Beef Bourguignon (Julia Child Recipe) - My edits via Cafe Delites

 Original recipe source: Beef Bourguignon (Julia Child Recipe) - Cafe Delites

Total Time: 3 - 4 hrs

Servings:  6 - 8 people

Ingredients  

• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces bacon roughly chopped. (tried to find a slab, but had to use presliced, but it was fine.)
• 3 pounds beef brisket trimmed of fat, cut into 2-inch chunks (I used chuck roast)
• 1 (or 2) carrot large, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 white onion large, diced (I had some shallots, so used half and half)
• 6 cloves garlic minced (divided)
• 1 pinch coarse salt
• 1 pinch ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 12 pearl onions small (I used a bag of Birdseye frozen, 10 oz., and it was not too much)
• 3 cups red wine like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or a Chianti – for a milder sauce, use only 2 cups of wine
• 2-3 cups beef stock (consider using low sodium broth, depending on how you salt the meat!) (if using 2 cups of wine, use 3 cups beef stock)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 beef bouillon cube crushed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped (I used 1/2 tsp dried)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped, divided (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound white mushrooms fresh, small or brown mushrooms ,quartered (I used two bags of frozen mushrooms from Trader Joe's- Shiitake and another, both about 10 oz. bags and it was not too much!)
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions 

TRADITIONAL OVEN METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy based pot. Sauté the bacon over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until crisp and browned. (I threw in some water to get the cooking started, as other versions call for boiling the bacon first.) Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large dish and set aside.
• Pat dry beef with paper towel; sear in batches in the hot oil/bacon fat until browned on all sides. Remove to the dish with the bacon.
• (I had seasoned the beef pieces, all four sides with salt and pepper. The final dish was too salty, so could argue to skip, as this recipe does, or just be judicious.)
• Depending upon how much fat has rendered from your beef, consider removing some here to avoid an oily final product.
• In the remaining oil/bacon fat, sauté the carrots and diced onions until softened, (about 3 minutes), then add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Drain excess fat (leave about 1 tablespoon in the pan) and return the bacon and beef back into the pot; season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook for 4-5 minutes to brown.
• Add the pearl onions, wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Then add the tomato paste and herbs. Bring to a simmer on the stove.
• Cover, transfer to lower part of the oven and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fall apart tender (adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly).
• AT 2 hours, add the pearl onions. I think if they cook the entire time, they would be mush. This way they still had the mouth feel of a once live vegetable!
• In the last 5 20 minutes of cooking time, prepare your mushrooms: Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet/pan over heat. When the foam subsides, add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add in the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, while shaking the pan occasionally to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Once they are browned, set aside.(Browning took longer than 5 minutes!)
• Place a colander over a large pot (I do this in my clean kitchen sink). Remove the casserole from the oven and carefully empty its contents into the colander (you want to collect the sauce only). Discard the herbs
• Return the beef mixture back into the dutch oven or pot. Add the mushrooms over the meat.
• Remove any fat off the sauce( if any) and simmer for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
• You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon lightly. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. If the sauce is too thin, boil it over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to the right consistency.
• Add the mushrooms when beef fully cooked, and allow it to warm up if needed.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper, if desired. 
• If you are serving immediately, You could simmer the beef bourguignon for 2 to 3 minutes to heat through. (But I just left it in the oven.)
  Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles. (Pro tip: We threw baking potatoes into the onen with one hour to go and that worked perfect!)
• To serve the following day, allow the casserole to cool completely, cover and refrigerate.The day of serving, remove from refrigerator for at least an hour before reheating. Place over medium-low heat and let simmer gently for about 10 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

We watched this video comparing three methods of doing this recipe, and found it useful to make up our minds on how to do it: Beef Bourguignon CAGE MATCH: Julia Child vs. Anthony Bourdain vs. Thomas Keller.

Julia was the clear winner, so we used this adaptation of the original recipe and here we are!