Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cooking Beef Bourguignon





Because I am totally a sheep, I watched Julie and Julia and promptly got my Beef Bourguignon on. What can I say, I am easily influenced.


I learned many things while making this dish.


1. I loved the process and I felt really connected to this dish.
2. It is fun to light food on fire.
3. I cannot for the life of me pronounce Beef Bourguignon or Worcestershire or Conscience







I have made this dish three times since that movie inspired me. I wake up early to start the whole process. In between loving my baby and passing by the husband cranking out some coffee on the Keurig (love that thing!) I am happily searing the beef and peppering up the carrots and onions…don’t get me started on how hard it is to resist the bacon…and making your husband resist it.







INGREDIENTS (Serves 8) delightfully borrowed from Ina.



• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
• 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
• 1/2 cup Cognac
• 1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
• 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pound frozen whole onions
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced







DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.


Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.







Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper (do this!!! Make sure beef is really dry). In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside. Make sure to do in batches, you want to keep the juice to a minimum.







Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices.







Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.


Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

I make this in the early am and let it rest all day on my stove top, it really is something you cook..not just eat.







PS. I have no dutch oven, I improvised my placing a large ceramic dish in my preheated oven, then pouring the BB into that dish from a regular old pot. I covered it tightly with foil. Improvise!

46 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

That dish looks super good! I love such boozy and meaty stews!

Cheers,

Rosa

Shannon said...

I can't pronounce those word either. I sound like I have a mouth full of marbles when I try. But this looks sooo good Jen. It's freezing raining outside right now so I NEED to eat this NOW.

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

This looks fabulous. Julie & Julia always makes me want to cook!

Sara Louise said...

My mother has been making this since I was a little girl and it's always one of my favorites!
And Julie & Julia is total food porn! I heart that movie! I heart that movie hard!

Mary Bergfeld said...

This looks so perfect for this time of year. It's is one of my favorite dishes from the French peasant kitchen. Yours sounds delicious. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

JaimeRabbits said...

Fess up, Furla: did the *whole* bottle of wine make it into the stew pot?? ;-)

Looks fantastic! I'll have to give this one a go some cold, wintry day in the near future.

~Jaime (aka JG)

Ali said...

I want to eat at your house. It always looks so sunny and happy and colorful where you are.

Unknown said...

JG we could never make this dish together, the wine would end up killing us! LOL

Brownieville Girl said...

I can almost smell it from way over here!!!!!

Wish we could swap dinners!

Unknown said...

That is my comfort food. I absolutely love boeuf bourguignon. I always used Julia's recipe from her Mastering the Art of French Cooking book. Ina's looks great as well though. oh, yum...

Laurie {Simply Scratch} said...

Since you told me your favorite thing to make is beef bourguignon, it's on my list of things to make this week!! Xo

Luigi said...

Looks amazing, by the end of reading the post I was ready to eat a plateful myself. Excellent! :)

Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking said...

Great job on this classic dish, Jen! It looks beautiful and mouthwatering. Thanks for reminding me that this is a wintertime favorite (even though the weather outside is more reminiscent of spring these days!). ;)

Unknown said...

Funny, I too made Beef Bourguignon after watching Julie and Julia!! lol I guess I'm a sheep too... baaaaaa!!! :)
By the way, thanks for letting me know you tried the Chorizo and Rice recipe.. I love the added ingredients you used... gonna have to try that next time for sure!

Chef Dennis Littley said...

that beef bourguignon looks delicious! Its so much fun to recreate a classic dish, especially one of Julia's. Thanks so much for posting such a wonderful dish!
Cheers
Dennis

Zoe said...

What a great beef dish! Love all your photos. They are very well taken.

Sara said...

You did a pretty amazing job here! And btw, I don't have a dutch oven either so I'm very glad to know it's not always that indispensable as they say! Great improvisation tip!

Unknown said...

Yeah! When I first saw the post I thought I hope she's doing a version of Ina's - the best! Beautiful!!!

I can't say conscience either...I can hardly spell it!

art is in the kitchen said...

What an exciting dish! Everything sounds so rich and delicious! I would probably eat this once a year, on my birthday! You did an excellent presentation, I have to say!

Faith said...

I am going to have to try this recipe. I made one before and honestly didnt care for it,I felt like it was a ton of work for a product that wasnt all that great!!! Your recipe looks good though!

