Antelope Medallions with Blackberry-Sage Sauce

Blackberry Sauce

• 2 cups red wine (preferably Zinfandel) 2 medium shallots, chopped 2 cups blackberries or blueberries 2 cups brown veal stock or Basic Game Meat Stock reduced to demi-glace 1/4 cup butter, at room temperature Salt and ground black pepper to taste 4 tablespoons honey
• 4 sprigs fresh sage or 1 teaspoon ground sage

Combine wine and shallots in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced to about ‡ of its volume. Add berries and return liquid to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until berries are soft, about 15 minutes. Add demi-glace and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes.

Strain sauce and return to pan. Whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add salt, pepper, and honey. Add sage to sauce and steep for 15 to 20 minutes, or until ready to use. Keep warm. Remove sage sprigs just before serving.

Antelope Medallions
Season Antelope medallions with wild Dry Game Rub. In sautÈed pan, heat canola oil to nearly smoking. Carefully place medallions in pan and sautÈ for 3 minutes, being careful not to crowd pan. Turn and cook to medium-rare, about 2 minutes. Repeat as necessary to brown medallions. Serve with wild mushroom-leek compote.

Wild Mushroom-Leek Compote

• 2 large leeks, cut into 2î lengths and julienned 2 cups julienned fresh or reconstituted, dried wild mushrooms 1 cup heavy cream Salt and ground white pepper to taste
• Juice of 1 lemon or to taste

Combine leeks, mushrooms, and cream in a saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until cream has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Keep warm. The compote may be prepared several hours ahead and reheated.

Dry Rub for Game — Yields 2 cups

• 3/4 cup Paprika 1/4 cup Ground Black Pepper 1/4 cup Salt 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar 2 tablespoons Garlic Powder 2 tablespoons Onion Powder 1 tablespoon Cayenne 1 tablespoon Minced Dried Orange Zest Juniper Berries, crushed in a mortar & pestle
  or spice mill
• 1/2 tablespoon Ground Cloves

Mix the spices thoroughly in a bowl. Store the rub in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator. It keeps indefinitely, but loses potency over time.