This month for Recipes to Rival, Heather chose Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon, in honor of the new movie, Julie and Julia.
Now, I took a bunch of photos, but the only one that came out was the one above. And it doesn’t do justice to this tasty dish. I’ve made it before, but I have found that practice makes perfect, and my results get better each time I make it. Read on, and I’ll share some tips with you.
First, make it a day or two before you plan to eat it. The flavor improves dramatically over time, and you can skim off the extra fat after refrigerating the dish.
Second, use a good wine, but don’t use a really expensive one. I’ve used expensive ones, and I’ve good, inexpensive wines. Guess which one people liked better?
Third, you may need to thicken the sauce. You can either use a beurre manier (you need equal parts butter and flour, just a couple of tablespoons of each) or, if you’ve refrigerated the stew before serving it, make a simple roux in the pan before adding the stew. If you use a beurre manier, you just add bits and pieces of it to a liquid that is at a low boil, and watch it thicken.
Fourth, everything cooks better if you put a piece of foil or parchment under the lid to create a tighter seal and steamier environment.
Finally, I marinated the meat overnight in some of the wine, with two crushed garlic cloves and some rosemary. I think this really improves the flavor.
I served this with steamed rice and a tossed green salad. To see what the other gals in the group made, be sure to check out the blogroll. Recipe after the jump.
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