Recipe: Seared Venison Loin with Balsamic Blueberry Sauce

By Gwen Ashley Walters

Seared Venison Loin
with Balsamic Blueberry Sauce

From Triple Creek Ranch, Montana
8 servings

Cook the venison only to medium rare, as most game meats toughen beyond 135 degrees F. Prepare the sauce first, and re-heat when ready to serve. If venison is not readily available, try this with beef tenderloin or pork loin. If you substitute pork, cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.

3 pounds venison loin
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Balsamic Blueberry Sauce

1. Cut the venison into 3-ounce steaks, about 1-1/4 inches thick.

2. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Sear in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, about 2-1/2 to 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove to a warm platter and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Balsamic Blueberry Sauce

Makes 1-1/2 cups

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
4 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon green peppercorns
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

1. Bring blueberries and beef stock to a boil, reduce heat and simmer vigorously until reduced to 3 cups, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. While stock is reducing, sauté shallot, garlic and green peppercorns in 1 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet until shallot is translucent, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in balsamic vinegar and tarragon to the shallot mixture and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer until vinegar is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 to 10 minutes.

4. Blend the vinegar reduction and the reduced blueberry/stock mixture in a blender until smooth. (Caution: hot liquid in a blender shoots straight up. Cover the blender lid tightly before turning on the blender.)

5. Strain the sauce and keep warm while preparing the venison loin. If necessary, thicken the sauce by stirring together the cornstarch and cold water and stirring this "slurry" mixture into a boiling sauce. (The sauce has to boil for the slurry to thicken.)

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Gwen Ashley Walters is cookbook author, cooking teacher, food writer and Certified Culinary Professional with a degree in Culinary Arts. Gwen's travel guide/cookbooks, The Great Ranch Cookbook, (1998) and The Cool Mountain Cookbook, (2001) were published by Pen & Fork Communications.