Attendees: James, Planter, Cliff, Peanut, and George
Cocktail: French martini
Hors D'oeuvre: Gougeres (cheese puffs)
Main Course: Boeuf Bourguignon
Side: Escarole salad with pickled onions
Dessert: Meringues ChantillyPeanut and I spent a fantastic holiday with LL and Pit in San Miguel, Mexico. Our friends James & Planter frequently go there, and they helped us prepare for the trip. So we had them, and Cliff and George, over for dinner. And though I had initially thought I would take advantage of the $1 avocados at Whole Foods and prepare a Mexican fiesta, it's SO COLD in DC-all I could think of was how badly I wanted some Boeuf Bourguignon!
I think that every family has a staple dish- something that, generally, the entire family enjoys and even finds comfort in. Chili, mac and cheese, gnocchi- these are some possibilities. But growing up with a Canadian mother in cold Buffalo, NY, our family staple was my mother's Boeuf Bourguignon. It's a bit time-consuming to prepare, but totally worth it: and I have decided to heed your requests and give you all our family recipe (see end of post)!
But, let's start at the beginning: french martini. As a lover of most French foods, it was only a matter of time before I had to get the good stuff. Peanut looked at what I had been previously substituting for Chambord (Cassis) and asked: "really?" The cocktail is made with 1-part Chambord, 3-parts vodka, and 4-parts pineapple juice.
I LOVE gougeres, but I have messed these up so bad in the past that I am somewhat afraid to make them. Yesterday, however, was a success!
Deb over at Smitten Kitchen promised me that the escarole salad with pickled red onions was worth it, and it was. Peanut and I pickled the red onions overnight, and the result was very fresh and tasty- a perfect complement to the main course.
Ahhh.... the main course: Boeuf Bourguignon!
And to round out the meal: I woke up early Saturday morning to make meringues nests:
Which I served on a puddle of raspberry sauce, filled with fresh whipped cream, and topped with a raspberry. Really- how could you go wrong?
Always a good sign at the end of a meal: empty plates (and empty wine glasses, too)!
And now I present to you: our family recipe for...
Boeuf Bourguignon! (Adapted from Time Life'sCookings of Provincial France, (C) 1973!)Step 1: Prepare the onions.
1/2 lb bacon1 T butter
18-24 pearl onions
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place the onions in boiling water for two minutes, then remove to an ice bath. This makes peeling them easier: cut of the root, then push the onion out (see video depcition here).
3. Dice the bacon as soon as it comes out of the fridge. In a heavy 8-10 inch skillet, melt the butter and fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove to a plate covered with a paper towel to drain.
4. Lightly brown the onions in the skillet with the bacon grease over moderate high heat- shake the pan to color the onions as evenly as possible. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a shallow baking dish that will hold them in a single layer, sprinkle with 3 T of the bacon grease, and place in oven for 30 minutes, until barely tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Set aside.
Step 2: Prepare the mushrooms.
3 T butter
3/4 lb mushrooms
1. Rub the mushrooms to clean them with a damp paper towel. Cut into quarters (if large), halves (if medium), or keep whole (if small; I used organic, Pennsylvania-grown cremini mushrooms, which varied in size).
2. In a separate stainless still skillet, melt the butter. When the foam subsides, add the mushrooms, tossing frequently for 2-3 minutes, until slightly soft. Add to the cooked onions and set aside.Step 3: Prepare the meat.
3 lb lean boneless chuck or rump, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bouquet garni (4 parsley sprigs and 1 bay leaf, tied together)
2 T chopped shallots
3/4 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin
3 T flour
1 cup beef stock
2 cups red burgundy1 T tomato paste
1 t chopped garlic
1 t dried thyme
1 t salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 french baguette
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1. Do yourself a HUGE favor and chop and measure everything out in advance. To save prep bowls, combine shallots and carrots in one bowl; garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in another bowl.
2. Pour the bacon grease in a bowl, leaving for a thin layer in the pan. Heat over moderately-high heat, until the grease is almost smoking. Carefully begin browning the beef chunks on all sides in the grease (4-5 chunks at a time so as not to crowd the pan, adding more grease as needed). When all sides are browned, remove with tongues to a heavy, flame and oven-proof 4-6 quart casserole. Continue with all the meat, and hide the bouquet garni within the browned beef.
3. Start heating the beef stock in a separate pot.
4. After all the beef is browned, reduce heat to low and add the shallots and carrots to the pan, stirring frequently until they are colored.
5. Add the flour to the carrots & shallots, and stir continuously until the flour browned, but not burned!
6. Take off heat, cool for a moment, add hot/warmed beef stock, blending vigorously with a whisk.
7. Return to heat- blend in wine and tomato paste, continuing to blend continuously with the whisk until the mixture boils (it should thicken when you're doing this)
8. Add garlic, thyme, sauteed bacon bits, salt and pepper9. Pour entire mixture over beef- it should almost (but not quite) cover the beef- add more beef stock/wine if needed. Bring to a boil.
10. Cover tightly and transfer to the 350-degree oven for 2-3 hours, until beef is tender when pierced (yesterday, 2-hours was all it took)!
11. When done, add mushroom and onion mixture to the beef, mix gently with a large spoon, and return to oven for 15-minutes.
12. Prepare your bowls by placing a slice of french baguette in each:
13. Remove from oven, take out bouquet garni, and ladle into bowls... and enjoy!
