Daniel Boulud
Daniel Boulud, chairman of the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation, is the chef-owner of several award-winning restaurants and the Feast & Fêtes catering company. While he hails from Lyon, France, it is in New York City that he has truly mastered the restaurant scene and is today considered one of America’s leading culinary authorities. Over the last two decades, Boulud has evolved from a chef to a chef-restaurateur, bringing his artistry to his Manhattan-based restaurants Daniel, Café Boulud, DB Bistro Moderne, Bar Boulud, and DBGB Kitchen and Bar.
Boulud is also the recipient of several James Beard Foundation awards, including “Outstanding Restaurateur,” “Best Chef of New York City,” “Outstanding Chef of the Year,” and the 2010 “Outstanding Restaurant” award for Daniel, his Michelin three-star flagship. In 2006, he was named a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French government for his contribution to the advancement of French culinary culture. Boulud has published six books and produced three seasons of the After Hours with Daniel television series.
About the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation In 2008, Chef Paul Bocuse asked Boulud to develop an organization to provide more awareness and support for the United States team competing in the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest, which takes place every two years. Boulud tapped Chefs Thomas Keller and Jerome Bocuse to establish the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation, and the three currently serve as its board of directors.
Established in 2009, the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) devoted to inspiring culinary excellence in young professionals, as well as preserving the traditions and quality of classic cuisine in America. The foundation—led by its board of directors—aims to build a community of young American chefs who are confident in their career pursuits and will be life-long ambassadors of gastronomic excellence. The organization offers educational scholarships, internships, access to a Culinary Council of established professionals, and support for the most promising young professionals who are interested in representing the U.S. in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or competition held in Lyon, France. For more information, visit www.bocusedorusa.org.
Recipe
Enjoy the flavors of fall with this game dish that will impress even the most gourmet dinner crowd.
Autumn means game season, so I’m starting to add grouse, wood cock and venison to my menus. Right now at Daniel I’m serving a Flax Seed Crusted Millbrook Venison Loin with Quince Marmalade, Butternut Squash Purée, Glazed Chayote, and Sauce Grand Veneur. If I were doing game at home, I’d simplify things by making a braised venison shoulder. It really lends itself to long, slow, gentle cooking that brings out the flavor and makes the meat juicy and tender. A good marinade first is crucial. The recipe below for the marinade calls for a couple bottles of red wine and trust me, it’s worth it. Or, skip the overnight marinating altogether and come try the venison at our annual Fall Game Feast at Daniel on November 18 to benefit the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation.
Venison Shoulder With Sauce Grand Veneur Braised Venison in a Peppery Red Currant Sauce
From Braise: A Journey Through International Cuisine By Chef Daniel Boulud
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Venison shoulder is beefy, gamy, and shot through with gelatin, which nourishes the meat inside while it braises, keeping it moist. As with most game meats, the robustness of venison calls for marinating overnight, which I do with red wine that I’ve reduced first so it’s strong and a little dense. Then I cook the venison slowly and for a long time so that the result is tender, juicy, and not at all tough. It’s a wonderful piece of meat, something for a special occasion on a cold winter night, maybe during the holiday season. A nice accompaniment to this dish could be the Red Cabbage with Apples and Honey (page 174) or the Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Almonds (page 178).
2 bottles (750 ml each) full-bodied red wine 3 pounds venison shoulder or stew meat, cut into cubes Coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1⁄2 cup ruby port wine* 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar 6 ounces slab bacon, cut into 6 pieces 3 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 large carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces 8 shallots, peeled, trimmed, and halved 1 large onion, peeled and quartered 1 head garlic, halved crosswise 1 orange, quartered 3 sprigs fresh basil 2 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 2 teaspoons crushed black pepper 10 juniper berries, crushed (see note, page 5) 2 whole cloves 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1⁄2 cups chicken stock (page 208), low-sodium canned chicken broth, or water 2 tablespoons crème fraîche 1 1⁄2 tablespoons red currant jelly (or substitute lingonberry, black currant, or raspberry jam)
1. The day before you want to serve this dish, bring the red wine to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium high heat and let it reduce by half. Remove from the heat.
2. Season the venison with salt and pepper and put it into a nonreactive bowl such as a Pyrex dish. Combine the reduced wine, the port, vinegar, bacon, celery, carrots, shallots, onion, garlic, orange, basil, thyme, bay leaves, crushed black pepper, juniper berries, cloves, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture over the venison, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, turning the meat over a few times.
3. Remove the venison from the marinade. Strain the marinade through a colander, reserving the liquid and reserving the bacon, vegetables, herbs, and spices separately.
4. Put a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 275°F.
5. In a medium cast-iron pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil and butter. Add the venison to the pot and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the reserved bacon, vegetables, herbs, and spices to the pot and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour the reserved marinade and the stock into the pot, add the venison back to the pot, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer.
6. Cover the venison with a round of buttered parchment paper 1 inch less in diameter than the pot and with a 2- inch hole in the center, and transfer the pot to the oven. Braise until tender, 11⁄2 to 2 hours. If the sauce is too thin or is not flavored intensely enough, ladle most of it off into another pot and simmer it until it thickens and intensifies. Then add it back to the original pot. Stir in the crème fraîche and red currant jelly and serve.
*Ruby Port Wine: This young, fruity port wine is a good choice for cooking, since it’s less aged, and therefore less expensive, than its vintage and tawny counterparts. Be absolutely sure to avoid “cooking port.” It’s an inferior product that contains salt and becomes biting when cooked down.
Restaurant
If you find yourself in Miami needing a break from the heat then hit up these two dining hotspots.
I’m just back from Miami where I got to catch up with two of my favorite Miami chefs, Michelle Bernstein at Michy’s and Michael Schwartz at Michael's Genuine Food and Drink. These are the musts for a wonderful meal in Miami.
Cookbook
From novice to expert, between these books there’s something for everyone to learn… and eat.
My friend Eric Ripert’s new Avec Eric is superb, not just for the recipes, but especially for the behind the scenes look at his life as a chef, both in the kitchen and beyond.
Also, some of the most beautiful new cookbooks I’ve seen this season are the ones by Relais & Châteaux. They make up a two-book set with recipes from all 85 Relais & Chateaux chefs in North America. It’s an incredible look at some of the best cooking across the country today. The beauty of the set is that there’s one book on elaborate restaurant recipes, which some people may actually consider preparing at home but most will just be inspired, and then a second book with simplified recipes that all 85 chefs created especially with home cooks in mind.
Food Destination
This spot in France puts the focus not only on food, but on pairing some of world’s best wine right along with it.
Burgundy, because it’s all about wine and food together. It’s not too far from my home outside Lyon, and I make a tasting pilgrimage every ever year or so to visit wine makers from Jean Marc Roulot to Dominique Laffon and Hubert and Etienne de Montille. A stop at Domaine de la Romanée Conti is a must. We always eat at Ma Cuisine in Beaune. It’s where absolutely everyone who’s anyone in the wine world goes. It’s no coincidence that the restaurant owners have the best wine shop in town next door, so you stop there first to buy a bottle to have with your dinner.
Plus: Check out Hungry Beast, for more news on the latest restaurants, hot chefs, and tasty recipes.
