Boeuf Bourgignon
Boeuf bourgignon is one of Julia Child’s signature dishes, and for good reason. It may look like beef stew, but it is gorgeously complex.
Thick chunks of beef melt in your mouth as the steamy scent of herbs wafts up from your bowl. Boeuf bourgignon is like the next level up of beef stew, or its Pokemon evolution. But as storied and decadent as this dish is, it needed some updates.
Pearl onions? No thank you. Super long cooking time? Rather unnecessary. Wine? It would still be lovely, but most people I know don’t drink, so one might as well use grape juice. It’s less expensive anyway. This dish still has all the flavor and heft of Julia Child’s original recipe, but it’s much more user-friendly. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 ounces bacon, diced
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2-3 pounds beef chuck roast, cubed
- 1 pound carrots, sliced into discs
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 1/2 cups grape juice (or cooking wine, or a mix of both)
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons sage
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
Begin heating a large Dutch oven on the stove, and preheat your oven to 275 F. Once the Dutch oven is hot, add your oil and bacon. Saute the bacon until lightly browned, and then remove it from the pan. Season your beef with the salt and pepper, and then sear it in the pan, a few cubes at a time. Once your beef is browned on all sides, remove it from the pan.
Saute the carrots and onions in the Dutch oven until lightly browned, for about ten minutes. Replace the bacon and beef in the pan, and add enough beef broth and grape juice/wine to cover the meat. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Bring to a light boil, and then cover the pot and place it in the oven. You will bake it for about 1 1/4 hours, or until the contents are fragrant and tender.
When the boeuf bourgignon is almost ready to come out, saute your mushrooms in olive oil. Remove the Dutch oven, and let it simmer on the stove again. Add the mushrooms. While that’s simmering, whisk together the melted butter and flour. Add to the stew, and allow it to simmer for 10 more minutes. Season to taste. Enjoy warm, with plenty of bread!