Boeuf En Daube Classic French Beef Burgundy Stew Bourguignon Recipes

CLASSIC BEEF BURGUNDY STEW

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper. Add beef in batches and brown thoroughly.
• Put beef into a soup pot with wine, beef base, consomme, onion, celery, parsley, basil, bay leaves and garlic salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until meat is tender.
• Add carrots and potatoes; simmer until tender. Add mushrooms and cook a few minutes longer until mushrooms are cooked through. Adjust seasonings, to taste.
• To thicken, mix cornstarch with enough water to form a smooth, slightly thick mixture; stir into stew, remove from heat and serve.

BOEUF EN DAUBE - FRENCH BEEF BURGUNDY IN THE CROCK POT

Steps:

• Marinade the beef with the herbs, shallots & garlic over night in the bottle of red wine.
• Drain and put the wine to one side.
• In a large skillet or fryng pan, sear & brown the beef pieces over a high heat in the olive oil until nutty & brown. Do not overcrowd the pan!
• Place browned beef into the crock pot or cast iron Le Creuset Casserole Dish.
• Fry the lardons or chopped bacon pieces until crispy & golden brown. Drain & add to the beef.
• Brown the shallots & garlic in the bacon fat & add to the beef & bacon.
• Add all the other ingredients, except the cornflour, to the crock pot including the reserved wine.
• (Add the tinned tomatoes & sun dried tomatoes at this stage too if you are using them.).
• Cook on automatic or High for 4 hours and Low for up to 6 hours.
• (For conventional cooking - pre-heat oven to 175 degs C or 325 degs F or gas mark 3 and cook SLOWLY for approximately 4 to 6 hours; check towards the end, the meat should be extemely tender - you MUST not be tempted to cook it quicker, it will be tough!).
• Towards the end, blend & mix the cornflour with a couple of spoons of the stock in the crock pot & add to the beef, stirring well. It should not be TOO thick but just like a glaze or thickened jus. Add the cognac at this stage as well - sirring into the daube.
• Serve with Green Beans, Mashed, Steamed or Pureed Potatoes during the colder months OR with a selection of salads, crusty French bread & Pasta during the warmer months. The excess sauce can be used or saved as a fantastic gravy or stock later!
• THIS IS BETTER MADE 24 HOURS BEFORE EATING!
• Freezes beautifully - I always make a large batch and then freeze some.
• NOTE:If you cannot buy sun dried orange peel, make your own, it's VERY easy! Peel some oranges with a swivel head vegetable peeler or parer, be careful not to peel the pith. Spread outside on a rack in the full sun and leave to dry for about 2-4 hours. Weather permitting of course - otherwise dry in an airing cupboard or a very LOW oven overnight.Store in an airtight jar for up to 2 years.
• If you are really stuck - just grate some fresh orange peel into the daube, it will not have the same intensity as dried peel, but it will work!

BOEUF EN DAUBE - CLASSIC FRENCH BEEF BURGUNDY STEW (BOURGUIGNON)

Steps:

• In a large non-reactive bowl, combine beef, Cognac, cloves, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf, sage, thyme, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, orange peel, wine, and mushrooms. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days, stirring from time to time.
• Bring the meat and vegetables to room temperature. Drain, reserving the marinade.
• Blot the beef and veggies dry with paper towels.
• Preheat oven to 325F/175°C.
• In a large heavy oven proof dish (such as a cast iron dutch oven or Le Creuset), fry the bacon over medium heat until it renders its fat, about 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to paper towels and reserve.
• Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, add the meat and vegetables to the fat in the pan, and brown them on all sides over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper as they brown, about 7 minutes per batch.
• Transfer to a platter. Add the marinade to the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by one-third, about 8 minutes. Skim off the foam from the surface. Add the stock or consomme, and simmer another 8 minutes, until reduced again by one-third. Stir in the pinch of sugar and the tomato paste, (and add the diced tomatoes and green olives now, if using).
• Return the meat, vegetables and reserved bacon to the pot. Cover and bake in the oven until the meat is tender, 2 1/2-3 hours. -OR- alternately, at this stage you can cook in the crock-pot on LOW heat 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH heat 4 to 6 hours.
• Serve with a rustic bread for mopping the juices, along with a green salad and a platter of cheeses.
• Freezes and reheats beautifully. Leftovers will make a lovely Cottage-Shepherd's Pie a la Provencale, see my recipe #355446.

