Beef Bourguignon

John and I have the travel bug lately and we're working on preliminary plans for a trip to France, hopefully in the fall. Nothing sounds better on a frigid, snowy winter day than a rich, rib-sticking beef stew (ideally in a cozy Brasserie in Paris, but in this case, home was going to have to do.) French Food at Home is a great show on the Cooking Channel. People are often intimidated by the idea of cooking French Food but she makes it very approachable. I was virtually drooling on the remote when she made this dish so I decided to give it a try. I adapted the recipe to cut it in roughly in half which served 4 people generously. (Note, this takes about three hours to cook slowly in the oven, active cooking time is only 40 mins or so. Definitely a Saturday or Sunday meal.) Ingredients: 2 pounds boneless stew meat cut into large chunks, I used a sirloin tip roast 1 cup of baby carrots (or 1-2 carrots peeled and cut into pieces) 1 small onion, quartered 3 cloves of garlic, crushed 3 tablespoons of flour 1/2 bottle of dry red wine, I used a Bordeaux 2 1/2 cups beef stock 2 bay leaves 4 sprigs of fresh parsley, whole including stems 4 sprigs of fresh thyme, whole 3 slices of bacon, sliced thinly into lardons 20 pearl onions, I used frozen 1- 8oz package of cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, quartered Preheat the oven to 325. You want the rack in the bottom third of the oven so that a dutch oven will fit. Cut the sirloin roast into large pieces, 2-3 inch squares, and then seasoned it with kosher salt and black pepper. I browned the meat in some olive oil over medium high heat in a large dutch oven (you need one with a lid for baking.) I cooked the pieces in two batches to avoid crowding them. I cooked the beef for 2-3 minutes on all sides until it was brown. As soon as it gives way easily when you try to pick it up, its done. If its clinging to the pot, give it a minute more.

Next, I removed the beef from the pan, turned the heat down to medium and added the carrots and the quartered onion. (You'll strain these out later which is why you don't have to cut them up.) I cooked them for 3-4 minutes until golden before adding the garlic cloves, cooking one minute longer. div>Next, I sprinkled the flour over the vegetables- tossing to coat. This helps to thicken the sauce as the stew cooks. Lastly, I added the liquids and fresh herbs to the pot- scraping all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pot as they deglazed it. The beef pieces are tucked down into the liquid and then the covered pot goes into the oven for about 2 hours. I let mine go closer to 2 and a 1/2 hours. The meat should be falling-apart-tender and your kitchen smells mouth-wateringly delicious.

I wish this picture wasn't so hazy but you can see the richness that develops as the vegetables flavor the cooking liquid that then slowly braises the meat.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking time, I prepared what Laura refers to as the traditional French garnish for this dish. I first crisped the bacon lardons in a pan, rendering all of the fat. I strained the bacon pieces out and set aside for later. I then browned the pearl onions (I set them out to thaw a bit first) in the bacon fat until they were golden, 6-7 minutes.

I strained the onions out into a large glass bowl and then browned the mushrooms for 5-6 minutes. (To get nicely toasted mushrooms, use a large skillet so they aren't crowded and don't stir them too often.) I added a tablespoon of butter to the bacon fat as they browned.

When they were brown and tender, I poured the mushrooms into the bowl with the onions and set aside. At this point, you carefully transfer (using tongs) the chunks of beef from the pot to the bowl with the onions and mushrooms. You then strain the cooking liquid from the pot into another large bowl. The carrots are probably super mushy which is why Laura removes them- mine weren't too bad so I actually kept some of them in. You want to remove the onions, herbs, garlic skins, etc.

My sauce had thickened to my liking- however as Laura suggests in her recipe- you can transfer the liquid back to the pot and boil down to a thicker sauce if you prefer. You then add the beef and garnish back into the pot with the liquid. You can serve immediately or reheat to serve later. This keeps well for a day in the fridge. I served the stew over some buttermilk whipped potatoes, garnished with some freshly chopped parsley and the crispy bacon lardons. I did a quick saute of haricot verts (thin French green beans) and garlic in some butter as well. Make sure you have a crusty French baguette to help soak up the delicious sauce. I can't wait to try the real thing a Paris some day soon! Bon Appetit!