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To first quote Julia Child, beef bourguignon is "... one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man". Whether your family needs to shake off a winter chill or you're looking to stir up a little romance (Valentine's anyone?), this French classic, a slow-cooking beef stew, may be just the trick.
What, you ask, is beef bourguignon (also spelled beouf bourguignonne and pronounced [boor-gee-NYON])? Well, it's beef (duh) that's prepared in the fashion of one of France's most famous wine (and gastronomic) regions, Burgundy. The meat is braised in red wine and usually includes mushrooms and small white onions.
But that's the clinical description, the cold and almost unappetizing one from a food dictionary. To almost taste beef bourguignon, even here in pixels, let's turn to a favorite BlogHer, Clotilde Dusoulier. (Clotilde? You know, the Clotilde, of Chocolate & Zucchini, one of the first 'famous' food bloggers and now food writer and cookbook author of Chocolate & Zucchini: Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen. Clotilde's recipe is included in her cookbook, I followed it quite closely to make my own version of beef bourguignon.)
Tell us how beef bourguignon figures in your own life.
Clotilde: "Boeuf bourguignon is the king of French stews, and it is the first kind I made when I got my beloved cast-iron cocotte. To me, there is something very grownup and nurturing about making this sort of dish for your friends, and I like the fact that all the work is done beforehand, so that the cook can make it seem effortless (which is, I believe, the impression most French cooks want to give)."
I think of beef bourguignon as "special occasion" food. Is that the case in France? If so, what kind of occasions?
Clotilde: "Even though it isn't really cheap to make, boeuf bourguignon (or any beef stew) calls for cheaper cuts of beef, so it isn't the most special dish you could serve -- and I don't think anyone would serve it for a holiday meal, for instance -- but it is a widely appreciated, comforting, grandmotherly dish that you'd make for a dinner party, or a family meal on a Sunday. And it is definitely a cold-weather dish."
You've lived in the States. Is there an American dish here that strikes you as "traditional" and "special occasion" here as beef bourguignon is to France?
Clotilde: "A dish of lasagna or a potpie, perhaps?"
Most of recipes for beef bourguignon include fresh mushrooms and pearl onions. Yours doesn't, is there a reason?
Clotilde: "That's correct: the classic recipe, as taught in culinary school, calls for mushrooms and glazed pearl onions as a garnish (they don't cook with the rest of the ingredients). But in my experience, home cooks often skip them: what I like about boeuf bourguignon is that it is a simple, one-pot dish, and having to sauté the mushrooms separately, and peel and glaze those maddeningly small (and expensive) pearl onions sort of defeats that purpose of simplicity. I also think the dish has enough depth of flavor as it is -- but if you want to add mushrooms and pearl onions, I have no objection of course."
Since beef bourguignon is a heavy meal, perhaps you'd suggest a dessert that would be an appropriate finish to the meal?
Clotilde: "A scoop of light ice cream would be nice, such as this tangy lemon kefir ice cream served with roasted flour cookies."
Once we've tackled beef bourguignon, is there another classic French dish we should try?
Clotilde: "I have a special fondness for Flemish Carbonades, a stew that is similar to Beef Bourguignon, but from the North of France, where my father's family is from. It is made with beer -- Flanders is beer territory -- and the sauce is thickened with pain d'épice (the French gingerbread) or leftover bread spread with mustard. (The recipe is also in my book.).
Let's take a look at what food bloggers have to say about beef bourguignon, plus recipes and tips for how to cook it.
Eat Brisbane has four good tips for anyone making beef bourguignon.
WINE - Use a wine from Burgundy, the region of France where beef bourguignon begins, perhaps a Pinot Noir.
BEEF - Pick the meat carefully. Big surprise, this doesn't mean spending more money! The lesser cuts may be better.
TECHNIQUE - "Depouiller, depouiller, depouiller." (If you don't know this French term, check his post titled Beef Bourguignon for an easy translation.)
FX Cuisine sings the praises of Beef Bourguignon.
"A prince among traditional French confort food, boeuf
