Boeuf Bourguignon

[SobaAddict70]

This is one of those one dish meals that seems just right for winter: beef, cut into cubes or rough chunks, slowly stewed in Burgundy, with a base of bacon drippings, mushrooms and onions, and served with a starch of your choice. Julia instructs us to make it with lardons, beef stock, tomato paste, garlic and bay leaves. I have, however, seen everything from red bell peppers (why?!?) to margarine, brandy, sirloin tips and beef burgundy made in a crock pot.

Guess what's for dinner this weekend.

How do you make yours?

Soba

[chefzadi]

I make mine the simplest way. Beef, shallots, garlic, a touch of tomato paste and red wine. Of course salt and pepper. If I have bay leaves I add them. A little chopped parsley is good too. The lardons are traditional but not a must. Mushrooms and pearl onions are also traditional garnishes, but not a must. Usually it's served with boiled potatoes.

The meat should be good and fatty. Red peppers are absolutely not tradtional.

Who's Julia? Are you referring to Julia Childs? I understand she is an important American culinary icon.

[SobaAddict70]

Yes, Julia Child. The one and only Julia (at least to me).

Soba

[little ms foodie]

Julia is Julia Child and you understand correctly. Welcome chefzadi!

I make mine with beef marinated in burgandy, lardon, mushrooms and shallots left whole. love that- they get a yummy carmelized flavor. I like to rub garlic on toasts and spoon the whole thing over it. Like HERE

[Busboy]

I make mine the simplest way. Beef, shallots, garlic, a touch of tomato paste and red wine. Of course salt and pepper. If I have bay leaves I add them. A little chopped parsley is good too. The lardons are traditional but not a must. Mushrooms and pearl onions are also traditional garnishes, but not a must. Usually it's served with boiled potatoes.

The meat should be good and fatty. Red peppers are absolutely not tradtional.

Who's Julia? Are you referring to Julia Childs? I understand she is an important American culinary icon.

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welcome Chefzadi.

Julia -- she only needs one name -- revolutionized home cooking in the US, and by doing that helped lift the level of professional cooking, as well (by creating more adventurous and demanding consumers for top restaurants).

See also her sometimes co-conspirator and one-name-only compatriot, Jacques (Pepin).

Julia taught us that we could cook as well as the French and not to be intimidated with "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" Volumes 1 and 2 and a series of TV show. Her recipes work, and she worked hard to research traditional preparations. Although most famous French dishes have dozens of variations, "Julia's" are considered a great starting point and usually very accurate.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Welcome, Chefzadi.

Yes, Julia -- see picture on left (she's on the right, however...)

I use her recipe and often make up my own; sometimes more bacon and I'll add mushrooms, philistine that I am...

[Tess]

I love the whole shallots too! I started using them when I couldn't find pearl onions, and now I'll never go back. If there are any cipolline onions, I'll use some of those too.

I recently went through a number of beef stew recipes in THE WAY TO COOK, and tried the "beef zinfandel." It was pretty good.

[snowangel]

I was just comtemplating what to cook over the next few days as the temps tumble to well below zero.

My butcher has chuck on sale, the liquor store is having a wine sale, and I have bacon on hand (as usual).

I see this dish in the immediate future.

[Boris_A]

Julia's recipe is perfectly in line with a recipe by Mère Brazier from Lyon, the lady who had 6 Michelin stars just about 60 years before Ducasse. And I'm sure that Mère Brazier didn't change anything wrt. the original, regional recipe.

Traditionally, this dish was prepared on saturday evening and served for sunday lunch, because the wife had not enough time during sunday morning (church). It's THE classic rewarmed dish.

[chefzadi]

RE: Yes, Julia Child. The one and only Julia (at least to me).

___________________________________________________

So you when you're in the kitchen you ask yourself WWJD? Instead of What Would Jesus Do, it's What Would Julia Do? I'm teasing. I know who she is. She started writing/publishing cookbooks at a pivotal time in modern French culinary history. It was about the same time that Nouvelle Cuisine was introduced in France. By the time I attended culinary school in Paris a few decades later, French cooking had become decidely lighter than what Julia first taught America in her cooking shows.

