RECIPE: Beef Bourguignon
BY Andrew Brown
CW San Francisco, Center of Plate Specialist
Fall, my favorite time of year! Football season is in full swing. The World Series, an epic battle of two baseball franchises without a championship for a combined 176 years, went the distance to a nail-biting Game 7. The weather offers just enough chill to warrant digging jackets and wool sweaters out of storage. Likewise, it’s time to get out the cast-iron dutch oven and braise some beef.
Braising is a labor and cost-effective way to add a sumptuous beef entrée to your menu.
From the French verb ‘braiser,’ meaning ‘to roast’, braising is achieved by first searing the beef at high temperature, then slowly finishing it in moist heat, in a covered pot at lower temperature.
Options abound when choosing a beef cut for braising — short ribs, brisket, bottom round, and chuck roll to name a few.
One of my favorite dishes growing up in New England was beef bourguignon; it never failed to warm the soul on brisk fall days. You can find this classic recipe below. Perfect for preparing at home or for your menu, it can be jazzed up a little by substituting a celery root mousse for potatoes as an accompaniment.
Del Monte
“Service our Motto, Quality our Brand.” So reads the mission statement of Del Monte Meat Company, supplying Northern California with top quality meats since it was founded in San Francisco in 1926.
Del Monte offers the best beef, pork, lamb, veal, poultry, in the market. They also carry a large variety of deli and sausage items, smoked and cured meats, fully-cooked, ready-to-serve meats and frozen portion-controlled products.
Beef Bourguignon Ingredients:
– 16 ounces Baker’s bacon, medium dice
– 3 pounds trimmed Allen Brothers Angus boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
– Salt & pepper
– 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
– 1 1/4 pounds pearl onions, peeled
– 3/4 pound large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
– 12 large garlic cloves, peeled (left whole)
– 3 cups veal stock
– 1 cup Cognac or brandy
– 2 750-ml bottles red Burgundy wine
– 1 1/4 pounds mushrooms
– 1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried thyme
– 4 bay leaves
– 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
– 1 tablespoon tomato paste
– 4 tablespoon minced chopped fines herbs (parsley, chervil, tarragon, chive)
Celery Root Mousse Ingredients:
– 2 pounds peeled celery root, sliced thin (1/4”)
– 6 ounces butter
– 16 ounces whole milk
– 2-3 teaspoons of kosher salt
PREPARATION
– Preheat oven to 325°F. Sauté bacon in large dutch oven over high heat until brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Season beef generously with salt and pepper, and coat with 1/3 cup flour. Working in 3 batches, brown beef in same pot over high heat, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer meat to large bowl. Add onions and carrots to same pot and sauté until light brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to bowl with beef.
– Add 1 cup broth and Cognac to pot. Boil until reduced to a glaze, scraping up browned bits — about 8 minutes. Return meat and vegetables, and their juices, to pot. Add wine, mushrooms, thyme, sugar, tomato paste and 2 cups broth. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and place in oven. Cook until beef is tender, about 80 minutes.
– Ladle liquid from stew into large saucepan. Spoon off fat. Boil liquid until reduced to 2 3/4 cups, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour liquid back over beef and vegetables. (Can be prepared 1 day in advance. If doing so, cover and chill, then rewarm over low heat before serving)
– While beef is cooking, add butter to a medium-sized sauce pot over medium heat.
– Once butter is melted, add celery root and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent, about ten minutes. Ensure you do not brown the celery root.
– Add the milk and the salt, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Do not boil.
– Transfer ingredients to a Vitamix blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Add more salt if necessary.
– To serve, spoon 4-6 ounces of the celery root mousse into a bowl, ladle the beef bourguignon into middle of the bowl, and sprinkle with the fine herbs. Serve with some nice, rustic country bread.
