Beef Bourguignon from Williams-Sonoma Essentials of French Cooking

I look through this book as if it were a catalog. Remember doing that as a child...flipping through the toy catalogs and circling the toys you wanted? I don't take a pen to this treasured book but I do glaze over, planning meals and making lists of ingredients.








A bowl of Beef Bourguignon



I'm ready to cook..........the seduction of the process and aromas put a smile on my face.

Get your ingredients at the ready



A traditional dish from Burgundy, France, beef bourguignonne is a savory stew of meat and vegetables braised in red wine. You may prepare this using a slow cooker (which produces tender results) but I love my Le Creuset dutch oven. Beef demi-glace adds depth of flavor.

Ingredients:

1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
lb. beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 thick bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
2 yellow onions, sliced 1⁄4 inch thick
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
6 fresh thyme sprigs
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 lb. white button mushrooms, halved
1 bottle Pinot Noir
1 Tbs. beef demi-glace
Steamed baby red potatoes tossed with butter and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for
serving (optional)

Directions:

Place the flour in a large bowl. Season the beef with salt and pepper, add to the flour and stir to coat evenly. Transfer to a plate, shaking off the excess flour.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until almost smoking. Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. (Transfer to a slow cooker at this point if you'd like to finish it this way).

Add vegetables and cook over low heat, add wine. If it's simmered a few hours at a very low temperature the results are melt-in-your-mouth stew.

Enjoy!