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.

Julia's Scallops Gratinéed

The 100th anniversary of Julia's birth is fast approaching on the 15th! Many area restaurants are serving up some of Julia's classic dishes. I recently enjoyed an incredible sole meunière dish over at Clio.

Sole Meunière by Chef Douglas Rodrigues of Clio

Recipe number fourteen for the JC100 blogger event is Scallops Gratinéed with wine, herbs, and of course...butter (Coquilees St. Jasques a la Provencale)! Oh, and cheese, butter....and more butter! The minced onions, shallots, and garlic cooked with wine in this recipe makes for a very delicious sauce. Be sure to have a nice baguette or favorite bread with this dish for soaking it all up!

Ingredients

1/3 cup minced yellow onions

5 tablespoons butter (!!)

11/2 tablespoons minced shallot, or green onions

1 clove minced garlic

11/2 lbs. washed scallops

salt and pepper

1 cup flour

2/3 cup white wine, or 1/2 cup dry vermouth and 3 tablespoons water

1/2 bay leaf

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/4 cup grated swiss cheese

Cook onions slowly in butter for 5 minutes or so, until tender and translucent, but not browned. Stir in the shallots or onions, and garlic, and cook slowly for 1 minute more. (Your kitchen will small incredible right about now). Dry scallops and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. Just before cooking, sprinkle with salt and pepper, roll in flour, and shake off excess. Saute scallops quickly in very hot butter and oil for 2 minutes to brown them lightly. If you have people waiting to eat these, the aroma will make it very difficult for them to wait for this dish. I highly recommend serving them a cheese plate ahead of time to prevent someone from coming in the kitchen and burning their fingers in hot oil and butter when they try to steal a scallop! Next, pour the wine (or vermouth) and water, into the skillet with scallops. Add the herbs and cooked onion mixture. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover, and if necessary, boil down the sauce rapidly for a minute until it is lightly thickened (I let it boil down for a few minutes). Spoon the shallots and sauce evenly into shells, or individual casserole dishes. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter (!). Run under moderately hot broiler for 3 to 4 minutes to heat through, and to brown the cheese lightly. Enjoy!!!

Did I mention that there was butter in this recipe?!

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.

Cheese Soufflé

Recipe number thirteen in the Julia Child, JC100 blogger event is a cheese soufflé. A throwback to my childhood, this was the first Julia recipe I ever made, and at the age of eleven! I wrote down the recipe word for word while watching the episode. With determination, and a little help from my ever so patient, and supportive mother, I successfully made the soufflé! Julia had a way of making you believe that cooking complex French dishes can be fun. A soufflé can be intimidating at first attempt. As a child, I remember believing that loud noises would cause the soufflé to collapse! While that may not really have much to do with the success of the soufflé coming out well, preparation and careful folding of the egg whites do play an important part. I kept a close eye on this soufflé while it was in oven. It came out light, fluffy and delicious. Although I attached a collar to the baking dish, it was not needed as the dish I used was a little large to achieve the great height that is so classic to the soufflé. I will try using a smaller dish next time for the dramatic effect.  You will impress your guests while having fun making this dish. I highly recommend this cheese soufflé for any meal!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese, or other hard cheese

21/2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup hot milk

1/2 teaspoon paprika

speck of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper

4 egg yolks

5 egg whites

1 cup coarsely grated swiss cheese (I used emmental)

Preheat oven to 400F. Set oven rack to the lower third level of oven.

A Béchamel Sauce is used for thickening in this recipe. Stir and cook the butter and flour over medium heat, in a saucepan with a heavy bottom for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool a moment, and our in all of the hot milk, and whisk vigorously to blend. The mixture will immediately thicken. Boil slowly for 3 minutes. Whisk in seasoning, and remove from heat. One by one, whisk in egg yolks.

In a separate, clean bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Scoop a quarter of the egg whites on top of the sauce and stir them in with a wooden spoon. Turn the rest of the egg whites on top; rapidly and delicately fold them in, alternating scoops of the spatula with sprinkles of the swiss cheese. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the soufflé is brown , and is either 2 or 3 inches over the rim of the baking dish, or when a skewer inserted comes out clean. Serve immediately. 

fluffy, light, and cheesy!

sparkling wine goes very well with the soufflé!

