Boeuf Bourguignon

Not just any boeuf bourguignon--Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon.  Ever since I saw the movie Julie and Julia, I've been curious about this beef dish.  Then, last November, my husband and I were at a local restaurant, and Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon was on the menu.  My husband ordered it and it was incredible.

Fast forward to Monday.  I was at Sam's Club and I noticed they had beef chuck in the meat case.  I remembered seeing that cut of beef in the recipe.  It was a sign that my menu for the week was about to change.

I have the book Julia's Kitchen Wisdom and the recipe is in it, but just to make sure, I went online and found the recipe from her original book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  In comparing the two recipes, there were a few minor differences, so I decided to go with the original recipe.  (One difference is that the original calls for tomato paste and the other one calls for tomatoes.)  To get the recipe, click on http://www.oprah.com/food/Boeuf-Bourguignon.

This recipe is time consuming.  You'll want to make it on a day that you are going to be home.  The baking time alone is 2 1/2 - 3 hours.  You can make it the day before, which is what I did, and reheat it when you want to serve it.

Just a few notes, the recipe from Julia's Kitchen Wisdom said the bacon was optional, so I left it out.  Also, that same recipe called for 1 cup of sliced carrots instead of 1 carrot.   I used whole baby carrots and added quite a few, since I really like them.  Also, I cut the recipe in half (except for the carrots), since I was only cooking for two.

Be sure to dry the meat with paper towel before browning it.

I used a lot of baby carrots.

The finished project

If you still have questions, there is a YouTube video of Julia cooking this dish on her show.

This recipe is well worth the effort. You will hear multiple yummy sounds from everyone at the table.

(After writing this post, I can finally spell bourguignon without looking.  Now I just need to figure out how to say it.)