Julie, Julia and Alexis

This weekend I discovered a new favorite food, Beef Bourginon.  It is a French style beef stew with many steps, but so worth the effort.  A warning to anyone that makes it, set aside a whole day because you will need it.

I started my Saturday at 10 AM making this dish,  It was ready to be served at 5 PM.  Now to make this one I bought myself a new present,  A dutch oven.  I did so some shopping around to find one that was in my budget and was the size I wanted.  I ended up getting Martha Stewart's 7 Quart for $60.  It is made of cast iron so it is heavy.  If you are wondering why it is so different than some normal cookware it is because it can be used on the stove top as well as in the oven.  You don't have to worry about you handles not being oven safe or your lids not being able to go in the oven either.  It is made to keep your moisture in the pot to help cook and flavor your food.

I am not going to go into all the steps in the process of making this dish, I have the recipe listed below, but I will go through what I learned while making it.

The beef you want to use is an inexpensive cut , like a stew beef, we are cooking low and slow so it will tenderize the meat while it cooks.  It is cooked in a 2 step process, first seared in a pan then braised in the pot.  You can sear your meat in the pot by putting some oil in it and letting it heat up.  It is pretty important to dry off your meat with a paper towel before you put it in your pan.  It will stick to the pot better and get a good sear in it.  Now contrary to popular belief, searing meat does not lock in it's juices,  it helps to put a good carmelization on it and add good flavor and color to it.  Resist the urge to move it around.  You want it to stick to the pan for a little bit, if you move it you will disrupt the browning.  You also want the suc's to form on the bottom of the pot.  That is the brown that sticks on the pot itself (called fonds when referring to your veggies like the mirepoix) , that is loaded with flavor and is meant to go in gravy's and sauce's. After your meat is cooked and taken out you can add some water or broth to the bottom of the pan go loosen them from the bottom.

This dish is also made with a red wine.  I choose a Merlot, an inexpensive one. You could also use a chianti or a burgundy.  It just needs to be a good dry red.  I'll tell you it smelled so good simmering in the pot.

Remember I said this dish is meant to cook LOW and SLOW so you do not need to open the lid up and stir it around.  Just let it go.  Your meat will not stick but if you stir it too much you will start to take apart your meat cubes and you want them to keep their shape.  At the end of the 4 hour simmer it will be time to strain out your juices from the pot (keep them!) and take out your meat and put in a bowl.  You can discard the mirepoix that is in that mixture (carrots and onions).  You will then put the juices back in the pot to begin the reduction stage,  this is where your juices will cook down and get thicker to make a sauce.

Me and some of my guests, the Lindblom's.

This dish can be served over a pasta like egg noodles or mashed potatoes.  I made garlic ones for my dinner. I also had a good loaf of crusty French bread on hand to soaking up the gravy, it was way too good to wash down the sink.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures of this dish, I had guests over to share the meal with and was more worried about getting the food out than snapping a picture of it.  I will tell you though that every one left full and happy, and I am already craving it again.