This past weekend, I hosted a dinner party for friends. Now that the evenings are cooler, I wanted to serve something warm, hearty, and comforting. A perfect one-pot meal for the season? Boeuf Bourguignon. It’s the kind of dish that fills the kitchen with the most incredible aroma and is the ultimate comfort food.

Full disclosure: the recipe isn’t mine. It’s from one of my favorite cookbooks, Julia and Jacques: Cooking at Home. Simple, delicious, and always a crowd-pleaser.

I grew up watching Julia Child on TV—her shows were as entertaining as they were drool-worthy. She was one of my earliest kitchen influences, and yes, much like in the movie Julie & Julia, I too once attempted to cook my way through many of her recipes. Of course, her classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking is still an essential in my kitchen. An oldie but a goodie, it proves that French cooking doesn’t have to be complicated—it can be timeless, approachable, and always delicious.

Boeuf Bourguignon

6 strips of bacon, cut into paperclip size pieces

2 Tbsp vegetable oil, or canola, plus more if needed

One 3-1/2 – 4lb boneless beef chuck roast or top blade cut into 1″ cubes

salt and freshly ground pepper

For the herb-and-vegetable bouquet

1-1/2 cups chopped onion, in 1/2 inch pieces

1-1/2 cups peeled and chopped carrot, in 1/2 inch pieces

6 sprigs fresh thyme

3 bay leaves

A handful of parsley stems (about 10)

1 head of garlic, cloves separated and crushed but not peeled

The cooking liquid

1 large tomato, cored and chopped

1 bottle sturdy red wine, preferably a pinot noir

1 to 2 cups strong dark beef stock

Onion-and-mushroom garnish

18-20 small white pearl onions, fresh (blanched w/skins removed) or frozen about 1-1/4inch

1-1/2 Tbsp butter

1/2 sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup more of the dark stock

10 oz fresh button mushrooms, trimmed and cleaned

Finishing the sauce

2 Tbsp soft butter, or more as needed

2 Tbsp flour or more

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup or more red wine

Serving

Fresh parsley, finely chopped (1/4 cup or so)

Putting it together

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven (I like using my Le Creuset) over medium heat. Add the bacon and sauté until the fat is rendered and the pieces are crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan. If needed, add a little more oil.

Season the beef chunks with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon (or more) freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat until the fat is very hot but not smoking. Working in batches, add the beef in a single layer with space between the pieces—if the pan is overcrowded, the meat will steam instead of sear. Brown on all sides, turning with tongs, until well crusted, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned beef to a large bowl, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Once all the beef is browned, carefully drain off and discard the excess fat. Pour in 1 cup of wine, bring it to a simmer, and deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Return the beef and its juices to the Dutch oven.

Preparing the herb-and-vegetable bouquet and stewing the meat

I know Julia prefers to pile all the herbs and vegetables in the middle of a piece of cheesecloth, which you can do. I prefer to make a hole in the centre of the beef, layering the onion, carrots, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, parsley stems, and garlic. Scatter the tomato pieces on top of the meat and pour the remaining wine and enough stock (a cup or two) just to cover the meat chunks.

Bring the liquid to a simmer on the top of the stove, cover, and set it into the preheated oven. Cook for about two hours, keeping the stew at a barely active simmer until the beef is fork-tender but not falling apart. To be safe, test the meat every 15 minutes after 1-1/2 hours of stewing, don’t overcook.

When the meat is done, set the casserole on the stovetop. You can leave at this point, storing in the fridge once cool, let the stew marinate in the cooking liquid, with the herbs and aromatic vegetables. Finish the stew the next day, or even the day after. Otherwise, remove the herb and vegetables from the centre with tongs or a slotted spoon.

Place the onions in one layer in a saucepan with the butter, sugar, pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup of stock. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and cook for approx 8-10 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until all the liquid evaporates and shake the pan so the onions are glazed all over in the butter and sugar.

Add the mushrooms to the pan, fold and toss with the onions, and cook them together over moderate heat as the mushrooms release their liquid and start to brown. When all the vegetables are glazed and coloured, set aside. Deglaze the saucepan with a few spoonfuls of wine or stock and pour that into the stew.

Return the stew to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.  With a fork, blend 2 tbsp of flour and 2 tbsp of butter in a small bowl to make a thick paste, or beurre manié, and add it in the same manner, a tablespoon or so at a time. Repeat if the stew needs additional thickening.

When ready to serve, reheat the stew, add the onions and mushrooms, stir in about 1/4 cup or so of red wine, and heat through. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings. Serve the stew in large individual rimmed soup bowls,( sprinkle with a bit of minced parsley). Complete your meal with mashed or scalloped potatoes, a green salad and definitely a great bottle of red!

Bon Appetite!

“People who love to eat are always the best people”… Julia Child

LC

xo