Making French food during the Olympics

MINNEAPOLIS — In honor of the Olympics, it might be fun to bring a little French flare to your cooking.

A new restaurant in south Minneapolis, Bûcheron, creates dishes that are rooted in French technique but with a Minnesota touch. 

Bûcheron translates to "lumberjack" in French, which is their inspiration for French meets Minnesota cuisine. 

Bûcheron's owner and chef, Adam Ritter, joined KARE 11 Saturday to share recipes.

Whitefish Dip

• 400g crème fraîche
• 100g cream
• 350g smoked whitefish, picked and checked for bones
• 15g chopped dill
• 15g chives
• 30g brunoise shallot
• 1.5g ground white pepper
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Garnish with dill sprigs and trout roe

Directions: 

1. Whip cream and creme fraiche together to form stiff peaks
2. Mix all other ingredients thoroughly
3. Gently fold whipped creme fraiche/cream in 3 installments
4. Portion into bowl and garnish with dill sprigs and trout roe 
5. Serve with crackers of your choice

Feller's Ranch American Wagyu Steak

Directions:

1. Remove outer sinew and fat cap
2. Lightly season and mix in a sous vide bag with roasted beef fat, thyme and bay leaf. Seal bag. 
3. Sous vide at 56C for 1 hour

Potato Mousse

• 200g peeled and diced Yukon gold potatoes
• 50g butter
• 275g cream
• 3g salt

Directions: 

1. Cover potatoes in cold seasoned water and bring to a simmer until tender
2. Bring butter, cream, and salt to a boil with a little thyme, bay and garlic
3. Drain potatoes and return to pot
4. Slowly add liquid to potatoes over low heat while stirring
5. Pass through a chinois/fine mesh strainer or food mill
6. Pour potatoes into ISI Gourmet Whip, add 1 charge, and hold warm until ready to use

Potato Confit

• 200g fingerling potatoes
• 200g butter
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 sprigs of thyme

Directions: 

1. Peel fingerling potatoes and cut into bite-sized obliques
2. Cover in salted melted butter and cook on low heat until tender
3. Roast in saute pan on high heat with garlic and thyme until caramelized

Sauce Bordelaise

• 3750g beef jus
• 226g beef trim
• 125g red wine
• 18g butter
• 50g shallot
• 25g carrot
• 25g celery
• 1 bay leaf
• 2g thyme
• 1 spring rosemary, picked
• 1g black peppercorn
• Splash red wine vinegar

Directions: 

1. Roast meat trim in pot with canola oil
2. Add vegetables and fully caramelize
3. Add butter and push caramelization even further
4. Deglaze with wine and aromatics, reduce by half
5. Add beef jus and simmer for 15 minutes
6. Strain
7. Season with red wine vinegar before serving

Final dish:

1. Cook steak on a hot grill until nicely seared and warmed through
2. Add warm potato confit to a plate
3. Cover potato confit with potato mousse
4. Finish with warm sauce bordelaise
5. Serve with roasted shallot and rapini if desired
6. Garnish with chives

Champs-Élysées Cocktail 

• 1.5oz Courvoisier
• .5oz Dolin Genèpy
• .75oz Lemon juice
• .5oz Honey syrup (2:1 honey to water, heat and stir until mixture is homogeneous)
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a Nic and Nora or coupe glass