Grilled venison steaks topped with a sweet and smoky cranberry-chipotle sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small canned chipotle chile in adobe sauce, seeded and minced
  • salt
  • ground pepper
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 lb venison tenderloin, cut into 1" slices
  • 1/4 cup full-bodied red wine
  • 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and broken into large pieces

Steps

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries with the honey and water.
  2. Simmer over moderate heat until the cranberries burst, about 5 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat.
  4. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a small skillet.
  5. Add the garlic and cook over low heat until softened, about 3 minutes.
  6. Stir the garlic, butter and chipotle into the cranberries and season with salt and pepper.
  7. In a large skillet, melt the remaining 1 tbsp of butter in the oil.
  8. Season the venison with salt and pepper.
  9. When the fat is hot but not smoking, add half of the medallions and cook over moderately high heat until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
  10. Turn and cook until just rare, about 2 minutes longer.
  11. Transfer to a warmed platter.
  12. Repeat with the remaining medallions.
  13. Add the wine to the skillet and boil for 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet with a spatula.
  14. Stir in the cranberry sauce, season with salt and pepper and reheat.
  15. Spoon the sauce over the venison, sprinkle with the pecans and serve.

Notes

  • Also good over roasted pork tenderloin.