Perfect pan-fried venison steak with quick bearnaise sauce

Serves 2

Method:

Heat a griddle pan or a frying pan. Brush the steaks lightly on each side with olive or groundnut oil. Season with coarsely ground black pepper. Once the pan is nice and hot, place the steaks in the pan and sear for 3-4 minutes on either side or longer according to your personal preference. You may need to turn the heat down a little to avoid over-charring the exterior of the steaks. Once the venison steaks have seared, grind a little coarse sea salt over them. Leave the steaks to stand for a few minutes while you make the sauce.

Bearnaise sauce:

Melt the butter in a small pan. Place the egg yolks in a blender of a mini food processor together with the white wine vinegar, shallots and tarragon. Give the mix a quick whiz until you have a fairly smooth puree. Add the melted butter slowly to the food processor and then blitz until the sauce becomes thick and creamy. I usually like to add a pinch of cayenne pepper, or use coarse ground black pepper, then pour the sauce over.