Recipe: Venison with Blackberry Wine Sauce

Summer means barbecue season, and it is tough to beat a good venison steak off the grill. A visit to the deer woods could be considered pre-season scouting, but in many parts of the country it is also the perfect time to pick berries.

Fresh berries cooked and reduced with red wine make a fabulous sauce to pair with venison from any woodlot. The recipe will draw on your hunter/gatherer instincts and take your food experience to a new level. Get creative and try other types of berries, rhubarb, or fruits. Add some heat with peppers, if desired.

The sauce plates well when pureed but can also be served chunky. Make sure to mash the berries if not blending.

Ingredients

• 6 venison loin steaks
• Olive oil
• Steak seasoning (Hi Mountain, Bearded Butcher, or favorite)
• ½ pint of fresh blackberries

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp of butter
• ½ white onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup of fresh blackberries (20 berries)
• 1 cup of red wine
• ½ cup of beef stock
• ¼ cup of honey (substitute brown sugar or molasses)
• 1 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, add the onion and sauté over medium heat for three minutes.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over medium heat for five minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
3. Puree the sauce in a blender and return it to the saucepan over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until reduced by half. Whisk the two reduced sauces together and stir in the butter—season with salt and pepper.
4. While the sauce is reducing, rub the steaks with olive oil and season. Grill the steaks over high heat for three minutes on each side. Remove the steaks and rest them in foil for three minutes. The steaks will be medium-rare.
5. Serve the steaks warm with fresh blackberries and a few spoonfuls of the sauce.

Adjust the simmer time for the sauce to ensure it thickens. The reduction is important to concentrate flavors.