Juniper Berry & Peppercorn Crusted Venison with Morel Sauce
I had a wonderful surprise the other day as I was tackling the outdoor chores. Carol, my neighbor came over and said that she has some produce she brought back from Farmer John. He sent back a sack each of fresh asparagus and Kale. My husband will be pleased, he has been asking for asparagus but at the store it’s still imported and I told him he must be patient. She also said her husband Bob found some morels and asked if I would like some. Ah… “No” I joked, “I should just pitch them then” she replied. We had a good laugh. I created a wonderful meal at home that was way better than the restaurant we just went to for our anniversary. I made Juniper and Peppercorn Crusted Venison with Morel Sauce. It was outstanding! I rounded out the meal with fresh grilled asparagus and baked red skin potato. I made a comment about the celebrities in the news who are eating for $1.50 a day and wondered how little this meal cost. The venison and asparagus was from Farmer John, the morels from his Dad, the herbs from my garden and the wine I used to marinate the meat was made by a friend. I encourage all of you to plant a garden, a planter, a window box… wherever you can. The produce is better for you and your budget!
Juniper Berry & Peppercorn Crusted Venison with Morel Sauce
4- Venison steaks
Red wine
Olive oil
1 Tablespoon whole juniper berries
2 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
Kosher salt
Sauce:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ cups thickly sliced morels
¼ cup beef stock, water will work in a pinch
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
I know I listed four venison steaks, no worries use what you have. If you have the prized tenderloin, that’s great! Farmer John had the package listed as rump, usually not a grilling steak, but since his deer are eating well in his organic gardens, it was tender and cut like butter. That’s what I used this time.
Put your meat in a bowl and pour enough wine over to cover; marinate for 1 hour. Remove from wine, pat dry and rub with a bit of olive oil on both sides of meat. In a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder or a heavy pan crush the juniper berries and peppercorns. You want them to be chunky not ground to a fine powder. Press the mixture into both sides of the meat and then sprinkle with kosher salt.
Place on a hot grill and cook a few minutes just to get those great grill marks. Turnover and repeat. Just a few minutes on each side will give you a medium-rare steak. This is how you should eat venison, so many people overcook it and then it is tough, dry and very gamey tasting. Remove and let rest.
The sauce;
Heat a small sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot; add the shallot and garlic, cook for one minute. Add morels and beef stock (water will do in a pinch); cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the pat of butter and fresh thyme; stir until butter is melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.
Place the venison on a platter or individual plates and equally divide the morels on top. That’s right, “equally”. This is important since everyone will be eying your plate to see who got more morels. We don’t want anyone unhappy. Enjoy.
