Hot dinner: bison steaks with Jack Daniel’s sauce

Jeanette Edgar and Rachel Godwin met in 1996, when they both worked for Rachel's father, John. Their joint business, Alternative Meats, was launched in 2001 and is run from a farm in Shropshire. Together they have built it into one of the UK's most successful online suppliers of British game and other unusual and exotic meats. They were named Food Super Heroes by Rick Stein, have appeared on Ready Steady Cook and Woman's Hour. This is the first recipe from their new book, The Exotic Meat Cookbook: over 100 recipes from antelope to zebra (£20, The Friday Project, out now)

BISON STEAKS WITH JACK DANIEL’S SAUCE

Serves 6

6 boneless bison steaks, about 300g (10oz) each (can be sourced from alternativemeats.co.uk, also works with beef fillet)

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Jack Daniel’s sauce

60g (2oz) shallots, very finely chopped

60g (2oz) mushrooms, sliced

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

500ml (16fl oz) beef stock

175ml (6fl oz) dry white wine

2 tablespoons green peppercorns, lightly crushed

125ml (4fl oz) Jack Daniel’s, plus 75ml (21/2fl oz) extra

125ml (4fl oz) double cream (optional)

a little freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Season the bison steaks with salt and black pepper, and leave to rest on a board for 1 hour at room temperature.

2. To make the sauce, sauté the shallots and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of the butter over a medium heat for a few minutes until golden brown. Add the stock, the 125ml (4fl oz) Jack Daniel’s and 1 tablespoon of the green peppercorns, and gently simmer until reduced by half. Pour in the cream, and continue to reduce until it has the consistency of a light sauce. Whisk in the remaining butter, little by little, then add the remaining peppercorns, the extra Jack Daniel’s and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Remove from the heat, and set aside to keep warm.

3 Sear the bison steaks in butter or olive oil until medium-rare, 2—3 minutes per side. Transfer to warm serving plates, pour over the delicious sauce and serve with a tomato and red onion salad and some chunky chips.

A side salad of beefsteak tomatoes sliced through with red onion works perfectly with this dish.