Tradition with a Twist: Buffalo Bourguignon

TSG_Buffalo_3

Our love for hearty winter dishes is well documented. We’ve enjoyed rabbit chili, savored mahogany beef stew, and now, thanks to TSG Jackson Hole’s Genevieve Catering, we’ve added a delicious Buffalo Bourguignon to our repertoire. By introducing buffalo meat, the French classic meets the Old West in this sophisticated and satisfying recipe, resulting in a stew that won’t just please a crowd, it will make dinner guests feel truly special. Developed by Chef Joshua Governale, the following recipe may be lengthy, but it is easy to execute, and the perfect project for a chilly day best spent in the kitchen.

Braised Buffalo with Red Wine

Preparation Time: 8 hours
Yields approximately 6 servings


RED WINE REDUCTION

Ingredients
1/4 tablespoons butter
1 bottle red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/2 cup yellow onions, diced
1/2 cup shallots, sliced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup thyme, rough chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorn, whole

Directions
In a medium sauce pot, cook butter over medium heat. Add onions, shallots, and garlic. Sweat onions and shallots until they are translucent and the garlic is toasted, approximately 5 – 7 minutes. Add thyme, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns, and red wine to pot. Reduce all ingredients by half. Strain through a fine sieve and chill in refrigerator until ready to use for Buffalo Bourguignon.


BUFFALO BOURGUIGNON

Ingredients
3 pounds boneless short ribs, cubed into 1 1/2″ squares
1 cup leeks, sliced
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 cups reduced veal stock or game stock
2 cups canola oil
1/4 pound butter
4 cups red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/4 cup thyme, rough chopped
1/4 cup parsley, rough chopped
3 bay leaves

1/3 pound fingerling potatoes, roasted
10 baby carrots, roasted
2 sprigs thyme, whole
18 white pearl onions, roasted
6 ounces bacon lardons, sautéed
16 button mushrooms, sautéed
Olive oil
Butter
Chives (for garnish)

Directions
Season all sides of the cubed short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat canola oil and butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. Sear meat on all sides until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, remove meat from the pan and place on a napkin and pat dry. Remove excess oil from pan. Add leeks, carrots, and garlic to pan and caramelize, approximately 10 – 12 minutes. Remove vegetables from pan and place in a cheesecloth along with herbs. Tie cheese cloth with a string to make a sachet. Add red wine to the same pan and reduce by half. Add veal stock or game stock, sachet, and cubed buffalo. Bring all ingredients to a low simmer. Cover pot in kitchen-grade plastic wrap (or, if you don’t have plastic wrap that can handle high temperatures, place parchment paper over the meat while braising) and cover with aluminum foil. Cook in a 300-degree Fahrenheit oven for 3 hours. Take out of the oven and remove plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Let rest in juices for 2 – 3 hours.

For the fingerling potatoes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat potatoes with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper and the 2 sprigs of thyme. Roast potatoes for 30 minutes.

For the baby carrots: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat carrots with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 – 20 minutes. Cut the baby carrots in half after roasting.

For the pearl onions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Drizzle onions with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 – 15 minutes.

For the button mushrooms: In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, saut̩ the bacon chunks until brown, about 5 Р7 minutes.

To plate: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pot with the buffalo back in the oven for 10 Р15 minutes. Separate the meat from the sauce and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a sauce pot. Reduce by half, then add red wine reduction to the reduced sauce. In a separate skillet, heat a small amount of oil in the pan, add the potatoes, carrots, onions, and mushrooms, and saut̩ until everything has been heated through. Divide meat up into each individual serving dish, then pour 4 ounces of sauce into each dish. Evenly divide the vegetables into each dish. Garnish with bacon lardons, chives, and fresh herbs.

We enjoyed our Buffalo Bourguignon with bread and a glass of red wine, and it was a fantastic meal. Between the food and the warm, cozy feeling of a house that’s hosted an entire day of cooking, this is a recipe for an ideal winter evening.

Genevieve Catering // Jackson Hole, WY // 307.732.1910