Venison Au Poivre For Two Recipes

Steps:

• Put steaks in a shallow dish and season well on both sides with salt. Sprinkle black pepper and Sichuan pepper evenly over steaks. Press pepper into both sides with hands and leave for 10 minutes.
• Put a large cast iron skillet over high heat. When surface is nearly smoking, swirl 1 tablespoon butter in the pan and add steaks. Adjust heat as necessary to keep steaks sizzling briskly.
• Cook for 2 minutes on first side; seared side should be nicely browned. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer steaks to a warm platter.
• Make the sauce: Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. Add shallots and sauté for a minute or so, stirring, until they begin to brown. Add broth and bring to a brisk simmer. Add Cognac and continue to simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in crème fraîche and cook until sauce is lightly thickened.
• Return steaks to pan to warm, spooning sauce over them and turning once. Arrange steaks on platter or individual plates and top with more sauce. Garnish with bouquets of watercress and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate.
• Season venison with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in flour to coat pieces. Combine egg and milk in a small bowl for egg wash and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn heat to high and add venison; quickly brown the meat while stirring, making sure not to overbrown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove mixture into a bowl and set aside.
• Make gravy by deglazing the pan with red wine and Worcestershire sauce, scraping the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Reduce until the pan is almost dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add beef broth. Dissolve cornstarch with water in a bowl and pour into the broth, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, carrots, and celery and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain.
• Combine drained vegetables with venison mixture, corn, and peas in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
• Line the prepared pie dish with 1 pie crust, trimming edges if needed. Place venison mixture into the pie crust, pour gravy over the top, spread mushrooms over, and cover with the other pie crust. Brush on egg wash and cut vents in the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and you can see filling is bubbling, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If edges of crust are getting too dark, cover edges with aluminum foil until center crust has caught up. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Rub steaks all over with 1 Tbsp. oil and season generously with salt. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low. Cook shallot, stirring often, until golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully add 1/4 cup cognac. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cognac is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and black pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook, swirling occasionally, until cream is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes; let cool slightly.
• Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth (or use an immersion blender directly in the pot). Add green peppercorns and pulse just to break up (do not blend completely). Return pepper sauce to saucepan; season with salt. Cover and set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high. Add steaks and cook, occasionally lifting steaks to allow hot oil to flow underneath, until a brown crust forms underneath, about 4 minutes. Turn steaks and cook until crust forms on the other side and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 125°F for medium-rare, about 4 minutes. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Reserve skillet.
• Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. fat from skillet and return to medium-high heat. Place steaks, garlic, rosemary, and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in skillet and cook, basting steaks with butter and turning halfway through, until butter is very fragrant and golden brown, about 1 minute. Increase heat to high. Lean safely away from pan, add remaining 2 Tbsp. cognac, and immediately tilt skillet toward flame to ignite cognac (if you have an electric stove or cognac doesn't ignite, it's okay). Cook, carefully shaking skillet, until flames die out, about 30 seconds. Transfer steaks back to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
• While the steaks are resting, reheat pepper sauce over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until warmed through.
• Slice steak and spoon pepper sauce over top. Garnish with more rosemary sprigs if desired.