It’s a little
crazy that I’m about to be writing on this blog for the last time that I
actually have to. Past this, I’m on my own. I figure I’ll continue, after all,
I really do enjoy this cooking stuff. It isn’t just some nanny-hoot B.S. that I’ve
been preaching for almost four months; this is fun. And delicious. Don’t forget
delicious. And expensive. How could I forget that part?
If I think about all things I could’ve done
with my time and money, instead of cooking, none of it really adds up. I want
to become a good chef. I have so much pride in being able to cook. And I’m not
saying I have any intuition, but I am saying that I could make you any one of
the dishes I’ve made during the past 4 months again, and probably better. That
is fine by me. I’ll have a wife one day, and hopefully a family, and I want to
be able to cook for them.
In honor of
the reason I truly decided to get into cooking, the movie Julie & Julia, I’ll
be making its penultimate dish: beef bourguignon. I can only imagine how many
people saw this film and decided to make it. Because it was a special occasion
for me, being the final necessary cooked meal of the year, I decided to make
enough for about 10 people. The only way to know if your cooking is good is to
give it to a bunch of different people, right? And not just people who you know
will like it; people who come from different backgrounds and cultures and who
like and dislike different things. My roommate Eric, he is a very simple eater.
He’ll take the usual steak and mashed potatoes, corn, or some pizza, maybe some
Chinese food here and there; you know, the usual American dining. I normally consider
something good if I can get him to like it. As you can imagine, he disliked
many of the things I’ve made so far. But I have a feeling about this dish.
Beef
bourguignon; that’s a mouthful. Here are the ingredients I used to make it:
salt, pepper, butter, carrot, yellow onion, garlic, mushroom, thyme, parsley, olive
oil, cognac, dry red wine, beef broth, tomato paste, all-purpose flour, rye
bread, Applewood smoked bacon, and chuck beef.
Before
getting into it, I’d like to thank one of my good friend’s mothers for letting
me borrow her large pot. Your generosity is greatly appreciated, Laura. Dylan
Reddick has also been an amazing sous chef throughout this entire learning
experience, and I’d like to thank him for that (even when he put steak
seasoning on the steak when I specifically told him to just put salt &
pepper, I still love you).
First,
prepare. Cut up about a pound of carrots into 1-inch diagonals, two onions into
strips and two cloves of garlic. Also, slice a good amount of uncooked bacon
(you can never get enough bacon) into small squares or strips; a little
unevenness is fine.
Start by
taking your large pot and placing it atop a stove. Drizzle some olive oil in
and set to high heat. When it’s sizzling, dump in the bacon. Let that cook until
it is lightly browned; mix it occasionally to make sure nothing burns. When it’s
done, take the bacon out with a slotted spoon, to take away any connected liquids,
and set it aside in a plate. Leave about one tbsp. of bacon fat in the pot.
Next, dry
your beef with paper towels, and then season them with salt and pepper. In
groups of single layers, place the cuts into the hot oil so that it sears each
side to a nice brown. Don’t let it cook the inside of the beef. When you’re
done with each batch, place them onto the plate with bacon. Leave the fat
renderings inside the pot.
Then, grab
your onions and carrots and place them in the pot. Add some salt and pepper and
stir frequently as you let that cook for about 15 minutes. Don’t cheat
yourself; 15 minutes. Grab your chopped garlic and mix it into the veggies. One
minute later, pour one cup of Cognac into the pot. Then, (be careful and stand
back) get a match or lighter and light the concoction on fire. You’ll see you don’t
have to literally put your hand in there, just have the flame get within 10
inches or so and it will catch fire with a bang. When the alcohol is burned
off, place the meat and bacon back into the pot. Then, add an entire bottle of
Pinot Noir and enough beef broth to fully cover all the solids. Add in a tbsp. or
two of tomato paste, and a couple stems-worth of thyme. Then, cover your pot
with a tight fitting lid and place it into a preheated oven at 250 degrees. Let
that sit for an hour and 15 minutes and then take it out.
While you’re
waiting, take out 2 separate pans. On one pan, you’re going to be making garlic
rye bread and the other, you’ll be cooking mushrooms. Have your mushrooms cut
without stems (leaving only the heads), and sauté them in 2 tbsp. of butter for
10 minutes. For the bread, drizzle some olive oil into the pan and throw a
little chopped garlic in as well. Then, put as many pieces of bread as you can
fit into the pan, and simply press down gently to get a nice grilling on one
side.
After you’ve
taken your pot out of the oven, add in 2 tbsp. of butter and a couple shakes of
flour and stir the stew around. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove,
and then let it sit for 15 minutes to collect itself. Dump your mushrooms in,
and parsley as well.
To serve,
place one side of bread onto a plate and then scoop out a healthy dollop of
stew and put it atop the bread. This essentially makes bread that is too moist
to hold, so make sure to give a fork and knife and napkin to each of your
guests.
And that is
all! What I hope you have is a delicious beef bourguignon filled with flavors
that nobody could resist; my guests went for seconds.
Until next
time; enjoy your meal!
P.S. Somehow, I
forgot to take a picture. Take my word for it, I made it. And it was great
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