Linderhof


Gardening, Cooking and Decorating on the Prairie of Kansas


Welcome to Linderhof, our 1920's home on the prairie, where there's usually something in the oven, flowers in the garden for tabletops and herbs in the garden for cooking. Where, when company comes, the teapot is always on and there are cookies and cakes to share in the larder.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Finally . . . Beef Bourguignon


Julie and Julia came out in the summer and the one dish that ran through the whole movie was beef bourguignon. You leave the movie wanting beef bourguignon. You crave it!

But alas, August and the heat of summer is not beef bourguignon weather. It's a fall and winter dish . . .

And so we waited for cooler weather to come to the prairie . . . and it finally came.

Beef Bourguignon is usually not the first cool weather dish I make -- a big pot of vegetable soup is . . . but I was still craving it (especially after the second and third watch of J and J).

And it met every expectation . . . the meat was meltingly tender, the vegetables perfect and the burgundy that went into it was perfect as well as the burgundy Husband Jim chose to drink with it.

I toasted bread and rubbed it with garlic. I put this in the bowl first and then ladled the bourguignon on top. It is so good this way!
I do have a confession to make, however. I did NOT use Julia's recipe -- I used Ina Garten's. I like Ina's and have made it frequently . . . I've never made Julia's (although I probably should). Ina's recipe must have roots in Julia's for you paper towel the meat dry!

It was as good the second day as it was the first.

Beef Bourguignon

1 T. olive oil
8 ounces bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound baby carrots
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup Cognac
1 (750) bottle dry red wine (I used burgundy)
2 cups beef broth
1 T. tomato paste
1 t. fresh thyme leaves
4 T. butter, divided
3 T. flour
1 pound frozen whole onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving:
Country bread toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (Le Creuset is perfect for this). Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 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 then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batchs 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. Set aside.

Toss the carrots and onions, 1 T. salt and 2 t. pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol.

Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer 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.

Combine 2 T. of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 T of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

To serve, toast the bread, rub each slice on 1 side with cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.

15 comments:

Blondie's Journal said...

I haven't seen the movie yet, but your post had my moouth watering!

I usually dry my meat very well with a paper towel before browning. It not only browns better, but the drippings are then more tasty for making the gravy, which you know, is so important in this dish.

Gorgeous picture!!

xoxo
Jane

Anonymous said...

I really need to see that movie as much as I LOVE to cook! This recipe looks divine and so good for a cold night!!

Erica (Irene) said...

Martha........with this cooler weather I should be making Beef Bourguignon also. Looks good and delicous. Thanks for posting.

House things I like said...

I'm waiting for the movie to be available on Netflix. Maybe I'll prepare this recipe for the evening we watch it. And, I sure hope it will be in the winter!

Mary Bergfeld said...

I especially like that 1/2 cup gognac. Tour beef cubes have to meet my raisins :-). Have a great day.

Unknown said...

I love a good beef meal lately.

I still need to see that movie....

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Beef Bourguignon is one of our very favorite recipes. It's great for making ahead when you have guests.
Sam

theUngourmet said...

This looks so delicious! I wish I had a Dutch Oven. Maybe I'll get one for Christmas if I hint around to my husband enough. :D

Unknown said...

Haven't sen the movie,but I want to.If it wasn't 90+* here,in florida,today,I would be making that for dinner tonite.I think we'll grill,instead.

Juliana said...

Oh! This is a very nice dish...will try your version next time :-), nothing like a beef bourguignon in this kind of weather.

Bernideen said...

I am so impressed - this looks delicious! Do you know that last night my husband and I went back to see the movie again and it was GONE! It will be out on video in December (we then went to the video store looking)Thank you so much for this recipe!

Andrea said...

Hi...I just wanted to leave you a post from your post on my blog. I'm glad I got your wheels turning regarding the fall tree that i did. I started to buy pine cones but why not use the ones that nature provided! and I always try to make my decorating multipurpose use it for more than one season or theme. Also this beef bourguigonon recipe looks so good! like you could eat if right off the computer.

Be blessed,
ag

Phyllis @Around the House said...

I'll be right over for dinner. I will sure give this recipe a try as it looks just wonderful...Thanks for sharing the recipe...

Bumble Bee Cottage said...

Hi Martha, your Beef Bourguignon looks delicious. I still haven’t managed to see this movie but it certainly is the buzz of blogland (any of the food based blogs that is). I'll just have to wait for the DVD as it is unlikely to come to Guernsey. I have only made Beef Bourguignon twice beef-ore (ha, ha, groan!) so I think I will have to give it another try this winter now that the kids are getting a bit more adventurous and wanting to try new things.

Penny said...

Many of Julia and Ina's recipes are similar. I think she learned from the master. I am anxious to see the movie again. Your Beef Bourguignon is tantalizing.