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Winter warm up
Provided by Chef Philippe Guiet, Le Cordon Bleu Paris Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute

Chef Philippe Guiet, of the Cordon Bleu culinary school in Ottawa says the first thing he’d do with a prime cut of bison is mix the earthy flavours of mushroom with the strong aroma of the meat in a delectable winter-time stew. He shares his recipe below.

Daubes of bison with rosemary and orange

Marinate 1 kilogram of bison (shoulder cut works best for this stew) cut in 4cm cubes in the following ingredients:

500 ml Dry Red Wine
100 ml Red Wine Vinegar
150 g Mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery)
1 branch fresh Rosemary

25 ml oil
50 g flour
6 cloves of garlic
1 branch rosemary
250 g mushrooms white or if possible wild (bolet or chanterelle)
250 g thickly sliced bacon
200 g pearl onions
60 g butter
10 g sugar
orange zest
the mirepoix from the marinade
the liquid from the marinade
salt & pepper

Marinate the cubed bison meat for 12 to 24 hours, depending how strong you would like the flavour. Drain and dry the meat. Drain the mirepoix. Bring the liquid from the marinade to simmer and remove the scum. Warm the oil in a cast iron cocotte and sear the cube of meat very well on each side. Add the mirepoix. Once the mirepoix is cooked, add the flour and brown it. Add the garlic and the rosemary. Add the liquid from the marinade.

Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 2h approximately. The meat should be tender enough to be cut with a fork. Since bison meat has less marbling than beef, it’s important to cook it slowly to keep it tender. The cooking time may vary depending on the cut of meat you use.

While the meat is in the oven, cut the bacon in lardon (small batonnet) and saute it in its own fat. Cut the mushrooms in quarters and saute them in butter. Peal the pearl onions, and place them in a small pan with butter, sugar and enough water to cover them. Cover and cook slowly. There should be no more water in the pan once the onions are cooked. Roll them in the sugar and butter mixture left in the bottom of the pan until they’re brown.

Once the meat is cooked, separate the meat from the sauce. Keeping the meat covered, pass the sauce through the chinois. Adjust the sauce to taste by reducing and adding seasoning. When the sauce is ready pour it over the meat and add the mushrooms and bacon. Reheat and serve with the pearl onions on top. Garnish with rosemary and serve with pasta or mashed potatoes. The recipe can be prepared ahead of time and reheated the next day.

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