August 15, 2009

What's Cookin' - Boeuf Bourguignon

After reading the book, "Julie & Julia," and then seeing the movie recently, I was determined to attempt at least one of Julia Child's famous recipes. So I warbled my way through a good 4 hours in the kitchen yesterday making Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" (page 315 in my copy).

Assembling the Ingredients
Assembling the ingredients
It is truly delicious, although I used nearly every pot and pan in the kitchen -- and some of them twice.

Sautéing the bacon and beef
Sautéing the bacon and beef
It's not a difficult recipe, just time intensive. Everything is cooked in a different skillet or sauce pan before all coming together in one dutch kettle at the end.

Sautéing the carrot and onion
Sautéing the carrot and onion
I chopped and sautéed and braised.

Braising the pearl onions
Braising the pearl onions
I had a glass of the burgundy while I cooked. Peeling all those little pearl onions took some time.

Sautéing the mushrooms
Sautéing the mushrooms
We served it over long grain wild rice with dinner rolls and a glass of wine and, yes, it was absolutely wonderful! I loved, loved, loved the mushrooms sautéed in butter, of course. And the sauce is amazing.

Boeuf Bourguignon over Rice
Boeuf Bourguignon over Rice
After all is said and done ... and eaten ... and cleaned up, here are some thoughts:
  • This is a dish to make when you have lots and lots of time.
  • This is a dish to make for people you love more than anything or very, very special company.
  • According to Julia, "...you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated." I would definitely make this the day before company is being served.
  • It is rich and satisfying -- I would classify it as comfort food.
  • For being a home-cooked meal, it is not inexpensive to make. I think the ingredients ran around $25.
I know this will probably sound weird, but I love going outside and coming back into the house after a meal like this -- the fragrance is fantastic and the house continues to smell like heaven for hours and hours!!!

6 comments:

Kelli said...

Sounds amazing! Did you drink out of the wine bottle during commercial breaks, too! Lol I have hope that I'm not the only weird one in the family when it comes to great smells - it's almost addiction level with me. I will follow people who wear wonderful perfume. My family says things like, "She's doing it again....."

Sara said...

You know you're making this next time I vist, don't you?

jayaycee said...

Only if you strap on an apron and cook with me! Sounds like so much fun!!!

jayaycee said...

I tend to be more attracted to food smells like Cinnabon and Starbucks. And I would have chugged right from the wine bottle but did you see the size of that thing? Couldn't chance hurting my wrist -- too much knitting to do.

amylynch said...

I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said! Just posted an entry about Boeuf Bourguignon on my own blog tonight, in fact! www.zenfoodist.wordpress.com.

jayaycee said...

Amy, your blog is delightful. I got some great tips off this particular post -- thanks for that!