Sliced reindeer

Seared reindeer tenderloin with creamy mushroom sauce

Reindeer medallions seared in butter and served over a mushroom pan sauce sweetened with a spoonful of fig or cranberry jam.

Instructions

Pat the medallions dry with paper towels.
Season them generously on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper and leave them out for 20 minutes to come to room temperature.
Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sear the medallions 2–3 minutes a side, until a deep brown crust forms, then move them somewhere warm. Add the rest of the butter and do a second batch if the pan is crowded.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the mushrooms and garlic to the same pan.
Cook 5–7 minutes, until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and started to brown, then pour in the stock and scrape the pan clean. Bring it to a simmer.
Lower the heat and stir in the cream and the jam.
Let it simmer gently for about 5 minutes, until it thickens enough to coat a spoon, and taste for seasoning. Spoon the sauce onto each plate, lay the medallions on top, dust lightly with smoked paprika and serve at once.

Tips

Soften a shallot in the butter before the mushrooms go in for another layer of flavour.
The sauce wants to be velvety, not stodgy. If it reduces too far, loosen it with a splash of warm stock.

Sliced reindeer

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Sliced reindeer

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