Beef Bourguignon

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon, also known as Boeuf Bourguignon, is an amazing culinary adventure! One of my favorite movies, Julie and Julia, available on Netflix, juxtaposes two true stories. Julie blogs all of Julia’s recipes from her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, over a period of a year’s time. The blog side of the story occurs in New York shortly after 9/11. Julia’s story focuses on her time in France where her cooking adventure began. I love being transported back in time and relish in how much French I remember from high school days. This dish is a bit extensive in its preparation, but so worth the effort. You will feel as if you have graduated from the Cordon Bleu! Well, … in your dreams, maybe.Preparation is lengthy, but in the end, the result will be deemed worth the effort. Six ounces of bacon was sliced into 1/4″ strips. Here, 2-3 pounds of rump pot roast was cut into 1 1/2″-2″ cubed chunks. Chuck roast could be used in place of this as well.

Bacon was cooked in one tablespoon of olive oil until crispy and slightly golden in a Dutch Oven. Using a slotted spoon, put  the bits onto a paper towel to drain any excess oil. The bacon fat remains in the pan to be used to brown the beef.

Beef chunks are dried with paper towels as this enables the browning that’s desired. Otherwise, it gets steamed, not seared. Rotate the chunks until they are browned on all sides and place on a platter on the side. Add additional oil, as needed. Next, cook the onions in the same pan until softened and lightly browned. Remove to the platter with the meat.

Drain off any excess oil from the pan then add the beef, onions and bacon back in. Sift flour over the top and toss. Place into the 450 degree preheated oven for 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss once more. Cook for an additional 4 minutes and remove from the oven. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees.

Next, create the red wine sauce. My preference is to use Better than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base for the broth needed for the recipe. I had Merlot available which was a perfect choice! Add the Merlot to the pot to deglaze the pan. Whisk in the beef broth, tomato paste, dried thyme, bay leaf and garlic. Bring to a simmer.

Add the beef and vegetable mixture along with the baby carrots back into the pot. You can use whole carrots that you peel and slice instead, but this little bit saved me some time and effort. Julia actually browns these with the onions, but my choice was to add then later to help retain more of their form and texture in the final product. Place the lid on the pot and put it back in the oven for 3 hours.

About halfway through the cooking time, begin to prepare the pearl onions. Blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the boiling water using a slotted spoon and drop into a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking. Cut the root end off and peel off the outer skin. Pierce the root end with a paring knife.

Place butter and oil in pan over MEDIUM heat. Once it is no longer foaming, add the onions. Cook until browning begins to occur. At this point, add the parsley and thyme sprigs along with the 1/2 cup of broth. Cover and simmer on LOW for about 40 minutes.

 

Mushrooms are washed, dried and stems removed. I think Julia kept hers and sliced them at angles, but I was fine just using the caps only. Quarter them. Allow the butter and oil to stop foaming before adding the mushrooms to the skillet. Continually toss or stir them for about 4 or 5 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

At the end of the three hours, strain off the remaining broth into a separate saucepan. Remove the bay leaf and set aside. Wash out the pot then put the beef/vegetable mixture back into it while you thicken the broth.

For the finishing step, make a butter paste, or beurre manie, using 2 tablespoons of softened butter and 2 tablespoons of flour. This very classic French technique will help you create a smooth textured sauce to coat these wonderfully prepared ingredients. Whisk this continually into the mixture until it comes to a boil.  Simmer and stir frequently until its consistency thickens.

Flake the large beef chunks with a couple of forks, if desired, to make them into smaller pieces. Add the pearl onions with their broth, along with the sauteed mushrooms, to the pot with beef and veggies.  Add the thickened broth and  gently mix to combine all of the ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes until heated through.

Beef Bourguignon was spooned over small creamer potatoes, cut and drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of salt and  crushed rosemary. You could serve mashed potatoes on the side as well.  A nice chunk of a  baguette or another crusty bread  would compliment this French dish with an authentic touch . Perhaps even a green vegetable of your choice or a salad would be a great addition. Bon appetit !