Boeuf Bourguignon Download classic recipe by Boeuf Bourguignon Some friends challenged me to make
Boeuf Bourguignon
after watching the movie Julia & Julie. I started by studying Julia Child’s recipe, which is very close to the version I’m posting here. Then I consulted one of my favorite French cookbooks, Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan (http://www.amazon.com/Country-Cooking-France-Anne-Willan/dp/0811846466) to read her technique. Anne says that Boeuf Bourguignon is the “king of stews, the benchmark against which everyone else is judged, even in France.” I finally studied the method for Beef Burgundy published by Cook’s Illustrated and decided I was ready for the challenge. I spent 3 days making this dish, but the results were worth it. I realized I had to make my own meat broth: canned broth is not the same, so the first day I spent making meat broth, the second day I braised the meat, and finally made the onion/mushroom side on the third day.
Using the right wine is also essential for this dish. We have a great selection of wines at the local Whole Foods and the staff are very helpful in the wine selection – they suggested Cloudline Pinot Noir 2007 or a Cotes du Rhone. A good Burgundy or any mild fruity Pinot Noir will work best, but you can also use a Merlot.
Boeuf Bourguignon is usually served with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes. You can also serve with buttered noodles or creamy polenta.
Homemade beef
broth
(If you decide not to make your own broth, substitute 1 3/4 low-sodium chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups water; don’t use canned beef broth
)
Make 2 quarts
8 sprigs of fresh
flatleaf parsley
6 sprigs of fresh thyme or
3/4 teaspoon of dried thyme 4 sprigs of fresh
rosemary or 2
teaspoons of dried rosemary
2
dried bay leaves 2 cloves
whole 1
tablespoon whole grains black pepper
1/2 pound beef, diced 2 pounds beef, (
Ask your butcher to cut beef bones into smaller pieces
) 2
pounds fleshy transverse cut beef (preferably 1 inch thick
)
1 large onion, peeled, quartered
2
large carrots, cut
into thirds 2
celery stalks, cut into thirds 2 cups
water (or dry red wine)
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Make a bouquet garni by wrapping parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, cloves, and peppercorns in a piece of gauze. Tie with kitchen string and set aside. Place the meat, beef bones, onion, carrots and celery in an even layer in a heavy pan. Roast, turning every 20 minutes, until vegetables and bones are dark brown, about 1-1 1/2 hours.
Arabic numeral. Transfer meat and vegetables to a 6- to 8-quart pot. Place the roasting tray through 2 burners, then add 2 cups of water (or wine) and deglaze the pan boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping the brown pieces, 1 minute. Add icing liquid to the pot along with 14 cups of water, celery, salt and bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and untrim the foam. Reduce to a simmer, the liquid should bubble to the surface. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for 3-4 hours; skin may form on the surface of the liquid; Remove with a slotted spoon and discard it. Repeat as needed. Add water if at any time the level drops below the bones.
3. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large container, pressing the solids and discard the solids. If you use broth right away, skim and discard the fat. If not, cool the broth thoroughly, uncovered, before skimming the fat (it will be easier to remove when cold), then cool, covered.
Beef stew
8 ounces coarsely cut
slab bacon, cut transversely into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then slices cut into matches (lardons)
10 sprigs of fresh
parsley leaves, quartered 6 sprigs of
fresh thyme
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped 2 medium
carrots, coarsely chopped
1 medium garlic, Cloves separated and crushed
but unpeeled 2
bay leaves, crumbled
1/2
teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/
2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
4 – 4 1/4 pounds of roast beef, cut into
large pieces, trimmed from fat (separate the chuck roast at its main seams (outlined by fat lines and silvery skin). Use a knife as needed, With a peeling knife, trim all visible fat and silvery skin, cut the meat into large pieces measuring about 1 1/2 to 2 inches.)