[andiesenji]

I am so please that someone mentioned this. It is so perfect for cold weather.

I have used Henri Charpentier's recipe for many years, but haven't made it in so long I will have to dig out the book to make sure I do it correctly.

One of my dad's friends took me to his tiny restaurant in Redondo Beach in 1959, a short time after I got out of the Army. It was one of the events in my life that made me determined to learn to cook in the French manner. Everything was exquisite all the way through to the Crepes Suzette.

[NulloModo]

Hmmm, we are supposed to get a mega-cold front this weekend, this might be the perfect recipe to try. I am thinking that roasted red peppers would actually go really well with it. Are button mushrooms usually the only kind used? It might be fun to toss in some portobellas as well, or some other stronger mushrooms. I think I will also sub turnips for the potatoes, and perhaps add a pinch of cayenne and sage.

I don't really drink much wine, mush less expensive wine, as I have never really enjoyed it, but I take it that any full-bodied red will do well as the base here?

[Tess]

NulloModo, I've used all kinds of mushrooms-- commercial; wild; fresh; dried. I did use fresh Portobellas once, and everyone liked them. Knock yourself out!

[zeitoun]

I have tried many versions of this great dish and the one I enjoyed the most is Keller's Bouchon recipe. It takes time (over 30 hours), involves many different processes, but yields wonderfull results.

The highlights:

- Keller makes a reduced, sirupy and aromatic wine marinade first that becomes the base of the dish.

- Short rib meat cubes are seared and browned on all sides then thrown in a pot with the wine base, rich brown stock and more aromatics.

- The whole thing cooks for 3-4 hours and then the whole pot is refigerated for 24 hours to "soak" the meat.

- The next day, meat is removed from the liquid and the liquid is strained and reduced further.

- Each vegetable garnish and the lardons are cooked separately.

- Before serving, the meat is reheated in the cooking liquid with all the other ingredients.

I assure you, this works!!!!

[SobaAddict70]

I don't really drink much wine, mush less expensive wine, as I have never really enjoyed it, but I take it that any full-bodied red will do well as the base here?

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As with risotto, if you wouldn't drink it, then don't cook with it.

Soba

[chefzadi]

Hmmm, we are supposed to get a mega-cold front this weekend, this might be the perfect recipe to try.  I am thinking that roasted red peppers would actually go really well with it.  Are button mushrooms usually the only kind used?  It might be fun to toss in some portobellas as well, or some other stronger mushrooms.  I think I will also sub turnips for the potatoes, and perhaps add a pinch of cayenne and sage. 

I don't really drink much wine, mush less expensive wine, as I have never really enjoyed it, but I take it that any full-bodied red will do well as the base here?

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Stronger mushrooms, okay. But roasted red peppers and turnips with a red wine sauce? And the cayenne and sage to flavor the turnips or the stew, either way. To each his own. But why?

[fifi]

I made this classic in the classical way . . . one time. It is the all time favorite dish of my kids and most of their friends so I invited a batch of them over. After slaving over this thing for hours and hours, the verdict of the bourguignon critics was "Really good mom, but [don't you hate that word?] we all voted and we want you to go back to doing it your way." And this verdict was from rather sophisticated young adults that have had the dish in some of the best bistros in France. Overheard . . .

Son to friend: "So, did you eat anything really memorable on your trip?"

Friend: "I had the boeuf bourguignon that Le [Whatever] is so famous for. We went out of the way to go there. Frankly, I like your mom's stuff better."

*happy dance going on in the kitchen*

So what is it, you ask? It is a rif on Emeril's Beef Fricassee. Basically, you marinate one to two inch cubes of nicely marbled chuck in some red wine and garlic. Drain and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare a dark roux using maybe half bacon fat if you have it. When the roux is ready, dump in the beef cubes, quenching the roux so it doesn't burn. Add the onions while it is still screaching hot. (This is the same concept as for a dark gumbo.) Add whatever your favorite red drinking wine is at the moment because that is what you have in the house. Add the mushrooms and simmer until the meat is succulent. If I have it, I add some glace de viande. I used a zinfandel once and we really liked that.

