Book of Days Tales

The third Friday in February is Yukon Heritage Day one of several regional celebrations in the month that honor the specifics of individual provinces. When you search for recipes for the Yukon, you get a large number of them featuring Yukon gold potatoes which were developed in Ontario, not in the Yukon. On the other hand, wild plants and animals native to the Yukon are common in recipes, so here is seared loin of caribou with serviceberry sauce.

Ingredients

2 lbs caribou loin, skin removed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Serviceberry Sauce

½ cup Meritage red wine
1 tbsp serviceberry preserve
½ cup game or veal stock
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425º F/220º C.

Season the caribou with salt and pepper and drizzle with half of the olive oil. 

Place a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Allow the pan to preheat for approximately 2 minutes. Add the remaining oil to the hot skillet.

Place the caribou in the pan and allow it to cook for 3 minutes (without moving the meat) until a caramelized crust is formed. Flip the caribou and cook the other side for 3 minutes as well, until a similar caramelized crust forms.

Put the skillet into the preheated oven for 5 -6 minutes for medium rare doneness.

Remove the caribou from the oven and place on a plate. Reserve the used pan for the sauce. Loosely cover the meat with foil and allow the meat to rest approximately 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile make the sauce.  Place the used skillet over medium high heat.  Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the berry preserve and whisk until evenly combined.  Add the stock.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes.

After 3-4 minutes, the sauce should be thickened slightly.  Remove it from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate the dish, carve the rested caribou loin across the grain of the meat into ¼ inch slices.  Drizzle with berry sauce.