Coming soon Wisconsin Venison Shepherd's pie

Venison chili after spending a few hours outside hunting

Winter in Wisconsin can be incredibly cold and yet one of the most exhilarating experiences.  Today I hunted in our holiday hunt and tomorrow we are hoping to go skijoring (click on the link if you want to see skijoring on the farm)!  Making sure we have a good pot of venison chili on the stove for our winter activities is always a plus! 

Venison Chili1 
Yield: 3 1/2 quarts
Ingredients

5 lbs venison stew meat (shank, and other tough cuts)

1/4 cup of vegetable oil

1 large onion diced

2 stalks of celery diced

2 teaspoons of cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons dried chipotle powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon paprika 

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

4 bay leaves

2 28 ounces cans of diced tomatoes

2 quarts of beef stock

1/4 pound dried cranberry beans soaked and cooked

3 tablespoons adobe sauce

Finish 

Queso fresco crumbled 

Fresh cilantro ripped up

Corn tortillas warmed

Fresh limes

Method:

1. Place all of the meat into a large bowl. Combine all of the spices and salt and mix with the meat thoroughly. Refrigerate over night covered. 
2. Heat a large pot, I like to use my cast iron dutch oven, and add the vegetable oil. Brown the seasoned stew meat in the pot.  When you are finished browning the meat add all of the remaining ingredients to the pot, except for the finish ingredients.  Simmer for approximately 3 hours or more.  Check on it throughout the process, stirring and checking to make sure it is not sticking or burning on the bottom. 
3. Serve with limes, to squeeze on the chili, and crumbled queso fresco. I like warm corn tortillas to dip into the chili. 

Chocolate pot creme

 If you grew up eating chocolate pudding; you want this recipe, it is ten times better than any pudding recipe, lol!  Your family will thank afterwards for making this delicious classic dessert! 

 

Chocolate Pot Crème

Yield: 6 to 8

Ingredients                                                                                                                        Amounts

High-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped                                                                      9 ounces

Whole milk                                                                                                                         1 1/2 cups

Heavy cream                                                                                                                       1 1/2 cups

Egg yolks                                                                                                                             6 large

Granulated sugar (add an extra tablespoon if using bitter chocolate)                                 5 tablespoons

Salt                                                                                                                                      1/4 teaspoon

Confectioners' sugar                                                                                                           1 tablespoon

Method:

1.       Place the chocolate in a blender. Whisk the milk, 1 cup cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the spatula and almost boiling, 5 to 6 minutes.

2.       Immediately pour the milk mixture over the chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Divide the chocolate mixture among ramekins or small cups and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

3.       Whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the confectioners' sugar with a mixer or in the blender until soft peaks form. Top the chilled pots de crème with whipped cream.

Granola

 Granola is one of those foods that are incredibly easy to prepare and allows for some interesting flavor profiles. This recipe is definitely easy to prepare and can work well as a dessert topping, breakfast cereal and energy bars! 

 Granola

3 cups rolled oats (not instant)

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup small-dice dried fruit

1/2 cup coarsely chopped raw or toasted nuts or seeds

Method:

1.       Combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, honey, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Mix the ingredients together by rubbing together with your hands. Spread onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 250 Fahrenheit. When finished the oats should be dry and a mix of clumps and loose pieces.  Add dried fruit, nuts and or seeds. Cool and store in a dry air tight container. 

If you want to view an interview I did with NBC news 15 here in Wisconsin on making this granola click on the link below.

News Interview Making Granola

Ciabatta Bread

 Ciabatta bread is one of my favorites to make, it fun and tasty to eat!  Bread has so many wonderful qualities when fresh baked, the first and most obvious is the aroma, simply intoxicating!  I found this recipe a number of years ago and it has served me well.  

Ciabatta                                                                                                                                                 Makes 4 Loaves

Biga – Preferment made the day before (8 to 24 hour fermentation)

10 oz. Bread flour                                                                                                                                   
¼-teaspoon Instant OR Active dry yeast                                                                                                     
8 oz water, at room temperature

To make the biga:

Combine the flour, yeast, and water in a medium bowl. If using active dry yeast combine the yeast and water together and let stand for 5 minutes before adding the flour. Stir together until a uniform mass form, about 1 minute. Place biga in a 8 qt cambro with lid or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature ( 70 degrees F)  overnight (at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours).

Final Dough -

20 oz Bread flour                                                                                                                                          1 teaspoon instant OR active dry yeast                                                                                            

1 Tablespoon salt                                                                                                                                          12 oz Water, at room temperature                                                                                                                  4 oz Milk, at room temperature

To make the final dough:

Place the biga (made the day before) and ingredients for the final dough in a 12 qt Hobart mixing bowl. If using active dry yeast, first combine the yeast with the room temperature water and let sit for 5-10 minutes before adding to the rest of the ingredients.

Mix on lowest speed with paddle attachment until roughly combined and shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute; scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Continue mixing on first speed until the dough becomes a uniform mass that collects on the dough hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 4-6 minutes. Change to a dough hook and mix on second speed until the dough is smooth and shiny, about 10 minutes (dough will still be very sticky). Transfer to a oiled proof box or metal bowl covered and let rise at room temperature until double in volume, about 1 hour.

