Boeuf Bourguignon

As promised, I finally made a version of Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon last night. In truth, I was afraid that I would not like it, having been averse to stews as a child and only recently coming to accept the texture of braised meats. This fear was particular striking since I was looking forward to this meal since seeing the film nearly five months ago. Plus, I had to set aside an entire evening to look after it. Fortunately, it was absolutely delicious and the most perfect, hearty blizzard meal a girl could think of. The best part about it? I decided to double the recipe to ensure left-overs!

The recipe I followed appeared in the NY Times Sunday Magazine a few months ago. It is from Judith Jones, who was Child's publisher. What follows is a pictoral retelling:

Cooking up the bacon.

Cutting up the boneless chuck pieces and rubbing with salt & pepper.

Browning the meat. (Made sure the oil was hot and the meat had been patted dry to get a good sear!)

Sauteing the onions and carrots until golden brown.

Making the herb packet. (My favorite part so triple pictures!)

A bay leaf, dried thyme, a few peppercorns, some fresh sprigs of parsley and thyme.

It looked so rugged and rustic!

Adding 2 cups of veal & beef stock (I used a glace de viande gold for this) and 2 cups of red wine. I chose a $14 red Burgundy from UVA to complement the dish made from pinot noir grapes, which are my favorite variety. The wine was called Mommessin, Bourgogne "Le Cle Saint-Pierre" 2006. We drank the rest of the bottle with out meal and it was lovely. You can't see it in the photo, but at the point I've also tucked the herb packet in.

Chopped up some fingerling potatoes, leeks, and whole baby carrots. I set these aside while the stew cooked.

And added them in after 2 hours.

And there you have it. Classic boeuf bourguignon, served with crusty French bread to mop up the sauce. Bon appetit!

P.S. My boyfriend was the sous chef. He did a good job.