Venison Medallions Steak Diane

Sunday night saw just the Foodie Husband and myself home for dinner as the Foodie Daughter had gone up to Indianapolis (or Indy) to visit our son, his wife, and our grandson.
In preparation for a rare dinner for two, I had dug the remaining two venison medallions out of the freezer and placed them in the refrigerator to thaw.  Then I searched the Internet for a nice recipe.

I quickly found an old standard, Venison a la Diane, or Venison Medallions Steak Diane.  In the 50s and 60s, Steak Diane, made with Beef Filet Mignon, was a standard on the menus of upscale restaurants.  However, as this dish was named after Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt, venison was the original meat of choice for the dish.  Sauce Diane was first mentioned by Escoffier in 1907, so this dish has been around for a while.

I made some changes to the recipe noted in the link above, but there are truly dozens of variations of Steak Diane, so I am certain that one more variation will not hurt anyone.

But first the side dish.

I have an old Jenn Air range with just two burners and a grill, which means that I usually can only use one burner at a time unless I am using two small pots at the same time.  

Since I needed a large pan to saute the broccoli after I first blanched it, I needed to finish the broccoli before attending to the venison medallions.  It's a pain to cook meals this way, but a Foodie does what a Foodie has to do.

Here the broccoli has just been blanched.  Dunk in salted boiling water for 30 seconds before immediately plunging in ice water to cool.  This sets the vivid green color.  

Then dry on a clean kitchen towel.  This step can be done ahead of time.

I have to admit that I prefer my broccoli raw, but I decided to do something different this time.

Sauteed Broccoli

serves 2

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Salt

Black pepper

3 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving

Mix the brown sugar and the cheese together and set aside.

Saute the broccoli in the olive oil and add the salt and black pepper.  I opted to omit the red pepper flakes as the Foodie Husband does not appreciate heat.

After the broccoli was finished cooking, I tossed it with the cheese mixture and placed it in a warm oven while I worked on the venison.

Venison a la Diana
serves 2

2 venison medallions
Salt
black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 cup venison stock or beef broth*
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Enough heavy cream to turn the sauce the color of coffee-with-cream, about 1/4 cup
Minced herbs for garnish (basil, parsley, chives, etc)**

*I didn't have beef stock in the freezer, so I had to resort to *gasp* beef base dissolved in hot water.  I also neglected to re-read the recipe and accidentally used 1 cup instead of 1/2 cup, so it took longer to reduce the sauce.  Live and learn.

**Sadly, tis the wrong time of year for fresh herbs, so no lovely garnish for the dish at the end.

1. Bring the venison loin out of the fridge, salt it well and let it come to room temperature, at least 20 minutes.
2. Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat for about 90 seconds. Pat the venison dry with a paper towel and cook it on all sides. Turn the heat to medium so the butter doesn’t scorch, and take your time. It should take about 8-10 minutes or so to get a nice brown crust on the venison without overcooking the center. Remove the venison, tent loosely with foil and set aside.
3. Add the onion to the saute pan and cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Don’t let the garlic burn. Deglaze the pan with the sherry, scraping off any stuck-on bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Let the sherry cook down almost to a glaze, then add the beef stock, tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Let this boil down until a wooden spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail behind it that does not fill in for a second or two. This should take about 3 minutes on high heat.
4. Turn off the heat and let the boiling subside. Stir in the cream until the sauce is as light as you like. Don’t let the sauce boil again or it could break.
5. Slice the venison into thick medallions. If you find you have not cooked it enough, let the meat swim in the sauce for a few moments to heat through. If the venison is to your liking, pour some sauce on a plate and top with the meat. Garnish with some chopped herbs. Chives are traditional, but basil and parsley are also nice. Serve with a big red wine, like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane, Petit Verdot or Graciano.

First I sauteed the venison medallions in the butter over medium to medium high heat. until nicely seared on all sides.  Then I removed the venison from the pan and covered them with foil to rest.

Even though I had read and re-read the recipe a couple of times, I still goofed.  I added the sherry before the onion and garlic.  But I did reduce the sherry nicely.

Now the onion and garlic have been added.

Then I added the remaining ingredients and reduced, reduced, reduced.  Especially since I added too much beef stock.  Just that much more flavor.

The recipe suggests that one use bread to sop up the extra sauce.  We were trying to be good and eat healthfully.  This was very good, even if my venison medallion was a bit gamy.

I would definitely recommend this sauce for venison or beef.

And the broccoli was divine as well.

Have the Parmigiano Reggiano and a grater on hand so that your guests can grate more cheese on top of the broccoli if desired.

What a lovely repast for a dinner for two.

Snow!

This has been some winter already; between a blizzard right after Christmas, a nasty sinus infection and then my computer's hard drive going wonky and being in the shop for a couple of weeks.  Is it spring yet?

*Pst, breaking news: Punxsutawney Phil says that spring will arrive early this year.  Whew.

Anyway, for those of you who like the snow,

enjoy the pics.

 There's "my" barn.

