Bon Appétit!

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook - try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”   — Julia Child — My Life in Paris

In honor of the beginning of this blog.  I thought I would share our favorite family recipe.  A couple of years ago, my husband and I went to Paris to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary.  In preparation for the trip, I decided I would cook French meals for a week to have a little fun.  I remember calling my husband while at the store buying the ingredients and said, “I feel God’s pleasure as I shop today, delighting in His goodness and the bounty He has provided for us.”  One of the meals we enjoyed was Boeuf Bourguignon.  The hours of preparation were enough to make your mouth water and to place it in your mouth felt like an orchestra were playing right in the room.  Delicious was and still is an understatement.  Our kids to this day, even years later, request it for each of their birthdays or special occasion.  In the picture below, I am standing in front of the famous E. Dehillerin store with my new red La Creuset dutch oven…which I now use every time this recipe is made.  I adapted Ina Garten’s recipe from her Barefoot in Paris cookbook and will share it with you below:

Beouf Bourguignon

Adapted from Barefoot in Paris cookbook

by Ina Garten

1 tablespoon good olive oil

8 ounces good bacon, diced

2  1/2 pounds beef chuck cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)

1/2 cup Cognac

1 (750-ml) bottle Burgundy wine

2 to 2-1/2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pound mushrooms, stems discarded caps thickly sliced (optional – I don’t always add)

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset.  Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.  Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned.  Do not toss all the meat in at once or you will not adequately brown the meat – instead you would sweat the meat & it would turn the greyish color.  Set meat aside.

Toss the carrots, yellow onions, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper into the fat in the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the Cognac, stand back (I can’t emphasize this enough from experience)  , and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol.  DO NOT HAVE THE HOOD VENT ON   Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with any juices that have accumulated on the plate.  I often times keep the beef & bacon separate.  I feel like the cooked bacon gets chewy & its a texture issue for me…so often times I cook it in the pan to get the flavor in the pot & then toss the actual bacon or use it for something else.  It’s up to you.  Add the wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat.  Add the tomato paste and thyme.  Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and place it in the oven for about 1-1/4 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.  Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.

Combine 2 tablespoons of the butter and flour with a fork and stir into the stew.  In a medium pan, saute the mushrooms in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, and then add to the stew (optional).  Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  Season to taste.  Bon Appétit!!