#tbt Boeuf Bourguignon

Nothing quite says French cuisine in such an iconic way as Boeuf Bourguignon. Julia Child's recipe has become a famous go-to for anyone attempting to cook a "fancy" French dish. I admit, that I was once one of them. And I encourage anyone else to give it a try.

However, there really is nothing fancy about boeuf bourguignon. It is a simple stew. The first time I made it, I would have disagreed with myself. But, today we made the beef stew in the kitchen and it was actually quite easy.

You can find a boeuf bourguignon recipe very quickly on line or in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. 

Here is a link of Julia's show where she actually makes the stew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA2ys8C-lNk (and no, it's not actually Dan Aykroyd. That can be found here: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tnc9_the-french-chef_fun)

Making boeuf bourguignon today, in the professional way, I learned a few things that are not in the recipe books and that I did not know the first time I attempted the stew.

First: It is served with potatoes that MUST be turned. A "turned" potato is a potato that has been peeled into a cylinder-like shape but with 5-7 sides. These potatoes are then just boiled and washed in butter for a shine right serving.

(turned potatoes! This looks easy, but it has taken about 75 potatoes for me to finally get it perfectly.)

Second: You MUST marinate your meat for 5-24 hours in a red wine sauce with mirepoix, garlic, and spices before starting to cook it. Choose recipes that include this marinading process

Third: When the stew comes out of the oven, you must strain it then REDUCE your sauce before adding it back to the beef, mushrooms, glazed onions, and lardon. It should be thick, but not as thick as most sauces. It is still a stew.

Four: Serve your stew with croutons. But these croutons should be cut fairly large- not the little ones that we are used to eating in our salads. To make them, cut large strips (or shapes!) into stale bread. Then, heat up an iron skillet with either clarified butter or oil with butter (add the butter right before-hand). The oil keeps the heat without burning, but the butter gives the flavor. It takes about 15 seconds per side.

Other tips:
-Cook the Boeuf Bourguignon longer for more tender, typical braised meat (2-2.5 hours)
-Always blanch your lardon (bacon) to rid it of impurities
-Make sure to boil and then strain out all impurities from your marinading liquid before adding it back into your meat mixture
-Add a little bit of coarse salt right before you put the stew in the oven- not for taste, but to encourage infusion of flavors while it cooks

Good luck, happy Thursday, and hopefully yours will turn out just like the chef's!