Comments on: In Honor Of Julia: Boeuf Bourguignon

By: Desert Verdin

Desert Verdin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:29:38 +0000

O, Barbara! Scrumptious.

Thank you for the hot tip on the potatoes.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:31:50 +0000

Oh, goodness, Katy–never use steak for this recipe. It isn’t your fault–the butcher suggested it, but steak is way too tender a cut to be braised like this, certainly not for 2 1/2 hours!

I use chuck and top round roasts for this, and cut them up myself into chunks much larger than your standard stew meat–which is usually chuck, btw, but it also contains various trimmings as well.

Also, next time, try and use use slightly more broth or stock than wine, or use a softer-flavored wine than you used the first time.

And yes–after you reduce the wine sauce at the end, taste and correct the seasoning with some salt and pepper. Then, tastes, and if it needs a dab of “oomph,” add a little bit of balsamic, and taste it again. That usually does it. If not, add a teaspoon of butter and stir it in, and see what happens. One last remedy–either an 1/8th teaspoon of anchovy paste or a teaspoon or two of Thai fish sauce will do the trick if the balsamic and butter don’t.

By: Katy

Katy — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:47:04 +0000

I enjoyed your play by play of making Boeuf Bourguignon. Inspired by the movie, I found the last copy of MAFC at Barnes and Noble and I spent all day yesterday making it but was disappointed by the results. The sauce tasted to “winy” so I’ll try the balsamic tonight with the leftovers. Also, my meat was too grainy after the 2 3/4 hours cooking.. When chewed, it was mushy, not sinewy like meat should be. Should I have just asked for stew meat? (I read somewhere that when you buy precut meat you don’t know what you’re getting… I used some kind of steak that the butcher recommended, but I wish I’d chosen a tougher meat.)
PS: the onions were the best part.

By: Roxanne

Roxanne — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:05:14 +0000

Forgot to add that I do deglaze the pan that I browned the meat and vegetables with the wine before adding it to the slow-cooker.

By: Roxanne

Roxanne — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:01:36 +0000

I make a slow-cooker version of this that I really love. I use the slow-cooker so that I can make it early in the day and let it go when I’m not going to be home. The method is almost exactly the same as outlined in MtAoFC, but instead of making a roux, I use quick-cooking tapioca. Roux thickened sauces often don’t turn out well in a slow-cooker, but tapioca makes a sauce that is lush, thick, and glossy. After the meat and vegetables are browned and added to the slow cooker, the wine and stock are added, and about 3 TBS of tapioca is sprinkled on top. Clamp the lid on and let it go for at least 6 hours, but no more than 8. Right before service, I carmelize my onions (I use frozen pearl onions, they work just fine and save me a ton of time peeling tiny onions) and mushrooms. I stir fresh minced parsley into the stew, and fold in the onions and mushrooms. I like to serve it with either pan-fried yukon golds or buttered egg noodles.

This is one of my favorite crappy, cold weather dishes! I made this for Christmas Eve last year, and it was a big hit.