Megan said...

Your photos are beautiful! I am so jealous of your SUNNY SKIES! ND in January is a bit dreary, at best. I haven't every tried my hand at that dish, but I think I need to!

Monica H said...

I love that movie and everytime I see it I want to make this dish too, but still haven't. looks great though.

PS. My sister can't pronouce "sequins". it's quite funny.

erica said...

Well aren't you just a brave soul. While Beef Bourguignon looks absolutely fabulous. I would definitely never give this a try I am just not that adventurous.

xo

Pam said...

I've never made it but you have inspired me to give it a try... it looks so good.

Kristen said...

I don't even have a large ceramic dish. but thanks for the improvisation tips!! this meal looks super comforting and I also can not pronounce it.

Val said...

One of my all time favorite dishes!! Yours looks heavenly!

The Cooking Photographer said...

Lol Jennifer love this post! You always make me smile. That quote is my favorite of Julie Child's.

So was this good? I've never made it, but I do trust Ina's recipes so it had to be!

Laura

Rick said...

Isn't that such a good movie? I made this after the movie came out too. And yes, lighting food on fire is incredibly entertaining.

teresa said...

absolutely gorgeous. i loved the movie, i also loved the book, except they don't go into julia child's life as much.

we just tried beef bourguignon for the first time over christmas. it really is as amazing as it looks and sounds. this looks awesome!

La Bella Cooks said...

Perfectly hearty and delicious.

Kim said...

Julie and Julia was such a good movie! Your BB looks delicious. Definitely one of those meals that you can connect to. My favorite is the deglazing part! Bring out the booze:)

I love how sunny it looks outside in your pictures! It's very dreary and gray here in KY.

P.S. I didn't have a Dutch oven until this past Christmas. I always used my ceramic insert from the crock pot. I kind of miss improvising like that now.

Unknown said...

I can't believe you wrote this post on my daughter's birthday. One of the things I gave her was the DVD Julie and Julia which we watched that night. We both loved it at the movies and even my husband and son loved it the other night. And, yes, the Beef Bourguignon is what had me salivating! It's way too hot here now for it but I can't wait until the cooler months when I can try this recipe!!!

Peggy said...

Oh my! This looks absolutely stunning! Beautiful photos! I love Julia and Julia, but have never made this! I need to get on that pronto!

Chef Dennis Littley said...

Hi Jenn

send me an email when you get a chance so we can work out the details of your Guest Post, if you would do me the honor.
drayden4@verizon.net

Dennis

Lorraine said...

I have never had this dish, but it sounds wonderful. Loved the movie too:)

Tracy said...

I just love beef bourguignon, and Julia's is my favorite. Yours looks lovely!

Annie's Dish said...

This is so funny! I literally just finished watching Julia and Julie for the first time. Like 10 minutes ago. I am now inspired to cook lobster and bone a duck! Did Julia actually hate Julie?

Julie said...

Oh, I made Ina's version too, I loved setting it on fire! So much fun! I can't prounounce it either, pretty embarrassing :P

A SPICY PERSPECTIVE said...

It was a very inspirational movie, I dare say! I have made a couple different recipes since then, but have never tried Ina's. Looks divine!

Damaris @Kitchen Corners said...

That movie was so good. Julia was awesome, such an inspiring person. I also adore Ina so I will trust her and maybe, one day, when I'm feeling brave attempt this recipe. I mean, everyone is doing it :)

Sue said...

Looks like a labor of love! I enjoyed that movie:)

Monet said...

Smile. I love that movie. I want to eat this and watch it now. I love that you can't pronounce the name of this dish (because I can't either). All I know is that it looks and sounds GREAT.

Cathy said...

I love this recipe and every step involved in preparing it! Reading this has inspired me to watch the movie again. One of my favorites!

FOODESSA said...

Jen...Loved and devoured the movie (saw it 3 times)...love your accompanying photos too. These two aspects have certainly influenced me to one day maybe try to make this dish, even though I have pretty much let go of eating beef.
Until I do, I'll gladly think of you and Julia ;o)

Ciao for now,
Claudia

scrambledhenfruit said...

Yum...this is one for a lazy Saturday. I can just imagine how good it will smell all day long!

Beth said...

Wonderful! You've inspired me too!