Bon Appétit

*Excerpted from The Way to Cook by Julia Child. Copyright © 1989 by Julia Child. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Julia's Provencal Tomatoes

A classic vegetable dish for any occasion, provencal tomatoes is recipe number twelve honoring Julia Child. Light, simple and delicious. The perfect summer side, or try adding some crab, shrimp, or clams to the stuffing and serve as a main course.

Ingredients

3 large, ripe tomatoes

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 tablespoons shallots, minced

1 teaspoon herbs de provence

3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

Brush a shallow baking dish with olive oil. Cut tomatoes in half, gently squeeze each half, remove juice, and scoop out seeds. arrange halves in shallow baking dish. Stir together bread crumbs, shallots, dried herbs, grated cheese, and chopped parsley in a small bowl. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, tossing well to moisten crumbs evenly. Spoon stuffing into the tomato halves. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of each half. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the topping has browned.

Bon Appétit 

* Excerpted from Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child and Jacques Pépin. Copyright © 1999 by A La Carte Communications. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Julia's Roasted Chicken and Charlotte Chantilly, Aux Framboises JC100

Roasted chicken and Charlotte Chantilly, recipes eight and nine for the great JC100 Julia Child blogger event! This incredible cooking icon would have turned 100 in August. These two dishes were made during the fourth of July week. The roasted chicken followed by Charlotte Chantilly were both a hit on a relaxing summer day with friends and family.  

Julia's Roasted Chicken

Being a popular comfort food, there are many variations on seasoning, and cooking a whole chicken. Roasted with a little butter and light seasoning is delicious. This chicken was served with wine, brussels sprouts, roasted peaches and potatoes. Julia recommends seasoning the bird on the inside as well as the outside with lemon slices, salt and pepper, a small onion, and a handful of celery leaves. Rub the outside with soft butter. I kept it simple and just seasoned with salt, pepper, and butter. Tie the drumsticks together, and set the breast up in an oiled V-shaped rack. After 15minutes of browning in a 425 degree oven, reduce heat to 350, basting "rapidly" with pan juices. After 1/2hr, strew 1/2 cup each of carrots and onions into the pan, basting them. If you chose to make a gravy from the pan juices, there is an excellent master recipe in Julia's Cooking with Wisdom book. The chicken is done when thermometer inserted between the thigh and breast reads 165-170. The juices should run clear when pricked with a fork. 

*The brussels sprouts were sauteed in a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and just at the end of cooking, two tablespoons of apricot jam was added for a little extra sweetness.

Charlotte Chantilly, Aux Framboises 
Light, delicious and full of raspberry flavor, this dessert tops the charts for me this summer! Make your own lady fingers or buy them like I did. Traditionally, this dessert is molded as seen here. I layered with blueberries and whipped topping as a parfait which made for a beautiful presentation! 

The preparation is time consuming. Much like the Julia's chocolate mousse recipe, this requires a great deal of patience. The end result and enjoyment of watching this dessert come together makes it worth the time effort.

Ingredients
1 pint strawberries
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blueberries for garnish
2/3 cup granulated sugar
8 egg yolks
21/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
ladyfingers

Rinse and drain raspberries and strawberries. Force berries through a sieve and into a bowl (You can also blend the berries in a food processor like I did to keep the natural textures of the berries) Reserve 1/4 cup of purée and chill. 

Beat the sugar into the egg yolks until the mixture is pale yellow and ribbon-like. From here, the mixture is placed in a bowl over not-quite-simmering water and beaten with an electric mixer until thickened and hot to the touch. This will take at least 30-45min. Be patient! I enjoy patiently watching the transformation from yolk to custard, but this seemed to take a bit longer than usual. 