Table salt and ground black pepper
4 tablespoons
unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/3
cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 1/4 cups homemade beef broth (or 1 3/4 cups
low-sodium canned chicken broth and 2 1/4 cups water) 1
bottle burgundy red wine (750 ml) or Pinot Noir
2 teaspoons tomato paste
Onion and mushroom garnish
36 frozen pearl onions (about 7
ounces) 1 tablespoon
unsalted butter
1
tablespoon granulated sugar 1
/2 teaspoon table salt
10 ounces white mushrooms, quartered
2 tablespoons
cognac 3 tablespoons
chopped fresh parsley
leaves
Instructions
1. Cut two cheesecloth 22 inches long. Place the gauze transversely in a medium bowl and stuff the cloth with parsley, thyme, onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, porcini mushrooms. Gather the cloth corners and turn firmly and tie with a kitchen string; Place the Garni bouquet in an 8-quart Dutch non-reactive oven. Set the oven rack to the medium-low position and heat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Place the 12-inch skillet with bacon peppers over medium heat; sauté until lightly golden and crispy, about 12 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to the Dutch oven; Pour all the fat and set aside. Season beef with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and add 2 teaspoons of bacon fat to the pan, when the fat just begins to smoke, add half of the beef in a single layer, turning it once or twice, until golden brown, about 7 minutes; Transfer golden meat to the Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup of meat broth (or water) into a pan and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the golden pieces; When the bottom of the pan is clean, pour liquid into the Dutch oven.
3. Turn the pan over high heat and add 2 more teaspoons of reserved fat; Shake to cover the bottom of the pan. When the fat begins to smoke, brown the remaining meat in a single layer, turning it once or twice, until golden brown, about 7 minutes; Transfer golden meat to the Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup of meat broth (or water) into a pan and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the golden pieces; When the bottom of the pan is clean, pour liquid into the Dutch oven.
4. Place the now empty pan over medium heat; add butter. When the foam decreases, add the flour until it is evenly moistened and pasty. Cook, beating constantly, until the mixture has a toasted aroma and resembles light-colored peanut butter, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk 3 1/4 cups of beef broth (or 1 3/4 cups of chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups of water); Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened. Pour the mixture into the Dutch oven. Add 3 cups of wine, tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste in the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Place the Dutch oven over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover and place the pot in the oven; Cook until meat is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
5. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and, with tweezers, transfer the bouquet of vegetables and herbs to the strainer over the pot. Press the liquid into the pot and discard the bouquet. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef to the medium bowl; reserve. Let the braised liquid settle for about 15 minutes, then with a wide, shallow spoon, slide the fat off the surface and discard it.
6. Bring the liquid to the Dutch oven to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer quickly, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom does not burn, until the sauce is reduced to about 3 cups and thickened to the consistency of a thick cream, 15 to 25 minutes.
7. While the sauce is reduced, bring the pearl onions, butter, sugar, 1/
4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup water to boil in a medium skillet over high heat; cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, shaking the pan occasionally, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high and simmer until all liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid released by the mushrooms evaporates and the vegetables are golden browned and glazed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large plate and set them aside. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the golden pieces. When the bottom and sides of the pan are clean, add liquid to the reducing sauce.
8. When the sauce has been reduced to about 3 cups and thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, reduce heat to medium-low; add beef, mushrooms and onions (and accumulated juices), remaining wine from the bottle, and brandy in the Dutch oven. Cover the pot and cook until hot, 5 to 8 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and serve, sprinkling individual portions with chopped parsley.
Advanced
preparation
1. Follow the Burgundy meat recipe until step 5. Using tweezers, transfer the bouquet of vegetables and herbs to the mesh strainer over the Dutch oven. Press the liquid back into the pot and discard the bouquet. Let the meat cool to room temperature in a stew liquid in the Dutch oven, then cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.
Arabic numeral. With the spoon slotted, defrost the frozen fat from the top and discard. Place the pot over medium-high heat and let it simmer; Using a slotted spoon remove the beef to a medium bowl and set aside. Simmer the sauce vigorously, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom does not burn, until reduced to about 3 cups and thickened to the consistency of a thick cream.
3. Continue with the recipe from step 8.
Render 4-6 servings
of
herbs and vegetables deformed in gauze to make Bouquet Garni
<img alt="
Beef bouquet garni
” src=”https://cooklikejames.typepad.com/.a/6a010536eec1a6970c0120a4f8c1d4970b-800wi” />
Roux – Butter and flour, turning a beautiful roasted
peanut color <img alt="Peanut-colored roux buttermeal
” src=”https://cooklikejames.typepad.com/.a/6a010536eec1a6970c0120a54ff352970c-800wi” />
Everything is in the pot and ready to simmer for 3-4 hours
<img alt="
Beef cooking with bouquet garni
” src=”https://cooklikejames.typepad.com/.a/6a010536eec1a6970c0120a4f8c309970b-800wi” />
Sauté the onion and mushrooms, the dark brown flavored sauce very well
<img alt="Sautéed onion
mushrooms” src=”https://cooklikejames.typepad.com/.a/6a010536eec1a6970c0120a4f8c375970b-800wi” />
Everything is in the pot, with the final touch of Cognac
