classic french cuisine
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This time around, I decided to get adventurous and venture out into foreign cuisine. I wanted to make something a little bit more complicated than what I'd been making, so I stuck with French and started rifling through recipes I couldn't pronounce 'til I came across this bad boy. 6 pounds of meat, an entire bottle of wine, and about 5 hours of cooking...after all the prep work is done. And then on top of that, I get to type out the recipe, which is an endeavor in itself. But this is my job, my duty to you all. I shall persevere.
Boeuf à la Bourguignonne
6 pounds boneless beef chuck or other stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 750ml bottle of red wine
Salt
Pepper
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 onions, halved (This means one slice down the middle! DO NOT dice them up, it will make the end very difficult)
1/4 cup dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 cup concentrated (1 quart simmered down to 1 cup) beef broth
1 pint pearl onions
1 3/4 cup beef broth (not concentrated)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces mushrooms, preferably cremini, quartered through the stem unless very small
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into strips 1 inch long, and 1/4 inch wide and thick
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Spread the meat, carrots and onions in a roasting pan just big enough to hold everything in a single layer. Roast, turning the meat and vegetables with tongs every 5 to 10 minutes, for about 40 minutes, or until well browned. If the meat has released liquid on the bottom of the pan, continue roasting until the juices caramelize into a crust. If the crust forms before the meat has browned, add one cup of unconcentrated beef broth, so that it will not burn.
When the meat is browned and the juices have caramelized on the bottom of the pan (don't confuse the clear fat floating on top with caramelized juices), remove the pan from the oven and use tongs to transfer the meat and vegetables to a large pot. Spoon out the clear liquid fat from the roasting pan and place the roasting pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Deglaze the pan with 2 cups of the wine, stirring for about 5 minutes or until the caramelized juices have fully dissolved in the wine.
If you are braising the stew in the oven, turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Otherwise, turn it off.
Pour the deglazed juices over the meat and vegetables. Tie up the parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to make your bouquet garni. Tuck the bouquet in the center, and add the remaining wine and the concentrated broth. The meat should be fully covered. If it isn't, add more wine or broth (if you have it), or water (if you don't).
Bring the stew to a gentle simmer on the stove and maintain it for at least 10 minutes, even if you will be cooking it in the oven. Then cover, and continue to cook at a gentle simmer. You want a bubble or two to break on the surface about every second. Check every ten minutes or so, and adjust the burner heat to maintain the gentle simmer. Continue to cook the stew for 3 hours, or as many as 5, until a cube of meat poked through with a skewer just falls off without clinging. Strain the stew into a saucepan, discarding the carrots and onions. Gently simmer the braising liquid over medium heat, skimming off any fat that floats to the top. Simmer down to about 1 1/2 cups.
About 30 minutes before the stew is ready, prepare the pearl onions. Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil and add the onions. Boil for one minute, then drain and rinse. In a large saute pan, add the onions, 3/4 cup unconcentrated beef broth, and butter. Bring to a simmer over high heat, turn the heat down to medium, and partially cover the pan. Simmer, quickly moving the pan back and forth every 5 minutes or so for about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes more. Set the onions and mushrooms aside in a small bowl. Cook the bacon gently in a pan over medium heat for about 12 minutes, or until lightly crispy. Add the onions, mushrooms, and bacon to the stew and serve.
This time around, I decided to get adventurous and venture out into foreign cuisine. I wanted to make something a little bit more complicated than what I'd been making, so I stuck with French and started rifling through recipes I couldn't pronounce 'til I came across this bad boy. 6 pounds of meat, an entire bottle of wine, and about 5 hours of cooking...after all the prep work is done. And then on top of that, I get to type out the recipe, which is an endeavor in itself. But this is my job, my duty to you all. I shall persevere.
Boeuf à la Bourguignonne
6 pounds boneless beef chuck or other stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 750ml bottle of red wine
Salt
Pepper
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 onions, halved (This means one slice down the middle! DO NOT dice them up, it will make the end very difficult)
1/4 cup dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 cup concentrated (1 quart simmered down to 1 cup) beef broth
1 pint pearl onions
1 3/4 cup beef broth (not concentrated)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces mushrooms, preferably cremini, quartered through the stem unless very small
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into strips 1 inch long, and 1/4 inch wide and thick
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Spread the meat, carrots and onions in a roasting pan just big enough to hold everything in a single layer. Roast, turning the meat and vegetables with tongs every 5 to 10 minutes, for about 40 minutes, or until well browned. If the meat has released liquid on the bottom of the pan, continue roasting until the juices caramelize into a crust. If the crust forms before the meat has browned, add one cup of unconcentrated beef broth, so that it will not burn.
When the meat is browned and the juices have caramelized on the bottom of the pan (don't confuse the clear fat floating on top with caramelized juices), remove the pan from the oven and use tongs to transfer the meat and vegetables to a large pot. Spoon out the clear liquid fat from the roasting pan and place the roasting pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Deglaze the pan with 2 cups of the wine, stirring for about 5 minutes or until the caramelized juices have fully dissolved in the wine.
If you are braising the stew in the oven, turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Otherwise, turn it off.
Pour the deglazed juices over the meat and vegetables. Tie up the parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to make your bouquet garni. Tuck the bouquet in the center, and add the remaining wine and the concentrated broth. The meat should be fully covered. If it isn't, add more wine or broth (if you have it), or water (if you don't).
Bring the stew to a gentle simmer on the stove and maintain it for at least 10 minutes, even if you will be cooking it in the oven. Then cover, and continue to cook at a gentle simmer. You want a bubble or two to break on the surface about every second. Check every ten minutes or so, and adjust the burner heat to maintain the gentle simmer. Continue to cook the stew for 3 hours, or as many as 5, until a cube of meat poked through with a skewer just falls off without clinging. Strain the stew into a saucepan, discarding the carrots and onions. Gently simmer the braising liquid over medium heat, skimming off any fat that floats to the top. Simmer down to about 1 1/2 cups.
About 30 minutes before the stew is ready, prepare the pearl onions. Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil and add the onions. Boil for one minute, then drain and rinse. In a large saute pan, add the onions, 3/4 cup unconcentrated beef broth, and butter. Bring to a simmer over high heat, turn the heat down to medium, and partially cover the pan. Simmer, quickly moving the pan back and forth every 5 minutes or so for about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes more. Set the onions and mushrooms aside in a small bowl. Cook the bacon gently in a pan over medium heat for about 12 minutes, or until lightly crispy. Add the onions, mushrooms, and bacon to the stew and serve.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 2:49 PM.
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January 7, 2011 at 8:32 PMWhen I get a chance I'm going to make some of these.
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