I often cheat in the kitchen. Life is, after all, supposedly too short to stuff a mushroom. I’ve survived long enough to stuff my share of mushrooms and sometimes it’s good not to be too impatient to get a meal on the table. While I have a cheat’s version of Boeuf Bourguignon which involves a number of shortcuts, last weekend I decided to take the time to make Julia Child’s recipe for this classic dish. I made it for my wedding and, having just celebrate another anniversary, it was time to go back to the original dish.
We had the family round for a meal and they are always an appreciative audience so it was worth the effort.
A few weeks back I made a big batch of beef stock so I had some inthe freezer ready for the challenge. When I went to gether the ingredients for the dish my shopping list was a good deal shorter than the recipe.
Making this gloriously deep flavoured stew reminded me of my early days in the kitchen when Julia Child held my hand as I tackled what looked like challenging dishes. MasterChef contestants were recently tested on their recipe-writing skills. They would do well to study Child’s recipe writing in depth. The recipes may look long, but they are very explicit and don’t leave the cook wondering about ambiguous directions. Again, it’s worth a reminder that one should read the recipe from beginning to end. I took the rind off the bacon and, having blanched it, wondered what to do with it next. But of course it reassuringly turned up a page later. I was pleased I hadn’t discarded it.
Julia Child certainly knew her onions and the recipe worked brilliantly. I noticed the son who cleared the dishes at the end of the evening justifiably claimed the leftovers to take home.
I certainly recommend starting the dish a day ahead, not because it’s unduly complicated but merely because stews developed their flavour when made ahead.
In her preamble to the recipe, Julia Child notes, “As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavoured, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavour when reheated
She says boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Bourdeaux-St. Emilion or Burgundy.
The dish's components were cooked the previous day. The onions and mushrooms are now added prior to reheating for service. My rathered battered version of the book is 30 years old.
Boeuf Bourguignon
Beef stew in red wine with bacon, onions and mushroom
For 6 people
1 6-ounce chunk of streaky bacon
Remove rind and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2-inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
1 9-10 inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
1 slotted spoon
Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.
3 pounds lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté 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.
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons flour
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the 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.
3 cups of a full-bodied young red wine such as one of those suggested for serving or a Chianti
2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
a crumbled bay leaf
the blanched bacon rind
Stir in the 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 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms (see recipes below).. Set them aside until needed.
When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 21/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
(*) Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.
For immediate serving
Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.
For later serving
When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.
Oignons Glacés à Brun
18 to 24 peeled onions about 1 in in diameter
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 9-10 inch enamelled skillet
When the butter and oil are bubbling in the skillet, add the onions and saute over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful now to break their skins. You cannont expecty to brown them uniformly.
Brown-braise them as follows:
1/4 cup brown stock, canned beef bouillon, dry white wine, or water
salt and pepper to taste
a small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, 1/2 teaspoon thyme,and half bayleaf tied in cheesecloth
Pour in the liquid, season to taste and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40-50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has evaporated. Remove the herb bouquet.
The onions may be cooked in advance and reheated before serving,
Mushrooms sautéed with shallots, garlic and herbs
1/2lb fresh mushrooms, whole if small, quartered if large
1 dessertspoon oil
1 oz butter
Sauté the mushrooms in oil and butter until lightly browned
3 tablespoons chopped shallots or spring onions
optional: 1 small clove garlic
3 tablespoons fine white breadcrumbs
Stir in the shallots or spring onions, optional garlic, and breadcrumbs, and toss over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon, or parsley only
Just before serving, season to taste and toss with the herbs.
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 by Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child. © Alfred A Knopf, Inc
