Boeuf Bourguignon - Daring Cooks Challenge May 2012

I love when I plan a meal and one of my blogger challenges is to make a recipe for THAT dish.

Our May 2012 Daring Cooks’ hostess was Fabi of fabsfood. Fabi challenged us to make Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic French stew originating from the Burgundy region of France.

I know I am a day late in posting but reality is, this was the first time I had a whole day to devote to making this dish.

I have made Ina's Company Pot Roast to rave reviews and even The Nudge had to admit it was pretty good.....for a pot roast (his Mom massacred her pot roast, so no wonder he's not a fan).

I did not make one stew this winter, with all the challenge recipes and contest recipes and redo recipes I was working on, I never seemed to get a day to put it on the menu.

I decided that before summer was full swing ahead and it was too hot to use the oven for 3-4 hours, I would make my last chance roast as part of my Daring Cooks Challenge. Perfect timing, Daring Kitchen, thank you.

Reading the directions that Fabi included in the PDF for this month's challenge, I realized that mine would be not be exactly as Julia would have liked so I am combining what I had via Julia and what I filled in via Ina.

Two reasons: I can not get bacon with a rind on it and I could not find fresh pearl onions, only frozen this time of year. I don't know if will make all that much of a difference. Comparing Ina's Bourguignon to Julia's is not all that different except the treatment of the bacon and the use of frozen onions so I suppose it's OK.

I am serving this over whole wheat egg noodles but if I had time I would make homemade papardelle but I still have to bake a chocolate cake for our Anniversary.

Beef Bourguignon
Makes 4-6 servings

* 1 tablespoon good olive oil
* 8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
* 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
* 2 yellow onions, sliced
* 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
* 1/2 cup Cognac
* 1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
* 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 pound frozen whole onions
* 1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.
3. Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.
4. Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.
5. Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

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