I made this recipe up “on the fly” so the ratios may not be perfect. I have scaled it up to four servings. I encourage you to vary the ratios of spices and taste (before rubbing on the steaks) to suit your preference.

I got the inspiration when I went to Whole Foods and saw all the pumpkins outside and suddenly missed Autumn (we have permanent summer here in Naples, FL). It draws inspiration from multiple sources: the seasoning approach is from Grace Parisi; the seasoning combination from Bobby Flay; the cooking approach is one third Alton Brown, two-thirds Tom Colicchio.

Here it goes…

Ingredients

• 4 venison medallions, 6 oz each, 1.25” – 1.5” thick (if you cannot get medallions, try venison sirloin with all the visible fat trimmed off; if you cannot get venison, substitute bison as you want more “gaminess” than offered by beef)
• 6 Tablespoons of coarse-grained ancho chile poweder (you can make yourself by buying dried chiles, removing the seeds, processing in a spice mill and drying out for 8 hours)
• 2-3 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon (to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon of dehydrated garlic flakes (not garlic powder, you want texture)
• Peanut Oil (offers higher smoke point and blends well with ancho chile flavor)
• Kosher salt
• Black Pepper (whole corns in a pepper mile set to coarse ground)
• Fleur de sel (also coarse, preferably from Brittany – my friend Pascal Riaud can tell you why)
• 2 Ounces of earthy Red Wine (I used a 2005 Turkey Flats Butcher Block – 41% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 19% Mourvedre)
• 2-3 Tablespoons of Butter (preferably Ghee)

Mis en Place

1. Trim the medallions of visible fat and shape as necessary
2. Combine the following marinade in a non-reactive bowl: 3 ounces of peanut oil, the red wine, 1 Tsp of garlic, eight turns of the pepper mill, 1 Tsp of Kosher Salt.
3. Pour into a one-gallon zip lock bag. Place the medallions in the bag and zip carefully, removing all air. Squish the mead around to coat full and place the bag in the fridge (in a non-reactive bowl to prevent dripping) for 2-3 hours. (If you have time, take it out and squish around every 30 min to coat evenly)
4. After marinating is complete, remove the medallions and scrape off all the marinade. Pat completely dry with a paper towel and set aside for 20 minutes on a plate (to come to near room temperature)
5. Take our the butter and let it come to room temperature
6. Mix the dry ingredients: cinnamon, ancho chile powder. Taste the check balance of sweet and spicy, adjusting ratio as necessary. When you are happy, add the remaining garlic. Set aside
7. After the 20-minute wait, season the steaks on all sides with kosher salt (you can begin to see Colicchio’s influence here). Coat the medallions on all sides with the dry rub and set aside for 10 more minutes (will pull amino acids to the surface for nice caramelization)

Cooking

I prefer to pan sear and roast my meats. I recommend a really good non-stick skillet (instead of a black iron skillet) as it gives you more control over raising and lowering the temperature (and lets you cook slower)

1. Heat the skillet on a burner at medium-high (to just below the peanut oil smoke point). When the skillet is heated, put 1 – 1 ½ Tbsp of Peanut oil into the pan and allow to heat (it will shimmer)
2. Place the medallions in the pan. Do not crowd as the pan will get cold. Swirl the pan the allow the oil to distrubute but DO NOT touch the meat while it cooks (Alton Brown here). Heat for 2 minutes. Turn the temperature down a little after 1 minute (when you see the oil start to smoke)
3. After two minutes, lift the meat, swirl the plan, and place the other side down to cook, swirling again to distribute the oil. Turn the heat back up a notch for one minute, turn it back down then cook on minute more. I recommend tongs instead of a spatula as you will be rotating the meat much
4. Immediately turn the burner down to low and stand the meat up on its uncooked sides. Put the butter into the pan to melt. When the butter has melted, flip the meat back down (on the original side) and flip every 15 seconds (top, bottom, and each side) This will let the meat baste and moisturize and cook slowly.
5. Continue to rotate until the meat reaches desired doneness (this will vary based on your stove). I usually baste for a total of 90 seconds to bring the interior to 95F (my father likes me to stop at 90F, many people like to stop at 100F). Remember that venison and bison do not like overcooking)
6. Put the steak on each plate and cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for three minutes
7. After resting you have two options: either sprinkle with Fleur de sel or (if you like Mario Batali, carve into ¼” inch thick pieces, fan out, then spinkle on the salt). Add fresh cracked pepper if you like

I recommend the following accompaniments:

• Starter: Butternut squash soup – Pacific Natural foods is okay if you do not have time to make your own
• Side: Mixed Green salad with craisins, pumpkin seeds, and bleu cheese crumbles (with olive oil and balsamic dressing and touched up with fleur de sel and cracked pepper)
• Finish the bottle of wine to drink (of course) – remember to hydrate with San Pelegrino
• Jonah Gold Apple with local honey makes a good dessert