Recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon, or Beef in Red Wine Sauce, a classic French dish known for its deep, rich sauce.
Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French stew made with diced beef slow-simmered in red wine and broth and served with sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions.
This is a favorite family recipe from Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon in her book Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom.
Beef Bourguignon
ingredients
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6 ounces of bacon
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2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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4 pounds trimmed beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes, patted dry with paper towels
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Salt and freshly ground pepper
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2 cups sliced onions
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1 cup sliced carrots
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1 bottle of red wine (pinot noir goes best here)
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2 cups beef broth or canned beef broth
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1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
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1 medium herb bouquet (tie together 8 sprigs of parsley, 1 large bay leaf, 1 tsp dried thyme, 2 whole cloves or allspice berries, and 3 large cloves of crushed garlic, wrapped and tied with cheesecloth)
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Beurre Manié: Mix 3 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of butter to form a paste
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24 pearl onions
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chicken broth
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butter
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1 1/2 pounds button or cremini mushrooms, quartered
special equipment
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cheesecloth
method
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Blanch the bacon to remove its smoky flavor:
Place the bacon slices in 2 liters of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and dry on kitchen paper.
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Fry bacon, Fry beef:
In a large skillet, lightly brown the blanched bacon in a little oil; set aside and add later to simmer with the beef, using the rendered fat to brown.
Sear the pieces of beef on all sides in the bacon fat and olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in a heavy-bottomed casserole or a covered casserole.
Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan.
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Fry the vegetables:
Remove all but a little fat from the skillet, add the chopped vegetables, brown and add to the meat.
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Deglaze pan with wine, add bouillon, tomatoes, herbs:
Deglaze the pan with wine and pour into the casserole, along with enough broth to almost cover the meat. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herb bouquet.
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Simmer for 1 to 2 hours:
Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer slowly over lowest heat, either on stovetop or in a preheated 325°F oven, until meat is tender, about 1 to 2 hours.
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While the stew is cooking, prepare the onions:
Blanch the onions in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking. Cut the end tips off the onions, peel the onions, and score the root end with 1/4-inch snips.
Sauté onions in a single layer in a tablespoon or two of butter until lightly browned. Add chicken broth or water halfway up the sides of the onions. Add a teaspoon of sugar and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and simmer slowly for 25 minutes or until tender. The onions should absorb most of the water. If there is any water left after boiling, drain the excess. Put aside.
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Prepare mushrooms:
a few minutes before serving the stew. Sauté quartered mushrooms in a few tablespoons of butter and olive oil until browned and cooked through.
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Make the sauce:
When the stew meat is sufficiently cooked, remove all solids from the sauce (except for the beef) by straining through a colander set over a saucepan. Put the beef back into the casserole.
Squeeze the juices from the residue into the cooking liquid, then discard any visible fat and reduce the liquid to 3 cups. Remove from stove, stir in beurre maniathen simmer for 2 minutes while the sauce thickens slightly.
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Pour sauce over meat, add onions and mushrooms:
Season properly and pour over the meat, fold in the onions and mushrooms.
To serve, bring to a simmer and baste the meat and vegetables in the sauce for a few minutes, until hot throughout.
Serve with rice, bread, or potatoes (unless you’re making the low-carb version!).
Links:
Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking has been posted to the Knopf Doubleday website
