Julia's Beef Bourguignon

Here it is! The final recipe for the JC100 blogger event honoring the great, late Julia Child! Her famed Beef Bourguignon! She would've turned 100 today. Forever an inspiration, her legacy lives on. Participating in this event has been fun, and I have more of an appreciation for French cooking, Julia, and keeping up with regular blog posts! I wonder what Julia would have thought about the use of technology and how it can easily bring so many people together sharing experiences cooking up her dishes around the world! Truly incredible. Every dish was unique in itself, just like Julia. Once my waistline recovers , I will continue experimenting with French cuisine, perhaps delve more into desserts (of course).

Beef Bourguignon is one of the more complicated dishes. It takes time, and there are many steps, but very delicious, making it well worth the time and effort.  I started the dish on the stove and transferred to a slow cooker. I will be invested in a nice cast iron casserole dish and make this again to compare. Though, I will wait until the winter. This dish is heavy and will heat up your kitchen! I did not cook the mushrooms and onions separately like the recipe suggests due my own time constraints. I added them right into the slow cooker with everything else. Although the dish still came out delicious, I would make Julia's mushrooms and onions next time around. I also added in some fingerling potatoes and fresh tomato which added some color and additional flavor. Enjoy!

Ingredients

(serves 6 people)

6oz chunck O bacon

1 tablespoon olive oil

3lbs. lean stewing beef, cut into 2" cubes

1 sliced carrot

1 sliced onion

1teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups full-bodied young red wine (Chianti is suggested)

2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned bouillon

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/2 teaspoon thyme

crumbled bay leaf

blanched bacon rind

18 to 24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock (recipe found on page 483 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child)

1lb. quartered, fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter (recipe found on page 513 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child)

Preheat oven to 425F

Saute the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 3 minutes until lightly brown. Remove, and sauté the beef after drying with paper towels (the beef will not brown if it is damp). sauté a few pieces at a time in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely brown. Add to the bacon. In the came pan, sauté the vegetables. Pour out the Sautéing fat. This is where you would return the beef and bacon to the casserole, toss with salt and pepper, and lightly coat with flour. I left in the sauté pan and did this. You then put the casserole (or sauté pan) in a preheated over for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to the over for 4 more minutes (this brown the flour and covers the meat with a nice crust). Remove casserole and turn down the heat to 325.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock to just cover the meat. Add tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind (I omitted the rind). Bring to a simmer on stove top. Cover and place in over for 21/2 to 3 hrs. I placed everything in the slow cooker on low heat for 3hrs. Meat is done when fork easily pierces the meat.

Bacon!

A nice medley of mushrooms

beef in bacon fat

Beautiful Bourguignon

Bon Appétit

*Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.