No, we don't call it boeuf bourguignon.

[snowangel]

I don't really drink much wine, mush less expensive wine, as I have never really enjoyed it, but I take it that any full-bodied red will do well as the base here?

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As with risotto, if you wouldn't drink it, then don't cook with it.

Soba

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So, if you don't drink much wine, buy a better bottle for this dish and freeze what you don't use/drink. I can't drink white wine (three sips and I have a screaming headache for days), so when I need to cook with us, I get a bottle, use what I need, and freeze the remainder in ice cube trays.

[NulloModo]

Stronger mushrooms, okay. But roasted red peppers and turnips with a red wine sauce? And the cayenne and sage to flavor the turnips or the stew, either way.  To each his own. But why?

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I'm just thinking it would taste good. Turnips have a lot more flavor than potatoes, which are kind of boring, and too starchy for me anyway. A little cayenne (and garlic for that matter) makes nearly anything better, and sage seems to match well with earthy flavors, and the combination of red wine, turnip, stew beef, and mushrooms seems like it would taste pretty earthy. As for the peppers, why not? Roasted peppers could add a little smokey sweetness to it, just round out the flavors a bit more. I will report back how it all goes after I try it.

[DaleJ]

Since about a month ago I bought both Bouchon and Les Halles I tried Bourguignon a couple of times. First, Keller's. It was wonderful but incredibly complicated. The next time I sort of combined Keller's and Bourdain's recipes with little, if any, compromise.

[Adam Balic]

Beef marinated in cooked off onions, carrots and celery, red wine, thyme, salt and pepper for 24 hours. Meat taken out and dried well marinade strained and only the liquid is kept. Brown meat, lardons and onions (I actually use shallots) seperately. Put meat back into pot, cover with marinade and extra wine if required. Cook in a very slow oven until meat is tender and the liquid is reduced, adding the lardons and the onions in the last 40 minutes. Drain liquid and keep meat et al covered and warm. Reduce liquid and wip in cold butter to make a shiney thick sauce. Add back meat er al. Serve with plenty of parsley.

I never use tomato, but sometimes I add chocolate (achieves the same effect of colour enhancement without the flavour/acid). Meat is served with either fried triangles of bread, steamed potatoes or buttered pasta. Wine used. When in Burgundy I used burgundy, out of it I use either a pinot noir or a Cotes de Rhone.

[Marlene]

This dish sounds like it could be in my fairly immediate future. I will however, not use mushrooms I'm almost afraid to ask what a lardon is.

[Adam Balic]

From Hannah Glasse in the 18th century.

"When I bid them lard a Fowl, if I should bid them lard with large Lardoons, they would not know what I meant: But when I say they must lard with little Pieces of Bacon, they know what I mean.

A lardon is a strip of smoked bacon in this sense and in the above recipes. Cut streaky bacon into 1 cm thick slices and cut these into strips. The must not be to thin or they will dry out. I brown the beef in the fat from the lardons. I imagine that the use of this ingredient suggests the the meat in B.B. was originally larded with lardons to keep them tender.

[Anna N]

This dish sounds like it could be in my fairly immediate future.  I will however, not use mushrooms   I'm almost afraid to ask what a lardon is.

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Even if you positively hate mushrooms, make them anyway - they are not in the basic recipe but are cooked separately and added at the end along with the glazed pearl onions - so your guests can enjoy the full Monty and you can indulge without ever having a mushroom - just take your serving out first! I have also served it as a three-parter, the stew itself and side dishes of the mushrooms and onions - then everyone is happy!

[Marlene]

This dish sounds like it could be in my fairly immediate future.  I will however, not use mushrooms    I'm almost afraid to ask what a lardon is.

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Even if you positively hate mushrooms, make them anyway - they are not in the basic recipe but are cooked separately and added at the end along with the glazed pearl onions - so your guests can enjoy the full Monty and you can indulge without ever having a mushroom - just take your serving out first! I have also served it as a three-parter, the stew itself and side dishes of the mushrooms and onions - then everyone is happy!

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It's not that I hate them. I'm allergic. Mushrooms = death for me. There will be no mushrooms