I love old barns.  

 

 The garden is sleeping.

 My daughter and I headed up the committee for the Super Bowl Party for the UClub this past Sunday.  I took this picture on the way out to the car.

 The next day I returned and took more pictures.

Enjoy and warm thoughts.

A Late Christmas Present to My Readers

Between preparing for the holidays and my other commitments, 

I have barely had time to myself, let alone time to blog.

With that in mind, I gathered up a few pictures of the season that I had been saving

and decided to gift them to you in this rare moment of downtime that I have.

It also doesn't hurt that I am currently stuck inside due to an early season blizzard.

 

 Festive lights on a horse-drawn carriage in downtown Indianapolis.

I liked the effect here as we sped past them on the street.

 The Circle Centre Mall Conservatory over Illinois and Washington Streets is lit up for the season.

 Another group enjoying a carriage ride.

 Monument Circle is lit up like a Christmas tree.

 The tree on the first floor of the Scottish Rite Cathedral is decked out.

 We enjoyed a lovely sunset on one of the final days of autumn.

 And then we received snow on the first day of winter.

I took this picture for friend and fellow blogger,

Rosie Hawthorne, of Kitchens Are Monkey Business fame.

I know how she loves her snow.

After I took this picture out the back door, I had to go collect the cat, who decided to venture outside.  Bad Minx.

 The next morning we awoke to find that we had about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of snow.

The schools were cancelled for the day.

Wimps.

 Fast forward to the day after Christmas and see what we woke up to see outside our windows.

Now this is what you call snow.

Thus far we have 11" of snow on the ground.

 Of course, this also means that I am stuck at home with a house full of people who couldn't get to work.

 We wish you and yours a happy and safe holiday season,

from all of us at the Foodie household.

Eggs Benedict Chez Marilyn

We wanted something a bit different for dinner tonight.  But what?  Breakfast was mentioned.  Pancakes were also mentioned, but were quickly tossed aside.

Eggs Benedict became the clear front runner.

I went shopping and purchased the required ingredients.

Then we got in the kitchen and worked together to create our family's version of this classic dish.

Eggs Benedict Chez Marilyn

Serves 3

Hollandaise sauce:

1 egg yolk

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

6 slices bacon

3 slices ciabatta bread, sliced 1/2" thick and toasted

Fresh baby spinach, rinsed and patted dry

1 Roma tomato, sliced

3 eggs, poached

Salt and pepper to taste

Special equipment:

1 tablespoon white vinegar in simmering water to help keep egg whites together when poaching eggs

 While the bacon cooked in the toaster oven, I worked on the hollandaise sauce.

Gently cook the egg yolk and lemon juice in a bowl over simmering water, whisking constantly until the egg just turns color.  Add the pats of butter, one at a time, continuing to whisk until incorporated.

Then we poured it into a thermos so that it would stay warm until we were ready for it.

 Then I turned my attention to the poached eggs while the Foodie Daughter and Boyfriend worked on the other parts of the meal.

 Bacon is a beautiful thing.

 And this is even more beautiful.

The magical moment when one breaks into the yolk.

This was a very satisfying dinner.

I even caught the Foodie Daughter licking her plate.

Yes, it was that good.

But it was as much fun to make dinner together as it was to eat it together.

The Birds

I awoke this morning to a strange whooshing noise outside the house.  At first I thought it might be the wind, but that didn't quite sound right.

Later, I saw shadows passing the window and I looked outside to see thousands of birds in the backyard.

I grabbed my iPhone and went outside.

 The strange sound was soon explained: the whoosh was the sound of their wings when the entire flock would take to flight at once.

 It was a magnificent sight.

After a bit they left the neighborhood, but not before eating all the berries on my dogwoods and leaving a mess on the deck and the Foodie Daughter's car.

Oddly enough, I later caught up with that same flock up in town.

After all, it's not that difficult to miss a flock that large.

A New Visitor to the Garden

The other day I looked out the library window and saw a most unusual sight.

I saw a large woodpecker unlike any I had seen before.

We often have a yellow-bellied sapsucker visit us during the winter, and sometimes a hairy woodpecker will come a knockin' at the door, so to speak.

But this is the first time that I have ever seen a pileated woodpecker.

It came to feast on the berries of the dogwood tree.

 

It was difficult to get a good picture of this beautiful bird through the screened window.

This is a large bird.

The pileated woodpecker came back this morning for more berries.

I think we have a repeat visitor.

I'm a happy amateur birdwatcher.

Fall's Last Hurrah

Most of these pictures were taken a few weeks ago.

Sadly, with the rough year we have had, the colorful fall foliage was bright but brief. 

Jordan River in the middle of Indiana University is still running low.

Colorful trees across the parking lot at the Indiana Memorial Union.

Sugar maple on the west side of town.  

I am sorry that I missed the peak of this tree's magnificence.*

*Do as I say and not as I do: Don't take pics as you are driving!

Leave that for the professionals.

A late season bouquet.

And snow!

Ack, snow!

Make it go away!