The chefs and fine restaurants of Banff and Lake Louise aim to surprise, delight and fulfill your culinary adventures—they will impress you with dining experiences you won’t soon forget. Banff and Lake Louise are home to chefs from all over the world, so you can expect different styles and perhaps even learn a bit about their well-kept secrets through some of the recipes we’ve shared with you. There is no doubt you will want to explore and learn about our local ingredients and the magic that our chefs make with them.
Bison Restaurant & Terrace
Bison Short Ribs
Ingredients:
Bison Short ribs (2inch cut) 5 lbs
Onions (chopped) ¾ lb
Celery (chopped) ¾ lb
Carrots (chopped) ¾ lb
Red Wine 1 lt
Beef stock 3 lt
Garlic 15 Bulbs
Double Smoked Bacon 8oz (chopped)
The Rub
Salt 100 grams
Paprika 100 grams
Garlic Powder 100 grams
Black Pepper 100 grams
Method:
Pre heat oven 300˚F.... Cut the ribs in pieces, rub with salt mixture.
Sear with a cast iron pan with olive oil. Set aside. Add bacon and cook through. Then onions, celery garlic and carrots sauté till caramelized. Deglaze with red wine and beef stock, bring to a boil.
Put the ribs back in the pan and cover with tin foil. Put in the oven and slow cook for 6-8 hours (till the meat falls off the bone). Take out of the oven and let still on the counter for 1/2 hour (let the juice marry into the meat)
Take out the meat and strain out the jus, reduce in half and skim off the fat from the top. You can serve with roast or mash potatoes and whatever vegetables you like.
Maple Leaf Grille & Lounge Chicken Supreme, Cashew & Peanut Satay
Ingredients
1 TBSP. onion, medium diced
1 TBSP. Lemongrass, pureed
1 TBSP. garlic, pureed
1 ½ TBSP. ginger, pureed
1 TBSP. Thai chili paste
¾ cup cashew nuts
1.2 cup peanuts
4 oz. of chicken stock
4 oz. coconut milk
1 TBSP. tomato paste
½ tbsp. fish sauce
1 ½ tbsp. brown sugar
Directions
Seat down onion, garlic, lemongrass and ginger.
Add tomato paste and sambal.
Simmer for five minutes.
Add cashew nuts, peanuts and fry for one to two minutes.
Pour in chicken stock and let simmer for a minute.
Add coconut milk. Simmer until mixture becomes thick on a spoon.
Finish with fish sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste. When satay sauce has cooled, marinate your chicken for three hours. When ready to serve, remove chicken from sauce and pan fry in nonstick pan for fifteen to seventeen minutes. Let chicken rest for two minutes.
Serve with Basmati Rice and Bok Choy, or seasonal vegetable of your choice. Enjoy!
Ticino Swiss Italian Restaurant Rack of Veal, Olive Sun-dried Tomato Crust & Gorgonzola Sauce
Ingredients
2 Baby Veal Racks (approx. 1 kg): for 4 to 6 people. Season racks with salt and pepper and sear them slowly to brown, finish them in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for approx. 12-14 minutes and let them rest afterwards; should be cooked medium.
Directions
Olive Sun-dried Tomato Crust:
3 tablespoons kalamata olives (the pitted ones), ½ cup sun dried tomatoes, 6 slices of fresh french bread, mixed fresh herbs, 40 ml clarified butter and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil: place all in food processor and season to taste.
Gorgonzola Sauce:
2 tablespoons finely diced shallots, very little minced garlic, butter, white wine, 1 cup whipping cream and half a cup of gorgonzola: melt butter in pot with shallots and garlic, add gorgonzola and glaze with little white wine. Add the cream and reduce and season to taste.
Restaurant Le Beaujolais Poires Bernoise
Poached Pears:
3 Pears
100g sugar
1½ cups sweet white wine
1¹/³ cups water
Peel pears, cut in half and remove core. In a heavy bottom pan caramelize the sugar on a low heat – deglaze caramel with the white wine and water. In a deep pan cover the pears with the caramel and on a low heat poach until soft. Remove pears from the liquid and set a side - reduce liquid until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Sable Pastry:
170g flour
170g unsalted butter
75g sugar
1 vanilla pod – halved and de-seeded.
Mix all ingredients until well incorporated – form mixture in 60g balls and press into a buttered muffin tin – Bake in pre-heated oven at 350ºF for 10 minutes.
Sea Salt and Caramel Ice Cream:
¾ cup milk
1/3 cup cream
60g sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
In a heavy bottomed pan caramelize the sugar on a low heat stirring continuously until dark in color. Add the cream and milk, whilst stirring gently bring to a boil. Add the egg yolks and continue to stir over heat until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon. Add sea salt and remove from heat, allow to cool. Pour the liquid into ice cream machine and follow manufacturers instructions.
To complete: Heat up the pears and pastry. Fan the pears and place against the warm sable pastry. Pour reduced warm poaching liquid over the pears. Scoop ice cream onto the plate, garnish with pear chip, if available and mint leave. – Serve immediately.
Eden Beurre Blanc Poached Lobster Tail
Ingredients
Portioned Lobster Tail
Sautéed Spinach
Thumbelina Carrot
Potato Fondant
Hoshimeji Mushroom
Lobster Bouillabaisse Sauce
Lobster tail – blanched 2 minutes, rolled with saran and perforated.
Butter Poaching Liquid
½ cup white wine
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 shallot sliced
¼ tsp. black peppercorns
3 sprigs of Tarragon
1 sprig thyme
¼ cup 35% cream
2 lb. unsalted butter
Add everything to pot minus butter and reduce until you have about a 1/4 cup remaining. Add in the cream and slowly whisk in the butter until melted, season with salt and white pepper, and a couple drops of lemon juice.
Bouillabaisse Broth
3 ounces canola oil
2 pounds sliced fennel
1 pound sliced shallots
12 ounces sliced garlic
2 tablespoons saffron
4 star anise
2 ounces fennel seed
2 ounces orange zest
12 ounces white wine
1 Liter fish stock
4 Liter lobster stock
In large pot, over medium heat, add canola oil. Add fennel, shallots, garlic, saffron, star anise and fennel seeds, and sweat until translucent with no colour, about 10 minutes. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Deglaze with white wine. Add fumé and bring to a boil. Add lobster stock and fish soup and simmer for 2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain and refrigerate up to 3 days.