CLASSIC FRENCH BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Step 1 - About 2 hours before cooking, pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season them well with salt and black pepper. Let rest to near room temperature.
• Step 2 - On the stove top over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch-oven. Add the bacon strips and cook for about 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked and lightly crisp. Set aside, leaving the fat drippings in the Dutch-Oven.
• Pre-heat your oven to 325°F ( 163°C) with a rack in the middle.
• Step 3 - Working in batches, add the beef cubes to the Dutch-oven and brown them, about 3 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcrowd or overlap any meat cubes or they won't brown properly. It should take about 3 to 4 batches to brown 2 ½ lbs of beef. Transfer the browned beef to a separate bowl or plate.
• Step 4 - Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the Dutch-oven and add the garlic, carrots, pearl onions, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the onions are glistening.
• Step 5 - Add the beef and bacon back in the Dutch-oven. Add the tomato paste and sprinkle with the flour. Stir all the ingredients until no dry flour is visible. Pour in the red wine, brandy and beef stock so the meat is barely covered. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes in the oven.
• While the stew cooks in the oven - Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, season to taste with salt and black pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked and lightly browned.
• Take the Beef Bourguignon out of the oven and stir in the mushrooms. Return the pot to the oven for 30 more minutes. Take the Beef Bourguignon out of the oven, adjust seasoning if needed (salt, pepper). Let the Beef Bourguignon sit for 15 minutes before serving.

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON (BEEF BURGUNDY)

Steps:

• Blanch bacon with 1 cup of water in a nonstick pan, to render and give off enough fat to fry with. Remove bacon into a bowl and set aside.
• In the same pan, throw the beef cubes in, few pieces at a time. Sauté until nicely brown on all sides using rendered fat from bacon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then remove browned beef from the pan into the bowl with bacon and set aside.
• In the same fat and pan, brown cubed carrots and sliced onions. Poured out excess fat before the meat and bacon are put back into the pan. Then toss with salt, pepper and flour to coat lightly the meat. Cook till flour in meat turns brown with a light crust. Turn meat and vegetables once while cooking.
• When done, remove the meat and vegetables into a large casserole. Deglaze the pan with red wine, pouring it into the casserole along with the beef stock, almost to cover the meat and vegetables. Stir in the tomatoes and added the herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer and covered. Regulate heat so that liquid simmer very slowly for 4 hours or until the meat is tender and sauce has reduced. It is worth checking the meat every hour and if the level of liquid drops, gradually add half a cup each of the beef stock and red wine.
• When the stew is done, prepare the shallots and mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir in 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, add shallots and sauté over moderate heat, gently rolling them till brown evenly. Then add 1 cup of the stock left, salt and pepper and the same herb bouquet used in the stew. Cover and simmer slowly until the shallots are tender, and the liquid evaporates. Then remove the herb bouquet and set the shallots aside.
• In the same skillet, heat remaining oil and butter over high heat and add the mushrooms, tossing them till brown slightly. Then remove from heat. Set the mushrooms aside until needed.
• Pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Simmer the sauce for 2 minutes in the saucepan, allowing the sauce to reduce gently, to give a rich finish to this dish. Season carefully with salt and pepper.
• Wash out the casserole and put back to heat and return the meat and vegetables. Pour sauce over the meat and vegetables into the casserole. Add in the shallots and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for another 2 minutes, gently basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.
• Serve hot in a casserole or arrange on a stew platter over mashed potatoes or favorite cooked pasta and garnish with parsley.