Boeuf Bourgignon

That's right, I finally saw Julie and Julia (Andrew, Matt, someone, anyone- do you put movie titles in italics?) and so for mom's dinner guests last night we prepared a double batch of Julia Childs' Bouef Bourguignon. It was delicious, but I am not going to lie- I felt a little bit desperate when after 1 1/2 hours of slaving over lardons, sauteing every carrot, every onion, every piece of meat in the bacon fat and 4 hours of roasting and turning and flouring and picking just the right wine to put in, it just ends up a French version of beef stew.

However, I must credit Mrs. Childs something and that is the sheer joy of paying attention to every detail for which her book calls. Each component of her recipe has its own preparation, and nothing is skimpy, everything is fattening. Two things I have realised this Christmas: cooking requires exercise and speaking French. Oy Ve (and that's a Yiddish expression, not even French. OH I have so much to learn...)!

So, from my poor memory, the skeletal outline of the now-famous Julia Childs' Boeuf Bourguignon:

1. Cut your piece of bacon or lard into lardons, French for "bacon" but Culinary for 1/4 in. thick, 1 1/2 in. long sticks of bacon fat. In a Dutch oven, saute lardons in 1/4 T olive oil until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon and leave fat.
2. Add in 2-inch cubes of stewing beef (extra-dry for browning) and brown on all sides in bacon fat (medium-high heat) - set aside.
   
3. In remaining bacon fat, saute carrots and onions. S & P.
4. Add bacon and beef back into dutch oven, toss 2 T of flour and set in preheated 450 oven for 4 minutes. Toss beef & veggies, set back in oven for 4 more minutes.
5. Set oven on stovetop, add in 2 c. beef broth and 2 c. red wine (or until beef is mostly covered in liquid). Bring to a boil then simmer for a few minutes to reduce a bit
6. Adjust oven to 325, roast dish for 3-4 hours
7. Meanwhile- quarter button mushrooms and in 2 T butter and 1 T olive oil on high heat (wait to add until the froth on the butter subsides- you know it's hot), add a minimal amount of mushrooms and shake pan back and forth for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned. Continue with next batch. Set aside
8. Repeat browning for pearl onions
   
9. After dish roasts, toss in mushrooms and pearl onions.

Voilà

Lastly, a new (but very dear) friend of mine has begun her own blog! My favorite fun fact about Kathryn is that she collects old books on homemaking and families from the 50s. So, if there is anyone out there, I hope you enjoy the Lady Justice.