Mushroom, Red Wine and Horseradish Sauce for Venison

This sauce is great with antlered game and waterfowl. It goes great over any venison cut.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups mushrooms, quartered

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

1/2 cup cabernet sauvignon (or substitute any dry red wine)

Worcestershire sauce (dash)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 to 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chilled butter

Heat olive oil in medium-hot skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions and cook for 2 additional minutes. Add wine, Worcestershire, garlic, horseradish and pepper. Simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Stir in butter until emulsified. Serve with venison cuts.

Stuffed Elk with Port Wine Sauce 

This recipe calls for elk tenderloin, but you can use just about any of the large sections excised from the hindquarters or ham. The key is to remove all visible gristle, silver skin, etc. You’ll find that you have beautiful hunks of meat and the texture and taste comparable to tenderloin.

1 1/2 pounds elk tenderloin, silver skin removed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, minced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

Sauce

3 cups port wine

2 shallots, minced (or substitute the white part of 3 green onions)

2 to 3 fresh rosemary sprigs

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper

To prepare sauce, combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and reduce liquid, uncovered, to 1 cup. Strain out rosemary and shallots. Add sugar and cream and continue to reduce liquid to about 1 cup. Season with salt and pepper.

Cut elk into 4 relatively equal-sized pieces. With a sharp boning knife, cut a slit into each piece to form a pocket. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic, onions and rosemary and stuff inside each piece of tenderloin. Place enough stuffing in each so that it is evenly distributed, but not overstuffed. You should be able to close the seam where you made the pocket. Place each seam-side down in a baking pan. Roast in a preheated 400-degree oven. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until meat is evenly browned. Remove from oven and let stand for 3 to 4 minutes. To serve, slice each stuffed tenderloin into 3 pieces. Arrange on plates. Spoon sauce over part of meat and spoon extra sauce onto plate.