BEEF BOURGUIGNON

1. Dry beef cubes with a paper towel and season beef 1.5 tsp salt and 1 tsp of pepper. Set aside in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. In a large dutch oven, cook diced bacon until crisp – about 10 min. Transfer with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate. Reserve fat in pan.
3. Turn up heat on pan until grease just starts to smoke. Add seasoned beef in single layers for about 5 minutes until it sears on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon and place on paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all meat is cooked. Set aside.  
4. Add carrots, onions and ½ tsp salt. Cover and let cook until soft for 10 minutes 
5. Add tomato paste and garlic and cook for another minute. 
6. Add beef and bacon back into the pot. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Add wine and broth – enough to almost cover the beef and simmer on the stove 
8. Put covered pot in the oven at 275 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
9. Test meat and ensure that it is tender. If so, rest it on the stove.
10. Take 3 TBSP of softened butter and mix it with flour in a ramekin. Take a spoonful of stew gravy from the Dutch oven and mix it with the butter and flour until it is cohesive and smooth. Add back into the stew and stir. Simmer the stew stirring occasionally. It should start to thicken. 
11. Add frozen pearl onions and continue to simmer. 
12. In a separate small frying pan, melt 1 TBSP of butter and add mushrooms. Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp salt on the mushrooms. Once they are tender, add them to the stew and continue to simmer. 

MASHED POTATO “SNOW MEN” 

1. Peel and dice potatoes and bring to a rolling boil in salted water until soft. Drain.
2. While potatoes are cooking, set up your snowman decorating station. Cut carrots with a paring knife into tiny rectangular julienne pieces and then create a little triangle on the ends to look like carrot noses.
3. Whip heavy cream with a mixer until it is thick and creamy.
4. Process the potatoes through a ricer into a clean bowl. 
5. With a spatula, fold in whipped cream, butter and salt and white pepper to taste
6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
7. Using two graduated sizes of small cookie/ice cream scoopers, scoop a large scoop of potatoes and put them on the baking tray. Using the smaller cookie scooper, scoop potatoes and place it onto of the larger sphere. Make a tray full of little snowmen potatoes. (I serve each portion of stew with two snowman but people always want at least one more.)
8. Use sesame seeds and peppercorns to make eyes and buttons. (Reserve carrots noses. They will brown and curl if you insert them before baking the potatoes.)
9. Place potatoes in a 300 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes (depending on how toasted you would like them). 
10. Once you remove them from the oven, add the carrot notes. 

*See below for assembly/ serving tips.