or the sauce may break.
Slice the venison into medallions. If it isn't cook enough for your liking finish it in the sauce for a few minutes.
Plate and pour sauce over venison medallions. Garnish with chopped herb of your choice.
Lime, Bacon, Sweet Potato Salad
1/2 pound bacon (225 grams)
3 large sweet potatoes cut into ½-inch (12-mm) cubes
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons coconut oil
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 green onions, chopped
handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of ground cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375*
Cook the bacon and chop into 'bacon bits'.
Toss the cubed sweet potato in coconut oil and mix in the minced garlic. Spread it out in one even layer on a baking sheet.
Bake the sweet potatoes until the get a little brown. It took me about an hour to get them how I like them.
While they are cooking whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lime juice. Mix in the green onions, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, dill salt and pepper. When the sweet potatoes are done put them in a bowl and toss with the dressing and bacon bits. Serve warm.
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brandy (I used bourbon and Amaretto mix)
1/2 cup venison stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Enough heavy cream to turn the sauce the color of coffee-with-cream, about 1/4 cup
Minced herbs for garnish (basil, parsley, chives, etc)
Let venison come to room temperature. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with s&p.
Heat the butter on med-high heat for about 90 seconds, just to get it warmed up and spread around. Turn the heat down to med so you don't burn the butter and sear the venison on all sides. Don't rush, let a nice brown crust develop. Probably around 8-10 minutes to get all sides like this without overcooking the middle.
Remove the venison and loosely cover with foil.
Put shallot in pan and cook for a minute or so. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Don't burn the garlic, it cooks quickly.
Deglaze the pan with the brandy. I didn't have brandy on hand so I did a mixture of bourbon and amaretto, but straight bourbon, sherry, madeira wine, or similar would work fine. Scrape up the brown bits in the pan and stir. Let the alcohol cook down until it's like a glaze.
Add the beef broth, tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Let this cook down until a wooden spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail that takes a second or two to fill.
Turn down the heat until the boiling subsides and add just enough cream to get the color where you want it. Should be like the color of coffee with cream added. Don't let it boil again or the sauce may break.
Slice the venison into medallions. If it isn't cook enough for your liking finish it in the sauce for a few minutes.
Plate and pour sauce over venison medallions. Garnish with chopped herb of your choice.
Lime, Bacon, Sweet Potato Salad
1/2 pound bacon (225 grams)
3 large sweet potatoes cut into ½-inch (12-mm) cubes
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons coconut oil
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 green onions, chopped
handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped
dash of red pepper flakes
dash of ground cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375*
Cook the bacon and chop into 'bacon bits'.
Toss the cubed sweet potato in coconut oil and mix in the minced garlic. Spread it out in one even layer on a baking sheet.
Bake the sweet potatoes until the get a little brown. It took me about an hour to get them how I like them.
While they are cooking whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lime juice. Mix in the green onions, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, dill salt and pepper. When the sweet potatoes are done put them in a bowl and toss with the dressing and bacon bits. Serve warm.
Last edited: