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Beef & Red Wine Shepherd's Pie
Filling:
1/3 cup flour
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 lbs boneless chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/3 lb thick cut bacon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup peeled chopped carrot
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups dry red wine
2 2/3 cups chicken broth
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
10 oz pearl onions
1 1/2 cups peeled cubed parsnip
1/2 cup trimmed, peeled, cubed turnip
Crust:
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp epper
1 egg, beaten
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
FOR FILLING:
Whisk flour, paprika, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss beef chunks in flour mixture. Cook bacon in a large skillet and transfer to paper towels, reserving bacon grease. When cool, cut cooked bacon into small pieces. Transfer grease to a large stew pot, add olive oil and heat to medium-high. Cook beef chunks in batches until browned, returning to bowl when done. Cook onions, carrots, garlic in pot until soft. Add wine, bring to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Add chicken broth, tomato, bay leaves, thyme, sage, bacon, and beef. Reduce heat to low and cook covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Meanwhile, boil water in a medium pot. Place pearl onions in water for 2 minutes, then remove and place in ice water. Trim and peel. When meat in stew is tender, add parsnips and turnips and cook until tender. Add pearl onions, cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
FOR TOPPING:
While stew is cooking, in another large pot cook the potatoes until tender (20 minutes or so). Drain. Heat milk, cream, and butter in a small saucepan until boiling. Rice the potatoes into a large bowl. Beat in the milk mixture, salt, and pepper. Beat in the egg.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place stew filling in a 3-quart baking dish. Cover with mashed potatoes, smoothing to seal the edges of the pan. Beat remaining egg and water in a small bowl, then brush over mashed potato crust. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until potato crust is browned. If it is taking too long, you can turn on the broiler for 3 or 4 minutes to give it a nice brown finish, but keep an eye on it or it will catch on fire. Let rest for 10 minutes after baking to allow filling to settle slightly.
Note: The original recipe calls for bison rather than beef and celery. I couldn't get bison easily and I despise celery. If you like celery, add 1/2 cup chopped to the carrot/onion stage of cooking. If you want to try it with bison, substitute 3 1/2 lbs bison short ribs and de-bone before adding the parsnips and turnips. Re-add to stew mixture after turnips and parsnips are cooked.
Milk Chocolate Mousse with Port Ganache and Whipped Creme Fraiche
Ganache:
1 1/4 cups + 1/2 cup ruby Port
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz milk chocolate (use high quality, such as Lindt or Valrhona)
1 tbsp sugar
Mousse:
2 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp water
10 tbsp chilled whipping cream, divided
1 tbsp sugar
6 oz milk chocolate
Whipped Creme Fraiche:
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup creme fraiche
FOR GANACHE:
Boil 1 1/4 cups Port in a medium saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup. In another small saucepan simmer the cream and butter. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth. Stir 2 tbsp of the Port reduction into the chocolate mixture. Add 1/2 cup Port and 1 tbsp sugar to the remaining Port reduction and boil until syrup coats the back of a spoon. You should have roughly 1/4 cup syrup. Let both remain at room temperature until serving. When ready to serve, heat the ganache until warm (not hot) and heat the syrup to pourable consistency once again, adding more Port if it gets too thick.
FOR MOUSSE:
Whisk yolks, 2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp heavy cream, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat (tending toward low) until the custard has thickened to coat the back of a spoon, roughly 5 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until smooth. Transfer this to a bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture in two additions. Beat 8 tbsp heavy cream in another bowl until peaks form, then fold into chocolate-eggwhite mixture. Chill for at least 6 hours!
When ready to serve, beat the 1/3 cup heavy cream until peaks form and then fold in the creme fraiche. On plates, ladle 2 tbsp ganache, place 1 tbsp scoop of mousse atop it, a blop of creme fraiche, and then drizzle Port syrup over top. This is 8 servings by Bon Appetit's standards, but I've gotten 12 out of it.
Expensive, fussy, but altogether the most amazing meal I've made in months. All the people over last night enjoyed it immensely. Got enough shepherd's pie left to serve as leftover lunches for a few more days. Hopefully my father won't freak that I used up the last of his Port. >_> I spent the evening in a pleasant haze of fullness and alcoholic bliss.