Julia Child's Famous Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf a la Bourguignonne

{Beef stew in red wine, with bacon, onions and mushrooms}

Page 315 of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"

Serves 6 people

*Allow yourself 3-4 hours to make this recipe in its entirety*
Serve with boiled potatoes and peas (I used green beans instead) and red wine

Ingredients you will need:

• a 6 ounce chunk of bacon      
• a 9-10 inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep (I used my Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven)
• 1 + 1  1/2 + 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 pounds of lean stewing beef cubes
• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3 cups of full-bodied red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon, you could also use Chianti)
• 2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon (I used organic beef stock)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1 +  1/2 tsp fresh thyme
• 1 crumbled bay leaf + 1/2 bay leaf
• 18-24 small white onions (I used Birds Eye White Pearl Onions which you can find in the frozen food section of your grocery store)
• 1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms
• 1  1/2+ 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp minced green onions
• 4 parsley sprigs

To begin, remove rind from chunk of bacon and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1  1/2 inches long).
 *I used regular sliced bacon from the grocery store so I opted not to make the lardons but instead cut the strips of bacon into thirds*

Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1  1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Saute the bacon in olive oil over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole (or dutch oven in my case) aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp.
Saute it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with salt and pepper.
Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour.
Set casserole uncovered in 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 wine and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. 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 2.5-3 hours.

The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

 

While beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

 

To prepare the onions (recipe is on page 483 of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"):

Add 1  1/2 tbsp butter and 1  1/2 tbsp olive oil to a 9-10 inch skillet. Allow them to bubble over medium heat. Add the onions and saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins.

Pour in 1/2 cup brown beef stock, season to taste and add 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf and 1/4 thyme (Julia calls for the herbs to be tied in a bundle in a cheesecloth, however; I do not mind eating the fresh herbs so I add them directly to the onion mixture. After cooking, I pull out the bay leaf.) Cover and simmer slowly for 40-50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet if you chose to tie them into a cheesecloth. Set aside.

To prepare the mushrooms (recipe is on page 513 of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"):

Place a 10 inch skillet over high heat with 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4-5 minutes. During their saute, the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2-3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown. As soon as they brown lightly, remove from heat. Toss 2 tbsp minced green onions with the mushrooms. Saute over moderate heat for 2 minutes.

Set aside.

 When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a strainer over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it.

Stir in the cooked onions and mushrooms.

Skim fat off of sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2  1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If it's too thin, boil it down rapidly. If it's too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of beef stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat mixture. Stir to incorporate completely.

For immediate serving:

Cover the casserole and simmer for 2-3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve with potatoes and decorated with parsley.

For later serving:

When cold, cover and refridgerate.

About 15-20 minutes before serving, bring to a simmer, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce. Serve with potatoes and decorated with parsley.

I really hope that I have not scared you off with this recipe.

I will be upfront and honest with you, it is a lot of work.

But it is worth every single minute, and it is certainly all that it's hyped up to be.

Take your time with this recipe, cook with love and enjoy:o)

I suggest listening to the Julie and Julia soundtrack as you eat this delicious meal.