Boeuf A La Bourguignon With Heartshaped Croutons Recipes

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Cook and stir beef in the same skillet until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle flour, marjoram, thyme, and pepper over beef. Pour red wine and beef broth into the skillet; stir well. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beef is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Stir onions into the skillet. Add mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and sauce is thick and dark brown, about 30 minutes.

BOEUF A LA BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the red wine, beef stock, brandy, onion, carrots, garlic, parsley sprigs, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, and bay leaf and stir well. Add the beef and stir. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.
• Drain the beef and reserve the marinade and vegetables separately. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Set the beef and vegetables aside.
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Remove the outer rind of the slab bacon. Cut the bacon into lardons: 1 inch long strips about 1/4- inch thick. In a small saucepan, cover the lardons and the rind with cold water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain the lardons and rind, pat them dry, and reserve both.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the lardons and cook, stirring, until crisp and their fat has rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lardons to paper towels to drain.
• Season the beef with salt and pepper, dredge in the flour, and shake off any excess.
• Raise the heat to high and, working in batches, brown the beef. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat and return to high heat. Add the reserved vegetable mixture and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 5 minutes.
• Return all of the browned beef to the pot. Add the reserved marinade liquid, and reserved bacon rind. Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the stew to the oven and cook, covered, until the beef is very tender, about 3 hours.
• Remove the stew from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Strain the liquid and discard the solids. Return the beef and strained broth to the Dutch oven with the lardons.
• Put the pearl onions in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter and the sugar. Cover the onions with water and season with salt and pepper. Simmer the onions over medium-high heat until almost tender. Raise heat to high, and reduce the cooking liquid to about 2 tablespoons. Continue to cook the onions, shaking the pan over the heat, until the onions are golden brown and glazed. Transfer the onions to the stew.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in another skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms, tossing often, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the stew.
• In a small bowl, cream together the tablespoon of softened butter with the tablespoon of flour. Roll the mixture into pea-sized pieces.
• Bring the stew to a simmer and, while stirring gently, add enough beurre manie, bit by bit, to lightly thicken the sauce.
• Divide the stew among 6 shallow soup plates and garnish each with a crouton. Serve immediately with pasta or boiled potatoes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush both sides of the bread with the butter and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake the croutons until golden brown. Dip the edges of the bread in the stew to moisten; then in parsley to lightly coat the edges.
• Yield: 6 croutons

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON A LA JULIA CHILD

Steps:

• First prepare the bacon: cut off the rind and reserve.
• Cut the bacon into lardons about 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" long.
• Simmer the rind and the lardons for ten minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water.
• Drain and dry the lardons and rind and reserve.
• Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
• Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large (9" - 10" wide, 3" deep) fireproof casserole and warm over moderate heat.
• Saute the lardons for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly.
• Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
• Dry off the pieces of beef and saute them, a few at a time in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides.
• Once browned, remove to the side plate with the bacon.
• In the same oil/fat, saute the onion and the carrot until softened.
• Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole with the carrots and onion.
• Toss the contents of the casserole with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
• Set the uncovered casserole in the oven for four minutes.
• Toss the contents of the casserole again and return to the hot oven for 4 more minutes.
• Now, lower the heat to 325°F and remove the casserole from the oven.
• Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered.
• Add the tomato paste, garlic and herbs and the bacon rind.
• Bring to a simmer on the top of the stove.
• Cover and place in the oven, adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly for three to four hours.
• The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
• While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed.
• For the onion, if using frozen, make sure they are defrosted and drained.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
• Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart.
• Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover.
• Simmer over low heat for about 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
• Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.
• For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet.
• As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes.
• As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
• To Finish the Stew:.
• When the meat is tender, remover the casserole from the oven and empty its contents into a sieve set over a saucepan.
• Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it (discarding the bits of carrot and onion and herbs which remain in the sieve).
• Distribute the mushrooms and onions over the meat.
• Skim the fat off the sauce and simmer it for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
• You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
• If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock.
• If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency.
• Taste for seasoning.
• Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
• If you are serving immediately, place the covered casserole over medium low heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve in the casserole or on a warm platter surrounded by noodles, potatoes or rice and garnished with fresh parsley.
• If serving later or the next day, allow the casserole to cool and place cold, covered casserole in the refrigerator.
• 20 minutes prior to serving, place over medium low heat and simmer very slowly for ten minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

PARSLEY-RIMMED CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush both sides of the bread with the butter and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake the croutons until golden brown. Dip the edges of the bread in the stew to moisten; then in parsley to lightly coat the edges.

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole with a lid and place over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp and has given up most of its fat, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, add the meat, and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, turning the cubes as they brown and sprinkling them with salt and pepper, until the meat is brown and crisp all over, at least 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onion, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, and parsley, along with some more salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, then add the mushrooms and pearl onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes; transfer with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl. Add the wine and let it bubble for a minute, then return the meat to the pan, along with the chopped onion mixture.
• Cover and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers gently for about an hour, then return the mushroom-pearl onion mixture, along with the bacon. Re-cover and continue to cook until the meat is tender, adding a little more liquid if the mixture threatens to dry out. Depending on the meat, the dish could be done in as little as 30 minutes more or in three times as long. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then garnish and serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before reheating.