Spray bowl scrapper with nonstick cooking spray; partially fold risen dough over itself by gently lifting and fold edge of dough towards middle. Turn bowl or proof box 90 degrees and fold again, edge of the dough to the middle of the dough. Turn dough again and fold dough 6 more times (total of 8 turns). Cover again and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat folds (8 turns total) and let rise till double in volume, about 30 minutes longer.

Preheat convection steam oven to 450 F at least 30 minutes before baking. Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.

Turn dough out onto well-floured table. Gently shape dough into a rectangle and cut into quarters. Gently press each rectangle out to 12 X 6 inch rectangle. Fold into thirds and place seam side down onto a parchment lined half sheet pan. Shape the rest of the dough the same and place two loaves on each parchment lined sheet pan. Dust tops with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Proof for 20-30 minutes at 80 degrees F. Evenly dimple each loaf after proofing pressing out to a 10 X 6 rectangle. Place in convection steam oven and give 5-10 seconds of steam. Bake, steaming loaves 2 more times during the first 10 minutes, until crust is a deep golden brown and internal temperature reaches 210 F, about 25-30 minutes.

Making Macarons at home

 I also recently did a video of preparing the macarons at home.  The interesting part of doing videos at home, you never know what is going to happen, when you are the camera operator, chef and host! 

This is the link for this video:

https://youtu.be/d20_MfzRJnE

Macaron interview with NBC News 12-20-2020 and the recipe

 Macarons

This is a video of an interview I did with our local television station.  

https://www.nbc15.com/2020/12/19/madison-college-chef-gives-tips-for-making-macarons/

Here's the recipe for preparing macarons.

Macarons

Yield: 14 macarons

Ingredients

212 grams almond flour

212 grams powder sugar

Egg whites 82 grams

Egg whites 90 grams

Granulated sugar 236 grams

Water 158 grams

French buttercream

4 large egg yolks

2 large whole eggs

255 grams granulated sugar

56.25 grams of water

340 grams of butter cut into small chips and softened to room temperature

Method:

1.       Using a piece of parchment paper draw circles of the same size on the parchment paper.  Turn the parchment paper upside down with the drawing circles on the bottom; spray a sheet pan with some pan spray and place the parchment paper with the drawing circles down onto the sheet pan.  Do this again with another sheet pan and parchment paper.  You should have 7 circles on each parchment paper.

2.       Pre-heat standard oven to 400 degrees f.  If you are using a convection oven, pre-heat it to 350 degrees f.

3.       Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together in a bowl.  Whisk together.  Mound the almond flour mixture and form a 4 inch well in the center.  Pour in the 82 grams of egg whites to the center of the mound. Combine the mixture and set aside.

4.       Place 90 grams of egg whites into a mixer with a whip.  Take approximately 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and set aside.  Combine the remaining granulated sugar with the water in a small saucepot.  Heat the sugar mixture to 203 f over medium heat.  When the sugar water has reached 203 degrees f, start whipping the egg whites and add the 2 tablespoons of sugar to the whipping egg whites.  Whip the egg whites on medium speed.  Continue cooking the granulated sugar and water to 248 degrees f.  Whip the egg whites to soft peaks, if the egg whites reach soft peaks before the sugar reaches 248 degrees, slow the whipping down to the lowest setting on the mixer.

5.       When the sugar water is 248 degrees, turn the mixer speed to medium low. Slowly drizzle the sugar water down the side of the mixing bowl; trying to not allow the sugar water to hit the whisk.  This needs to be done slowly, otherwise the meringue will deflate.  Once all of the mixture has been added, turn the speed up on the mixer to medium high.  Whisk the meringue until the bottom of the mixing bowl is not hot to the touch.

6.       Fold one third of the meringue mixture into the almond mixture; continue adding meringue a little at a time until when you fold a portion of the batter over itself, the ribbon slowly moves.  The mixture should not be stiff, that it holds its shape without moving at all, but it should not be so loose that it does not maintain a ribbon for a short period.

7.       Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag with a ½-inch straight tip.  Pipe the meringue on to each circle, just enough to fill in the circles, leaving a small amount out, it should fill in as it sits.  When all of the circles have been filled, lift the pan and lightly tap it on the counter to remove any air bubbles.  Pipe the mixture on the other sheet pan with the circles and do the same tapping as the first pan.

8.       Let the piped macarons sit at room for 10 to 30 minutes, long enough to form a slight skin on the outside.  This will prevent cracks while baking the macaron. 

9.       Turn the pre-heated standard oven down to 325 f and the pre-heated convection oven down to 300 f.  Bake the macarons until the tops are shiny and crisp.  Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

French Buttercream

1.       Combine the egg yolks, eggs, sugar, and water into a mixing bowl.  Whisk over a hot water bath to a temperature of 145 degrees f. 

2.       Pour the heated mixture into a mixing bowl, of a mixer, with a whisk. Whisk on high, until stiff peaks have been reached. Turn the mixer down to a low speed.

3.       Slowly add the butter a little at a time until it has been completely added.  Whip on high speed to ensure the butter has been fully incorporated.

Finish

Pipe a small amount of butter cream in the center of one side of the macrons, not all the way to the edge. Place another finished macaron on top of the buttercream and serve or store.

Note: You can add scraped vanilla bean to the macaron batter for vanilla macarons or you can also color the macarons with food coloring added to the batter.  You can also add some jam in the center and pipe the buttercream around the jam before sticking the two-macaron shells together.