Mais oui, vous pouvez! But yes, you can! Boeuf Bourguignon

I fell in love with Paris and croissants on my first trip there with my daughter 12 years ago. When I came back, French croissants were nowhere to be found in this city. Oh, there were packaged ones and bakery displayed fauxoissants--made from shortening (not butter), nothing flaky enough to compare in the least with those heavenly, Parisian morning staples and nothing worth bothering with.  I bought Julia Child's book, Baking with Julia and taught myself how to make croissants (and we'll cover that another time).  Not exactly the same (our flour is different) but better than any I have yet to eat stateside.

Julia became my mentor--long before The Movie and The Books--I was a devoted Saturday audience of 'The French Chef' on PBS. Laughing at her but mesmerized by the things she would make, I had no idea at the time just how much her cooking would influence my pursuit and love of a good meal. So, one would certainly think, 'If I can make croissants, why wouldn't I be able to make just about anything?' Intimidation, my friends. As marvelous as her Bible is, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, as wonderful as her remade DVD's of her TV show are, I was 'lacking the courage of my convictions' that I could attempt to make one of THE most famous French dishes known--Boeuf Bourguignon ("BB"). Three pages and two more reference pages from her book seemed daunting--it IS daunting. In the movie, Julie and Julia, the moment when her soon-to-be-publisher is making BB and tasting it for the first time--I knew then by the look on her face that I should surely attempt this peasant dish that makes you feel like Marie Antoinette before losing her head.  Of course, it's doubtful she ate this being so busy with that cake ordeal and all.

So, this day I have followed her recipe to the absolute T and I have Never Tasted Anything So Delicious Anywhere and I have eaten in some very, very fine restaurants. This is to die for. As my most-wonderful-husband-in-the-world said, 'Can we market the smell?' And then when he tasted it, his eyes rolled back in his head and a moan came out of his mouth--rather hedonistic--but likeable, nonetheless.

If you will bear with me and not give up at the length of what seems way too much effort (which it is definitely not)--I promise you, your guests will think you are a 4 star Michelin chef when you serve this. It is not difficult and contains nothing exotic. It is magic.

First, be organized 'mise en place' and have all your ingredients out before you begin. Also, pay close attention to the directions. They are very important--simple--but must be followed. When I began, I thought, 'why couldn't this be cooked in a crockpot?' Don't even think about it. The preparation processes provide layers of flavor you cannot achieve by throwing everything into a slow-cooker. I will shorten what I can--however, the prep time is about 30-45 minutes; baking time is 4 hrs and the finish takes just a few minutes. Everything can be prepared in advance and reheated. If there's anything left, the flavors meld into an even more flavorful stew. Don't be alarmed by the look of this when done--you are cooking in red wine and vegetables that will darken as they soak up the gorgeous flavors. It is divine.


Boeuf Bourguignon

I.
3-4 slices of bacon, sliced into 2" pieces
1 TBSP olive oil

II.
3-4 lbs Chuck roast cut into 4" chunks
3 sliced carrots
1 sliced onion (or 4-5 shallots, halved)
salt, pepper
1-2 TBSP flour

III.
3-4 c red wine
3-4 c beef broth
1 TBSP tomato paste (this is why you should have a tube of Amore' in your fridge)
2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1/2 tsp thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf

IV.
18-24 small onions or 1 large onion, quartered or 5-6 shallots, halved
1 c beef broth
1 lb fresh mushrooms, quartered
4 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
parsley sprigs


V.
1 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
****************************

I. - Simmer bacon in small saucepan of water for 10 minutes. Remove from water and dry.

II. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

In large skillet, saute' bacon in oil until nicely browned. Set aside.
Thoroughly dry chunks of meat with paper towels, heat more oil (if needed) to medium-high heat and quickly brown meat on all sides. Remove and place with bacon.

Brown vegetables in skillet. When slightly browned, add meat and bacon back into skillet, toss with flour, salt and pepper and place on medium rack in oven for 4 minutes. Toss meat and return to oven for 4 more minutes (this browns the flour and starts melding flavors). Remove from oven.

Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.

III. In oven-proof casserole, scrape out bits from skillet, add meat, bacon and vegetables. Pour over wine to barely cover, add broth and tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and place on middle rack for 4 hours.

IV. Onions - Heat 2 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP olive oil to medium heat and saute onions for 10 minutes, or until browned evenly--stir often. Add 1 c beef broth, 3-4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf and 1/4 tsp thyme. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes (Julia: 40-50 moinutes!) remove cover and reduce any remaining liquid. Throw out parsley and bay leaf.

Mushrooms--VERY IMPORTANT--Clean and DRY thoroughly. They will not brown if moist.
In skillet, over medium to high heat, add 2 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP oil until foaming has stopped. Add mushrooms, and brown for several minutes. There will be no liquid in pan when done and they will be better than chocolate!

At this point, I added the onions and mushrooms to the casserole rather than serving them at the end as indicated in Julia's recipe. Or you can just serve the mushrooms for dessert!  Seriously, they're so good you won't stop eating them...so maybe cook more than a pound?

V. When meat is fork tender, remove casserole from oven and dump all into a strainer over a medium saucepan. Set meat and vegetables aside. Stir the butter and flour into a paste and whisk into liquid from casserole. Depending on how much liquid has been reserved, add more broth or flour to thicken slightly--this is not gravy but a beautiful blanket to cover the meat and vegetables in a rich sauce.

Place meat back into casserole, top with vegetables and sauce. Serve with boiled and buttered potatoes and a loaf of French bread. Heaven on earth.

Bon appétit