LAST EDITED ON Jul-13-15 AT 09:51AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jul-13-15 AT 09:46?AM (MST)
I like to cut my backstrap into steaks 3/4" thick and marinade them overnight in pinot noir red wine, crushed juniper berries, thyme, and fresh ground black pepper. The next day I make some clarified butter (melt the butter, skim off the foam on top and then carefully pour off the clear liquid, leaving the curdy milky solids in the bottom -- the poured off clear liquid is clarified butter and can be heated to a higher temperature without burning). I dry the steaks and DISCARD the marinade liquids (if you use these in the sauce, scum develops from protein leached out of steaks during marinading and makes the sauce kind of gross looking). I salt and pepper them on both sides. I dredge in flour. I then sautee in clarified butter on high heat, about 2 minutes per side, leaving the middle of the steaks pink. I set the steaks aside and keep them warm (in a warming bin of my oven). I then make a sauce with more pinot noir wine and elk broth and crushed juniper berries and thyme. I actually pre-reduce this before cooking the steaks by boiling this stuff down to about 1/4 its original volume, thereby concentrating the flavors. When the steaks are cooked, I add this pre-reduced liquid and spices to the frying pan (should be non-reactive so acid of wine doesn't leach out metal flavors into the sauce). I bring to the boil. I pour in heavy cream and cook that at a boil until it reaches the thickness I like. I then put this in a bowl, serve the steaks, and pour sauce on the steaks. This is REALLY good.
Here are some typcial quantities that will feed 4 adults, provided you have other side dishes such as potatoes or rice and a vegetable:
2 LBS elk backstrap steaks
Marinade
1/2 cup pinot noir red wine, 6 crushed juniper berries, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, some ground black pepper
Frying
3/4 stick of unsalted butter, clarified
Sauce
cup of pinot noir red wine
cup of elk broth (substitute 1/2 chicken and 1/2 beef broth)
6 crushed juniper berries
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup heavy cream (may only use 1/2 cup, cook's choice)