Au menu: Boeuf Bourguignon à la Julia Child!

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon, according to Abhay & Co. Note the Beaujolais and the baguette to recreate the French touch!

Today I would like to introduce you to Abhay, a real food lover. A week ago, I received a very enthusiastic message of his saying:
"I'd love to share my experience of making boeuf bourguignon with you. Actually it was quite an experience. (...) Last night I tried making Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon recipe. It was very good. Me and my friend did it together. We served it with broccoli and roasted potatoes. I am attaching a very amateur pic I took of it (Abhay is very modest, as you can see)... I had never really cooked long and complicated recipes with anyone and it was so much fun. Not to mention the laughs we had since the recipe required very specific instructions by Ms.Child."
I couldn't be more pleased with his description of the experience! The making of Bourgogne's staple stew invites the cook(s) on quite a journey! See the décor they chose to lay their table: the Beaujolais and the baguette. They paid attention to every detail, as if they wanted to recreate the perfect setting to fully savour the stew, the French way. Nice!
In Burgundy, people are proud of their wine. Actually I guess that is a recurrent pattern all over France. It is no surprise then, if the boeuf bourguignon, this typically peasant, turned-haute-cuisine dish, involves the beef to be braised in red wine, traditionally red Burgundy...

I first met our guest, Abhay, a month ago, at Toronto's LG Fashion week. Marco and I were waiting for a show in the hall, when we saw two fashion photographer friends, an amazing pair of female twins: Lily & Lilac.

Abhay was with the girls. And as we were all gently chatting, he and I suddenly started a very animate conversation about seasonal soups, impromptu salads, tarts, stews and daubes...It was most unexpected in this fashion environment!

As a matter of fact, we realized he had never tried Julia Child's recipes. I warmly recommended the Boeuf Bourguignon, he said he would try it... And, that's what he did! Some people are just like that, reliable.
Now is your turn... Mind you, it makes a perfect Sunday meal to share with your loved ones. Have fun!
Oh, one last thing...As Abhay noted, Julia's style can be a bit confusing at first, but you'll quickly get used to it!
"The way Julia wrote her recipes was a bit different from what it is nowadays. She had little side notes of ingredients instead of a list before the start of the recipe.I found this very interesting, and actually it was kind of mysterious! But a lot of what she writes makes sense after you have finished making the recipe!

For example- She talks about doing the onions and mushrooms separately and then adding it to the bourguignon later on. I was intrigued since most north-American recipes usually ask you to put everything together. There were two advantages of doing Julia's way! First- you could actually taste mushrooms and white onions in their own flavor, which was refreshing on your dinner plate, and second, due to the water given out by mushrooms during cooking, the sauce was not diluted and maintained its flavor. I am always now going to cook mushrooms separately and then add them to the recipe!
We also found that the meat nowadays ( and not lean meat) doesn't have that much fat. Hence we had to add extra oil while browning the beef and the bacon. I found the usage of rind very interesting since some say the flavor resides of the bacon resides there!

Its certainly was an experience was the total time taken is usually longer since a lot of preparation has to be done. I suggest having another person helping out. Once again cooking with others is always the best way to go!"

Thank you so much, Abhay, for having shared this experience with us. You've been a wonderful guest at Mon Cher Coco!

And, now it is on to you, dear Julia...

Boeuf Bourguignon

(Beef Stew in Red Wine, with Bacon, Onions, and Mushrooms)

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated.

Vegetable and Wine Suggestions
Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

Kitchen Supplies:

• 9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep
• Slotted spoon
  
  Ingredients: Serves 6

• 6 ounces bacon
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
• 3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
• 2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• Crumbled bay leaf
• Blanched bacon rind
• 18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock
• 1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter
• Parsley sprigs

.Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

.Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

.Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

.Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

.In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

.Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

.Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers
very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

.While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

.When the melt is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

.Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce."

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck. Copyright © 1961, 1983, 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted by arrangement with the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Just before leaving you, mon cher Coco, just before you get boeuf-bourguignon ready, allow me to share this golden nugget with you.
I most particularly enjoy it at 2 min 10 sec, when Julia goes through Le Festin Joyeux ou la Cuisine en Musique, an innovative French 18th-century cookbook that gives recipes, based on musical tones and songs.