Boeuf Bourguignon

Hey everybody, Sarah here:

So I get the honor of writing our very first blog post.  And, appropriately, I've decided to start off this food blog with one of the best meals of all times: Boeuf Bourguignon.  This is appropriate because the movie "Julie & Julia" was one of my first inspirations for doing a food blog at all, and because Boeuf Bourguignon was the first recipe I made after buying Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" after seeing the movie.

A quick note and disclaimer on this recipe: this particular recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon belongs 95% to Julia Child, 5% to me.  I have "cheated" in a few areas using either slightly faster methods or cheaper, easier-to-find ingredients, because I: a) have a life, and b) don't have much money.  The boeuf still tastes great.  I promise.

Anyways, here it is:

Boeuf Bourguignon (or in English, Beef Burgundy)

Start with bacon.  Julia Child calls for a 6-oz chunk of bacon, with a rind, which you are then supposed to remove, chop up the bacon, and then simmer it in 1 1/2 quarts of water.  I say this is completely unnecessary.  If you want to do the whole chunk of bacon deal, go right ahead.  But I simply bought some fairly-good-quality thick-cut bacon at the grocery store.

Chop the bacon width-wise into little sticks, about 1/4 - 1/2-inch wide, called "lardons".

Oh, and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Next, get a very large pot.  Like this one:

Dump the bacon in the pan and cook over medium heat for several minutes until it reaches desired level of crispy-ness.  Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.  Leave all of the rendered bacon fat in the pan.

Next grab 2-3 lbs of lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes.  Dry the beef in paper towels.  It feels a little silly to do this, but according to Julia Child, the beef will not brown properly if it is damp.  And who the hell am I to contradict Julia Child?  So grab a small handful and dry away.  It will likely take several paper towels to get through this process.

Saute the beef in the bacon fat until it is nicely browned on all sides.  Unless you have the biggest pot in the world, it will probably take several batches to accomplish this.  Once the beef is browned, remove it to the same dish as the bacon.

While the beef is browning, slice up a couple of carrots into coin-like pieces.

Then slice up an onion by chopping it first into rings, then chop the rings in half.

Brown the vegetables in the same sauteing fat.  Then drain all the remaining fat from the pan.

Return the beef and bacon to the pot and toss with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Then sprinkle on 2 Tbsp of flour and toss to coat the beef lightly with the flour.  Set the casserole uncovered in middle position of pre-heated oven for 4 minutes.  Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more.  Remove the casserole and turn down the oven to 325 degrees.

Now we've reached the best part of the whole recipe.  Uncork a bottle of red wine.  Julia Child suggests a Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Bordeaux-St. Emilion, or Burgundy.  I used a bottle of Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon, which was $3.29 at Trader Joe's.  It worked just fine.

Pour the entire bottle of red wine into the pot.  Don't measure.  Don't hesitate.  Just pour.

Then add enough beef stock to the pot so that the beef is barely covered. 

Add in one tablespoon of tomato paste, 1/2 tsp thyme, one bay leaf, and 2 large cloves of mashed garlic.

Bring the mixture to a simmer on top of the stove.  Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven.  Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions.  Here is another one of my "cheats".  Julia Child calls for 18 to 24 small white onions, and then you are supposed to peel each one.  Trust me when I say this is way too much work.  Thus, I bought a bag of frozen pearl onions.  I forgot to take a picture of it though. To cook the onions, first melt 1 1/2 Tbsp butter in a pan and add 1 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil.  Pour in the onions and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat until the brown.

Then add in 1/2 cup of beef stock, some salt and pepper, a bay leaf, and some thyme.  Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated.  Pretend that I remembered to take a picture of the finished onions.

Also while the beef is cooking, saute the mushrooms.  Start by melting 2 Tbsp butter and add in 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Then add in 1 container of sliced mushrooms.  Julia Child's recipe calls for button mushrooms. I prefer Cremini, or "baby portobello" mushrooms, like the ones below.  They tend to be meatier and tastier in my opinion.

Brown the mushrooms in the pan for 7-10 minutes until they have good color and generally look delicious.

Once the meat is tender, set the pot back on the stove.  Julia Child directs you to pour out the contents of the casserole through a sieve set over a saucepan, wash out the casserole, add everything back in, fix the sauce, etc etc.  Totally unnecessary.  Just put the pot back on the stove.  Add in the onions and mushrooms and mix together.  You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.  If the sauce is too thin, boil it down rapidly and add in a bit of Wondra flour if necessary.  If its too thick, add in a bit more beef broth.  

Ladle the completed boeuf bourguignon into bowls.  Serve with bread, potatoes, noodles, whatever.

Yummmmmm.

Also, should you wish to serve an appetizer with this while your guests are waiting, may I suggest the easiest appetizer ever?

Baguette slices with Brie cheese

1 baguette

1 wedge of Brie cheese

Unwrap Brie.  Put on cheese board.  Or plate.  Or cutting board.  Or whatever.  Slice up baguette (pretend I took a picture of the baguette.)

Cut off a hunk of cheese.  Eat it with the baguette slices.  Delicious.

If you're up to it, make Becca's delicious mango tart in the shape of a sunflower for dessert.

Enjoy with friends!

95% Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

8 slices of thick-cut bacon

2-3 lbs of lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes

2 sliced carrots

1 sliced onion

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp flour

1 bottle of full-bodied red wine

2 to 3 cups beef broth

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

Wondra flour if needed

For onions:

1 bag of frozen pearl onions

1 1/2 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup beef stock

1/2 tsp thyme

1 bayleaf

 For mushrooms:

1 container of Cremini mushrooms

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut the bacon into lardons (sticks about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick).  Saute the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until they reach desired level of crispiness.  Remove the bacon to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Dry the beef in paper towels.  Saute the beef in the bacon fat in several batches until it is nicely browned on all sides.  Add it to the dish with the bacon.

Slice the carrots and onions and brown them in the same pan.  Drain the remaining sauteing fat from the pan, and add the beef and bacon back in with the vegetables.  Toss the meat and vegetables with salt and pepper, and then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour.  Set casserole uncovered in a middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.  Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more.  (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.)  Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered.  Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs.  Bring to simmer on top of the stove.  Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven.  Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.  For the onions, melt the butter and olive oil in a skillet.  Add in the onions and cook them for approximately 10 minutes until browned.  Add in 1/2 cup beef broth, thyme and bay leaf.   Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. 

For the mushrooms, melt the butter and olive oil in a skillet.  Add the mushrooms and cook until they are lightly browned on both sides.  Set the mushrooms and onions aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, put the pot back on the stove and add in the mushrooms and onions.  Simmer the sauce for a minute or two.  You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.  If too thin, boil it down rapidly and add a bit of Wondra flour if needed.  If too thick, mix in some beef stock a few tablespoons at a time until it reaches desired thickness.  Taste carefully for seasoning.  

Serve with bread, potatoes, or noodles.

Much love,
Sarah