Cookbook:Boeuf Bourguignon

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Cookbook | Recipes | France | Meat | Stews

Boeuf Bourguignon
Category:	French recipes
Servings:	6 to 8
Time:	3 hours
Difficulty:

Boeuf bourguignon (French for Burgundy beef) is a well known, traditional French stew prepared with beef braised in red wine (originally Burgundy wine) and beef broth, flavored with garlic, onions, carrots, a bouquet garni and garnished with mushrooms.^[1][2]

Formerly, chefs larded the meat with lardons, but modern beef is so tender and well marbled that this time-consuming technique is rarely necessary.

Julia Child included a recipe for boeuf bourguignon in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, her famous first book.

Child recommends serving boeuf bourguignon with one of three starchy side dishes: boiled potatoes (the traditional option), buttered noodles, or steamed rice. She also recommends serving buttered green peas for a green vegetable.

She points out that boeuf bourguignon is a dish that benefits from a day in the refrigerator.

"Fortunately you can prepare it competely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated."

[edit] History

Boeuf bourguignon is one of many examples of peasant dishes slowly evolving into haute cuisine. Most likely, the method of slowly simmering beef in wine originated as a means of tenderizing cuts of meat that would have been too tough to cook any other way. Also, simmering these two ingredients together helps to create a unique and pleasant flavor.

Eventually, the dish became a standard of French cuisine and Auguste Escoffier was the first to publish the authentic boeuf bourguignon recipe.^[3] However, over time it has undergone subtle alterations, owing to changes in cooking equipment and available food supplies.

[edit] Alternate spellings

• beef bourguignon (This is the dish's most common English name.)
• bœuf à la bourguignonne^[4]
• bœuf bourguignon (Le Cordon Bleu Professional Cooking, Wayne Gisslen, Fifth Edition, 2003)
• beef bourguignonne (incorrect spelling found for example in Food Lover's Companion, Sharon Tyler Herbst, Third Edition, 2001)^[5]
  

[edit] Ingredients

• 3 large onions
• 1kg beef, blade steak, or stewing shoulder cut
• 300g of chopped carrot
• 300g of button mushrooms
• bouquet of herbs: basil, rosemary and thyme tied with string
• 2-4 cups of red wine
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• flour

Note: Use a low-fat cut of beef and serve with boiled potatoes or steamed rice on the side to lower the fat and calories of this dish.

[edit] Preparation

1. Cut beef into large, five-centimeter chunks. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil.
2. Cook beef a small amount at a time in a dutch oven or large saucepan until it's golden brown on the outside. Remove each portion as it's done and set aside.
3. Add three large onions and garlic to the same pot and cook till golden brown.
4. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of flour. Cook a few minutes longer.
5. Add one to two cups of red wine.
6. Bring wine to a boil then simmer for five minutes.
7. Add beef, carrots, herbs and mushrooms.
8. Add another couple of cups of red wine and water; enough to cover the meat and vegetables.
9. Cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove surface scum as required.

[edit] Tip

Use leftovers to make meat pies or puff pastries.

Wikipedia has related information at Beef bourguignon

[edit] References