Boeuf Bourguignonne (Beef with Red Wine, Onions, and Mushrooms)

When friends were coming over for dinner for the first time, I wanted something that might impress to cook.  It had been played up to them how much I love to cook, so I didn't want to disappoint!  French came to mind.  I read through some of an Elizabeth David cookbook that I had gotten for Christmas a year or two ago.  

First, it must be noted....I loved reading through Elizabeth David's recipes!!  It reads with an attitude of instruction, mixed with stories of where she learned all these things and a little bit of a "you should feel your way through cooking rather than follow what I say strictly."  If a cookbook can be edgy, it read like an edgier Julia Child cookbook.

Boeuf Bourguignonne was the winner!  I liked the idea of cooking it.  Julia Child's version requires cooking the beef in one pan, the onions in a separate dish, and the mushrooms in another one as well.  Then you combine it all toward the end.  The beauty of this recipe was that everything cooked in the same dish!  I felt like I could repeat this one for my family on a random day.  Definitely worth trying!

The beef cut into chunks and then marinated for 5-6 hours.  

Ah, the beauty of this recipe, one pot for the entire dish

The meat was so tender.  Fall apart wonderful.  Full of flavor.  This picture makes me want to cook it again soon!

- 2 lb beef round (or chuck, just add extra 30-45 min to the cook time) or pre-cut at the store beef stew meat
- a large onion
- thyme
- parsley
- bay leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 cup red wine

- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 oz pancetta (I found this pre-diced in the deli section of the store)
- a dozen or so small whole onions
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 1/3 cups meat stock
- clove of garlic
- 1/2 lb small mushrooms

Cut the meat into slices about 2 1/2 in square and 1/4 inch thick.  Season with salt and pepper, cover with large sliced onion, herbs, olive oil and red wine.  Leave to marinate for 5-6 hours.

Put a good tablespoon of butter into a heavy stewing-pan of about 2.5 quarts capacity.  In this melt the pancetta, cut into 1/4-in-thick match-length strips.  Add the whole peeled small onions, and let them brown, turning them over frequently and keeping the heat low.  Take out the pancetta when its fat becomes transparent, and remove the onions when they are nicely colored.  Set them aside with the pancetta.

Now put into the fat the drained and dried pieces of meat and brown the quickly on each side.  Sprinkle them with the flour, shaking the pan so that the flour amalgamates with the fat and absorbs it.  Pour over the strained marinade.  Let it bubble half a minute; add the stock.  Put in a clove of garlic and a bouquet of thyme, parsley and bay leaf tied with a thread.  Cover the pan with a close-fitting lid and let it barely simmer on top of the stove for about 2 hours.

Now add the pancetta and onions, and the whole mushrooms washed but not peeled and already cooked in butter or fat for a minute or so to rid them of some of their moisture.  Cook the stew for another half hour.  Remove the bouquet and garlic before serving.  (There should be enough for 4-6 people.)

Absolutely worth adding to the hosting or family meal rotation!

Carottes Vichy (Glazed Carrots)

This wonderfully rustic, buttery, bright side dish was one I used when I wanted to impress some new dinner guests.  It was a great choice!  I decided to make boeuf bourguignonne and needed something equally rustic and wonderful to go along with it.  These carrots were delicious, easy, and beautiful!  See those bites that have the pretty caramel color, oh yum!  Caramelized carrots, yes, please!

- 1 lb of carrots, scraped and sliced into bias-cut rounds about 1/4 inch thick

- 3 tbsp butter, divided

- 1 1/2 tsp sugar

- salt

- a little (maybe a tbsp) parsley, finely chopped

Put carrots into a heavy pan with 2 tablespoons of butter, a pinch of salt, the sugar, and 1 cup of water.  (If increasing recipe, it is 1 cup of water per one pound of carrots.)  Cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes until nearly all the water has evaporated and the carrots are tender.  Add another lump of butter (about 1 tbsp) and shake the pan so the carrots do not stick.  You can also add a teaspoon of sugar with that final lump of butter, letting this cook until it has formed a thick syrup which coats the carrots.  

Add a little finely chopped parsley before serving.

(Enough for four people)

Rustic and wonderful!

Beef Braised in Red Wine

I was in charge of the main dish for Christmas this year.  After a Christmas turkey with  my husband's family, I wanted to do a Christmas Roast with my family.  I decided to look to the one who has always delivered amazing, loved-by-all-I-served dishes for inspiration ... Julia Child!  A little Julia Child research, one grocery store trip, and a lot of anticipation for delectable, I was ready to cook the Christmas Roast! 

Getting the marinade ready the night before

And, freshly pulled out of the oven,

how pretty is that?!

I mean, serious, look at how tender that roast is!  It was as tasty as it was tender!

Anybody else have lines about how "the Grinch, he himself carved the roast beast" in their heads?  Oh well, on to the recipe!

