A Boeuf Bourguignon Day

Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Stew in Red Wine)

adapted from Julia Child's recipe

Well, it's hit zero degrees in Paris today, and as I knew I wouldn't spend too much time outside, I decided to make a nice, heartwarming stew to warm up everyone's tummies this evening. One of the French stews I have always wanted to master is Boeuf Bourguignon. It's similar to a beef stew that my Dad used to make when I was a kid, except the Chinese version didn't include a bottle of red wine! Dad's version included such Chinese flavors as oyster sauce and star anise. I like to cook by taste, which I often find emanates from memories of flavors and aromas tasted. So I decided to add one star anise to my boeuf bourguignon, and found that it delicately spices up the carrots and the beef in a slightly sweet way. It can be overpowering, so I tossed it in the pot only halfway through the cooking.

As Julia writes in her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. I chose to use her recipe, and adapt it to my own way of cooking, which is to keep things as simple as possible.

"Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes to be concocted by man" says the famous chef. And I must agree! I've made this twice for my French husband and French-Chinese kids, and they loved it even better the second time. The first time, I added the mushrooms together with the beef at the beginning, and while the stew tasted lovely, there was no distinct flavor or texture to the mushrooms after stewing them for 4 hours.

Star Anise

This time, I almost followed Julia's instructions -- she has you add them on top of the beef and carrots, just before pouring the sauce over the whole shebang. But I chose to add the stir fried mushrooms and shallots to the stew about 15-20 minutes before it finished cooking, to allow the mushrooms to become infused with some of the red wine sauce, and the result was perfect.

Here's the original recipe, with my comments added in red and in parentheses where I've made adaptations:

Ingredients:

• 6 ounce piece chunk bacon (I used a 200g package of lardons fumé, which is the chunk bacon already cut into dice, rind removed)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds lean stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes (in the Boucherie, I asked for Boeuf Bourguignon, which is perfect)
• 1 carrot, sliced (I love stewed carrots, so I added 4 large ones, sliced into big chunks)
• 1 onion, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups red wine, young and full bodied (1 bottle of Cotes du Rhone, Bourgogne, or Pinot Noir works well)
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• (Grace's addition) - 1 star anise (optional)

For the  mushrooms:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 2-3 shallots minced
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered

Stovetop Cooking Directions:

(Julia's original recipe calls for cooking this in the oven. I was using my oven for dessert, so I made it on the stovetop, and it worked just fine. I also have changed the order of some of the steps, so this is my own method adapted from Julia's).

1. Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry. (IF you use lardons like I did, you skip this step)
2. Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to side dish with a slotted spoon.
3. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Dry beef in paper towels (don't skip this step! It really makes a difference! I made the dish once without drying the beef, and it was very watery); it will not brown if it is damp. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons. In the same fat, brown the sliced carrots and sliced onions. Pour out the excess fat.



Nicely browned beef, with lardons, onions and carrots

4. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust).

5. Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic and herbs. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover casserole and regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. About half-way through, add the star anise and cover the casserole again, keep simmering. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily and the meat starts to break apart.

A 10 Euro bottle of 2010 Bourgogne was the perfect addition.

6. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter with one tablespoon oil until the butter stops foaming -- indicating it is hot enough. Add mushrooms and keep tossing in your skillet for about 4 minutes. At first they will absorb the oil and look dry. After two minutes the fat will resurface, and the mushrooms will start to brown with a beautiful sheen. Add the minced shallots and toss with the mushrooms for another 2-3 minutes. Add the onions and mushrooms to the stew and cover for the last 15-20 minutes of cooking to absorb some of the flavor of the sauce.

7. The stew is done when the meat is tender, and breaks apart easily with a fork.

Voila! Boeuf Bourguignon façon Grace!

8. If the sauce is too thin, stir in one tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.

9. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley. (I served it once with potatoes, and another time with tagliatelle, and both go very well with the stew.) Serve with a nice bottle of red wine -- Bourgogne of course!