Next, set the bowl in ice water and beat until mixture is cold and forms a slowly dissolving ribbon when falling back on itself. When the egg yolk mixture is completely chilled, beat the cream until it has doubled and forms stiff peaks. Fold the berry purée into the chilled egg yolk mixture, followed by the whipped cream. Place in serving dishes and chill for at least 6hrs. 

Recipes adapted from Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child. Copyright © 2000 by Julia Child.  Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
Bon Appétit!  

Fillets of Halibut Meunière - JC100

Recipe number seven for the JC100 celebration is all about simplicity. In true Julia style, the fish fillet is cooked in butter, sprinkled with a little lemon and lightly seasoned. The flavor of a good fillet is not compromised by adding anything more. I used halibut, but other fillets such as sole, red snapper, or my all time favorite, flounder, would all be nice choices. lightly coating the fillets just before sauteing allows for a nice, crispy out layer. We paired the fish with asparagus.

Ingredients

Fish fillets
1/2 cup flour
butter
lemon, cut into wedges
salt & pepper
parsley/garnish

vegetable of choice


Instructions

Season fillets with salt and pepper. add a few tablespoons of butter into saucepan. Drop fillets into flour and shake off excess. Cook fillets in butter, a couple of minutes of both sides. Squeeze two wedges of lemon juice over the fillets. They will be golden brown,  and should flake easily when done. Season and sauté vegetable and serve warm.

*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.

Bon Appétit

Julia's Vichyssoise Recipe #5 JC100

Vichyssoise or cold leek and potato soup can be served as a meal with bread, fruit, salad and a good cheese as Julia writes! Soups really are easy to make, and Julia's leek and potato soup can be made in no time! The important step is to allow the ingredients to combine in flavor and let simmer for many hours on the stove or for a short period of time in a pressure cooker. Either way, this is a fantastic soup for any occasion! Since I have made a similar soup not too long ago, I am going to refer to my sweet potato version. Serve chilled in this hot summer heat!

Julia's recipe:

3 cups peeled, sliced potatoes
3 cups sliced white of leek
1/2 quarts white stock, chicken
salt to taste

1/2 to 1 cup whipping cream
2 or 3 tablespoons minced chives

chilled soup bowls


Instructions
Simmer vegetables in stock, puree with blender, fine sieve, or food mill.
Stir in cream, season to taste. Serve in chilled soup cups and decorate with chives.

Bon Appetit!

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.

Coq Au Vin - JC100

Recipe number three of the JC100 celebration honoring Julia Child is Coq Au Vin! A delicious chicken dish traditionally cooked in lardon with red wine, mushrooms, onions, garlic and brandy. The preparation is involved and is similar to beef bourguignon. Julia uses brandy and describes how you can wow your guests with a flame at the dinner table! I think I'll pass on potentially burning the house down and use the white wine I already have! The dish came out beautifully. Though time consuming, (like many of Julia's recipes) the chicken is tender from simmering for a long time and the wine adds a great deal of flavor. I used butter to sear the chicken instead of lardon. I am starting to train for a marathon so my dishes will be a little more on the healthier side as I proceed with future recipes!

Ingredients

21/2 - 3 ponds frying chicken parts - legs and thighs
3 Tablespoons butter
1 pint button mushrooms, sliced
1 onion sliced
Salt and pepper
1 or 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 large ripe unpeeled tomato
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups white wine
1 or more cups chicken stock
Buerre manie for the sauce (11/2 tablespoons each flour and softened butter blended to a paste)
Fresh parsley or chive for decoration

Saute mushrooms in 1 tablespoon butter for a few minutes once the butter froth has subsided. Season with salt and pepper. Saute and set aside. Saute onions in olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter until clear. set aside. Next, season chicken with salt and pepper and sear in the remaining butter. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and tomato. Pour in the wine and enough stock barley to cover the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer slowly for 20 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside to make the sauce. Boil down the sauce, add more seasoning to taste and add in buerre manie to make the sauce thickened. Bring the sauce to a simmer, remove from heat and add the chicken. This was another fun dish to make.

buerre manie

I made some roasted sweet potato and served with wine!

Bon Appetit!

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.