Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon Demystified

Cooking Directions:

Note: You will need a dutch oven for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté bacon in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole dish over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Dry beef cubes in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat some of the fat trimmings in your casserole dish until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Remove to a side dish.

In the same fat, brown the sliced carrots and onion. When done, pour out the excess fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole dish uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat again and return to oven for an additional 4 minutes (this browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust).
Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.
Cover casserole dish and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. (Please note I had to lower the heat to 200 to keep it from boiling, so periodically check the beef.)

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Braised Onions:
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining oil until bubbling in a skillet. Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly. Add 1/2 cup of beef stock, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer slowly for 30-40 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but still hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. My liquid never evaporated, but the onion were tender. Set aside.

Mushrooms:
Heat 1 Tablespoon of butter over high heat, add mushroom and saute.Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Heat the sauce until it is reduced – it should lightly coat the back of a spoon. Return the beef and veggies to the pan. Add onions and mushrooms to beef. Pour sauce back into pan, and heat for 2-3 minutes.