Venison Steak with Juniper Berry and Red Chile Sauce

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon dried juniper berries

• 3 cups unsweetened dark grape juice or wine

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme

• 2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped

• 2 cups beef stock

For the Steaks:

• 6 venison steaks, 8 to 10 ounces each

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

• 4 whole dried chiles de arbol, seeds and stems removed, crushed

Instructions

To make the sauce, wrap the juniper berries in a clean kitchen towel and crush them using a mallet. Remove them from the towel and place them in a saucepan with the grape juice or wine, bay leaves, thyme and shallots. Simmer over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the liquid has been reduced to 1 cup. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and cook for another 15 minutes until the sauce has been reduced to 1 ½ cups. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and keep it warm.

Brush the steaks on both sides with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the steaks on the grill and grill for 3 minutes, until they have charred marks. Rotate the steaks a half turn and grill for another 3 minutes. Flip the steaks over and grill for another 5 minutes until done as desired.

Ladle the sauce onto each plate, top with the steaks, pattern-side up, and sprinkle the crushed chiles over them.