- 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup celery, thinly sliced
- 1 cup onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, halved
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup minced parsley
- 2 whole cloves
- a 3-5lb beef (rump roast, eye of round, top round, bottom round, chuck roast)
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 5 cups young red wine with body (like Chianti, Burgundy, Macon, or Cotes du Rhone)
- 1/3 cup brandy (I left this out because I didn't have any on hand)
- 1/2 cup olive oil

Place half the vegetables, herbs, and spices in the bottom of the bowl.  (With meat this large, I found it nice to put it in my largest crock pot to marinate, and then I cooked it in my dutch oven.)  Rub the meat with salt and pepper and place  it over the vegetables.  Spread the rest of the vegetables and herbs over the meat.  Pour on the wine, brandy, and olive oil.  (I also admit that I didn't use as much wine as she called for.  I put in one bottle of Chianti, and then finished the amount of liquid with beef broth for a bit of cost-saving.)  Cover and marinate for at least 6 hours (12-24 hours if the meat is refrigerated).  Turn and baste the meat every hour or so.

- 4-6 cups beef stock
- 1 tbsp corn starch mixed with water or port, if needed (to thicken sauce)

Remove meat from marinade.  Dry with a towel.  (meat must be dry to brown properly)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add 4-6 tbsp oil to a casserole (dutch oven works great).  When oil is at point of smoking, brown the meat on all sides.  This takes about 15 minutes.  Pour out the browning fat.

Pour in the wine marinade and boil it down rapidly until it has reduced by half.  Then add enough stock to come two thirds of the way up the beef.  (She also says you can add calf's feet or bacon rind to the pot as the meat cooks.  I don't have calf's feet in my pantry!)  Bring to a simmer on the stove, skim, cover tightly, and set in lower third of preheated oven.  Allow to simmer 2.5-3 hours, and turn the meat several times during its braising.  The beef is done when a sharp-pronged fork will pierce it easily.

When the meat is tender, remove it to the platter.  Trim off any loose fat, and keep the meat warm while finishing the sauce (5-10 minutes).

Skim the fat off the braising juices, and strain them through a sieve into a sauce pan, pressing the liquid out of the vegetables.  Simmer for a minute or two, skimming, then boil rapidly until liquid is reduced to about 3.5 cups and is full of flavor.  Taste carefully for seasoning.  Sauce should be lightly thickened.  If too thin, beat in the starch mixture and simmer for 3 minutes.

Pour a little sauce over the meat and send the rest to the table in a warmed sauceboat.

Julia Child suggested serving with braised carrots and onions, and buttered noodles or parsley potatoes.  Since this was our Christmas roast, I simply carved and served alongside the sauce.

The roast was tender!  The sauce was quite flavorful!  And, though, the recipe is a long read, it is not a difficult recipe.  I will definitely repeat!  Thank you Julia Child for one more amazing recipe for this "servantless American cook!"

French Onion Soup (amazing!)

This soup is wonderful!! and not hard to make! and so tasty! and so wonderful!

This is Julia Child's recipe for French Onion Soup. This is the second recipe I have tried from my Julia Child cookbook. This was my second success!! I can't wait to eat this soup again! and try more recipes from my cookbook! And, don't let the name Julia Child scare you, this recipe was easy to follow, not hard.

Allow at least two and a half hours for this recipe.

- 1 1/2 lbs of sliced yellow onions
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp sugar (helps the onions to brown)
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 quarts boiling brown stock, canned beef bouillon, or 1 quart of boiling water and 1 quart of stock or bouillon
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp cognac
- 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

- rounds of hard-toasted French bread
- 1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil or melted butter

Cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in the covered saucepan for 15 minutes.
Uncover, raise heat to moderate, and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes stirring frequently, until the onions have turned an even, deep, golden brown. (So pretty and so yummy.)

Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 3 minutes.

Off heat, blend in the boiling liquid. Add the wine, and season to taste. Simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 minutes or more, skimming occasionally. Correct seasoning.

Just before serving, stir in the cognac. (You can stop here and serve as French onion soup with no croutons, but what is french onion soup without the yummy cheesy croutons?!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

(while soup is simmering) Place the bread in one layer in a roasting pan and bake for about half an hour, until it is thoroughly dried out and lightly browned. Halfway through the baking, each side may be based with a teaspoon of olive oil or beef drippings; and after baking, each piece may be rubbed with cut garlic.

[After simmering and adding the cognac] Stir in the 1/2 cup of grated Swiss cheese. Float the rounds of toast on top of the soup, and spread the rest of the grated cheese over it. Sprinkle with the oil or melted butter.

Bake for 20 minutes in the oven, then set for a minute or two under a preheated broiler to brown the top lightly. Serve immediately.

This was truly a-ma-zing! If you want something that tastes like you are eating at a restaurant, this really is a great recipe. So yummy! Great for entertaining, or cut in half and would be great for an at-home date night. Hope you try it! You won't regret it!