Boeuf Bourguignon: A French Culinary Classic

 

Boeuf Bourguignon is perhaps Burgundy’s most iconic dish. A rich beef stew made famous in America by Julia Child, is prepared from beef slowly simmered in a hearty red wine, often a Burgundy, and beef stock typically flavoured with carrots, onions, garlic, and bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon lardons. As with all beef stews, this one is best made a day or two ahead. The co-authors of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child, have described the dish as "certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man".

Julia Child preparing to make her Boeuf Bourguignon

'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' by Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child

Boeuf Bourguignon
Serves 6

Recipe courtesy of Julia Child, The Art of French Cooking

6 slices bacon, cut into lardons

3 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 lb stewing beef, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 large carrot, sliced

1 large white onion, sliced

1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

3 cups red wine

2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups beef stock

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves smashed garlic

1/2 tsp thyme

1 crumbled bay leaf

18 - 24 small pearl onions

3 1/2 tbsp butter

1 herb bouquet (4 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf)

1 lb fresh white mushrooms, quartered

Remove the rind from the bacon and cut into lardons (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°F.

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. Dry the stewing 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.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

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 meat lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in the middle position of the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to the oven for 4 minutes more. This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust. Remove casserole, and turn the oven down to 325°F.

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 the lower third of the 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. 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 1/2 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. The 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.