A rare treat venison is for me, perhaps more so this time because the
venison I have is from the first deer my dad has bagged in forty
years. I was given a round steak and a pound of ground meat. I
decided to prepare the round steak tonight. I knew my fall back was
cooking it in bacon grease, but I wanted something that wouldn't cover
up the flavor. Epicurious.com held the answer, Venison with Rosemary &
Dried Cherries. I thawed my steak, making one alteration to the
recipe, which was changing the cooking time to seven minutes, I did
not want to risk overcooking the inch thick steak. The steak came out
beautifully, 5 minutes on the stovetop followed by two minutes in a
450 degree oven yielded a tender steak cooked to medium rare. The
sauce was lovely, the dried cherries added a nice bit of sweetness but
in no way interfered with the flavor of the meat. (Recipe follows, I'm
going to try it with both beef & pork as well, it was a big hit
here.) The rosemary, coriander seed & garlic played well with the
gaminess without masking it. Paired this with roasted potatoes with
garlic and caramelized shredded brussels sprouts with mustard and
lemon. Homemade chocolate pudding with whipped cream rounded out the
meal.

Any great suggestions on what to do with the ground deer meat before
it becomes chili or spaghetti sauce?

Jessica

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 large garlic clove
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (1-lb) venison tenderloin
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
3/4 cup fat-free beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons black-currant jelly

Grind 1 teaspoon rosemary with coriander seeds and garlic with a
mortar and pestle to make a paste, then stir in 1/2 teaspoon oil.

Pat venison dry and put in a bowl, then rub with paste. Season well
with pepper, then cover and chill 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over high heat until hot, then
add remaining teaspoon oil, tilting skillet to coat evenly. Season
venison well with salt, then brown, turning once, about 6 minutes
total.

Transfer skillet to middle of oven and roast venison until an instant-
read thermometer inserted diagonally into center registers 125°F, 7 to
10 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate and cover tightly with foil.

Add wine and cherries to skillet and deglaze by boiling over
moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Stir
together broth, water, cornstarch, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
in a bowl and add to skillet. Simmer, stirring, until mixture is
thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in jelly and salt and pepper to
taste.

Cut venison into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve with sauce.
From epicurious.com

Chocolate Pudding
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. corn starch
2 eggs
3 cups whole milk

3 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 t. vanilla
2 T. unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and set aside. In medium sauce pan combine sugar,
cornstarch, eggs & milk, mix well with wire whisk, cook over medium
heat stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Remove
from heat and pour through fine mesh sieve into bowl containing melted
chocolate, add butter & vanilla, stir until combined. Chill. Makes
about 4 cups.