This bourguignon is the definition of fancy comfort food! A rich venison stew is topped with cheese cobbler, delicious.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Total Time:
3 hrs 35 mins
- 500 g small shallots, peeled
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 200 g smoked bacon lardons
- 1 .5kg diced venison, see intro
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 Tbsp. tomato purée
- 2 Tbsp. plain flour
- 500 ml French pinot noir/red wine, we used M&S Domaine Mandeville Pinot Noir
- 1 beef stock cube, crumbled
- 6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Tbsp. Cumberland sauce (or use redcurrant jelly)
- 250 g baby chestnut mushrooms
For the cobbler
- 200 g self-raising flour, plus extra to dust
- 25 g butter, chopped
- 1/2 Tbsp. English mustard powder
- 100 g mature/vintage Red Leicester or Cheddar, grated
- 150 ml buttermilk, plus 2tbsp to glaze
- Step 1Finely slice ½ the shallots, reserving the smallest ones for later. Heat 1tbsp oil in a large ovenproof pan or casserole (that has a lid) over medium-high heat, and cook the lardons for 4-5min, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add sliced shallots to pan/casserole and cook for 4-5min, until softened. Meanwhile, pat the venison dry using kitchen paper.
- Step 2Add venison, garlic, tomato purée and flour to the pan/casserole and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5min. Stir in wine, increase heat to high, bring to the boil and bubble for 2-3min, scraping the base of the pan/casserole to dissolve any sticky bits. Return lardons to the pan/casserole with the stock cube, thyme, bay leaves, Cumberland sauce, 100ml water and some seasoning. Cover and cook over low heat for 2hr, or until venison is tender.
- Step 3Meanwhile, make the cobbler. In a medium bowl, rub flour and butter together using your fingertips. Add mustard powder, 75g cheese and some seasoning, mix to combine then stir in the buttermilk to create a slightly sticky dough. Tip on to a lightly floured surface, roll out to 1.5cm-thick and stamp out 12 stars using a 7cm cutter, rerolling trimmings. Place on a lightly floured plate, cover and chill until needed.
- Step 4Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Heat remaining 1tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and reserved (whole) shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5min until golden. Stir into pan/casserole and check seasoning. Re-cover with the lid and cook in oven for a further 20min.
- Step 5Carefully remove pan/casserole from the oven. Arrange cobbler stars on top of the bourguignon in a circle. Brush the tops with buttermilk and sprinkle over the remaining 25g cheese. Return to oven, uncovered, for 20-25min until cobbler is golden on top. Serve with horseradish crème fraiche.
Get ahead
Make to end of step 2 a couple of days ahead; cool, cover and chill. Reheat thoroughly before completing recipe to serve.
Per serving:
- Calories: 713
- Protein: 72g
- Total fat: 26g
- Saturates: 11g
- Carbs: 39g
- Total sugars: 9g
- Fibre: 4g
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
