Truffled Buffalo Meatloaf with Cognac Glace Viande

Lean mean American Bison Meatloaf with black truffles!  Truffaloaf could be a catchy name for this entree!

     I have been wanting to do a meatloaf recipe in this blog for quite some time.  The wait was well worth it, because this is a very special meatloaf recipe!  The flavor and aroma of this buffalo meatloaf is mouth watering!
     Buffalo are American bison.  If you say buffalo in America, then people know what animal you are referring to.  Overseas, buffalo refers to a different kind of animal.  In Africa, the word buffalo can refer to water buffalo.  In India and asia, buffalo refers to a domesticated farm animal that is as docile as cow.  American buffalo are wild mean tough animals that are raised on free range ranches.  Buffalo used to roam free in the great plains and they were a highly respected source of food for Native Americans.
     Buffalo meat is very lean and drug free.  Many people have given up eating domestic animal meats and have chosen to eat wild game, because of health reasons.  A free range ranch is much better for the environment than a cattle farm that depends on genetically modified feed, drugs and pesticides.  Free range raised wild game meat is a healthy choice and I do post many wild game recipes.
     Buffalo meat has a very nice flavor that is not gamey.  Buffalo meat is not "sweet" tasting like elk, but it is just a shade stronger tasting than beef.  Any wild game meat tastes stronger than domestic meat, because it is not force fattened!  Wild game meat is lean and mean!
     Black truffle takes to the flavor of buffalo meat very well.  I purchased a couple of black truffles and used the shaved truffle slices for a couple of recipes.  The scraps and end pieces of the truffles are nice for chopping into small pieces and adding to a sauce or a ground meat recipe.  It really doesn't take much black truffle mushroom to flavor an entree.  Truffles have a strong rich flavor.
     Since ground buffalo meat is so lean, it does make a healthier meatloaf.  A small amount of fat must be added to the buffalo meat, so it cooks evenly, when roasting meatloaf.  Using pork fat is not really a good choice.  An old timer would suggest using wild bear fat.  Butter is a good choice and it does not take much butter to cause the meat to cook evenly.
     Adding a small diced mirepoix vegetable garnish to the buffalo meatloaf mixture will help keep the meat moist.  Lean ground meat has a tendency to become dry when it is cooked well done.  The vegetables add moisture and not just flavor.

     Glace Viande Recipe:
     Place about 12 ounces of a rustic un-peeled vegetable mirepoix of carrot, celery and onion in a roasting pan.
     Add 4 ounces of tomato paste.
     Place 4 pounds of a mixture of veal bones, lamb bones, beef bones, pork bones and meat scraps on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan.
     Roast the mixture in a 350 degree oven till the bones and vegetables caramelize to a deep brown color.
     Place the bones and mirepoix into a stock pot.
     Deglaze the roast pan with water and add the jus to the stock pot.
     Cover the bones with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
     Reduce the temperature to medium low heat and simmer for 4 hours.
     Add water occasionally to cover the bones.
     Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a second pot.
     Discard the bones and vegetables.
     Skim off the grease.
     Reduce the meat stock by a little more than half.
     This is a very rich unseasoned meat glaze that can be frozen in portions for later use.
     The glace should be able to coat and glaze the back of a spoon.
   
     Cognac Glace Viande Recipe:
     Place a small sauce pot over medium low heat.
     Add 1 pat of unsalted butter.
     Add 2 teaspoons of minced shallot.
     Saute the shallots, till they turn clear.
     Add 3 ounces of cognac or brandy.
     Add about 1/2 cup of the glace viande.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Raise the temperature to medium/medium high heat.
     Reduce the sauce, till it can glaze the back of a spoon.
     Remove the sauce from the heat.
     Reheat the sauce later, after the meatloaf is done roasting.

     Truffled Buffalo Meatloaf Recipe:
     Heat a saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 4 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 1 tiny handful of small diced carrot.
     Add 1 tiny handful of small diced peeled celery.
     Add 1 tiny handful of small diced onion.
     Add 2 minced garlic cloves.
     Gently saute the vegetables, till they start to become tender.
     Add 1 1/2 tablespoon of finely chopped black truffle.
     Gently saute, till the vegetables become tender.
     Place the vegetables and butter from the pan into a mixing bowl.
     Add 1 pound of ground buffalo meat.  (American Bison)
     Add 1 small handful of fresh plain French bread crumbs.
     Add 1 raw egg.
     Add 1 pinch of marjoram.
     Add 1 pinch of oregano.
     Add 1 pinch of basil.
     Add 1 small pinch of nutmeg.
     Add 2 pinches of minced Italian parsley.
     Add sea salt and black pepper.
     Thoroughly mix the ingredients together.
     Brust a roasting pan with vegetable oil.
     Place the meatloaf mixture into the roasting pan.
     Use your hands to shape the meatloaf mixture into a smooth bread loaf shape.
     Roast the meatloaf for 15 minutes in a 325 degree oven.  Only roast the meatloaf, till the outside becomes firm and lightly browned!
     Remove the meatloaf from the oven.
     Place 2 ounces of creole mustard in a small bowl.
     Add 2 ounces of organic catsup.
     Mixt the ingredients together.
     Use a teaspoon to spread the creole mustard and catsup glaze coating evenly over the meatloaf.
     Return the meatloaf to the 325 degree oven.
     Roast the meatloaf, till it is fully cooked.
   
     Presentation:  
     Reheat the cognac glace viande.
     Cut a few thick slices of the truffled buffalo meatloaf and place them on a plate.
     Place a vegetable and potato of your choice on the plate.  (Baked yam is a good choice of starch for this plate!)
     Spoon the cognac glace viande sauce around the meatloaf onto the plate.
     Garnish with an Italian parsley sprig. 
   
     Needless to say, this is one of the finest tasting meatloaf entrees that you could imagine!  The rich wild buffalo meat flavor combine with the truffles and seasoning in a very nice way.
     The coating on the meatloaf is my signature way of finishing a meatloaf.  The coating is always tomato based and catsup can be used.  The catsup and creole mustard coating caramelizes and adds a very appealing flavor!  The coating also helps keep the lean buffalo meat from drying out while roasting.
     This is an awesome healthy buffalo meatloaf recipe!  Yum!  ...  Shawna