Company Dinner, the Finale

Usually on the day we are having company, I start by setting the table and rounding up all we need to serve.  Today as this takes time, I started with the Boeuf Bourguignon.  This by the way is the best Boeuf Bourguignon I have ever made or tasted.  It is even better than the one in Julia’s and much easier to accomplish.  It is from the Barefoot in Paris cookbook.

I set the table while the stew was in the oven.   

Ingredients:

1 T EVOO

8 oz. good bacon, diced

2 ½ # beef chuck cut into 1” cubes (buy chuck steak and cut your own cubes, not the mystery stew meat chunks)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1# carrots, sliced diagonally into 1” chunks

2 yellow onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ C Cognac

1 (750ml) bottle good dry red wine, such as Burgundy (I used Gnarly Head Zinfandel)

2-21/2 C canned beef broth

1 T tomato paste

1 t fresh thyme leaves (I always use dried, divide fresh by 1/3^rd)

4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided

3 T all-purpose flour

1# frozen small whole onions

1# mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving:

Country bread, toasted or grilled (I used the broiler)

1 garlic clove, cut in half

½ C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

2.      Heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven.  (I used my birthday present, a 7qt Braiser by Ruffoni)  Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

3.      Dry 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 3-5 minutes, ( I did three batches)turning to brown on all sides. 

4.      Remove seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned.  Set aside.

5.      Toss carrots, onions, 1 T salt and 2 t pepper into the fat in the pan and cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. 

6.      Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. 

7.      Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol.  (She does mean stand back.  This is a lot of cognac and it made an explosion.)

8.      Put the meat and the bacon back into the pot with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. 

9.      Add the wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. 

10.  Add the tomato paste and thyme. 

11.  Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for 1 ¼ hours, or until the meat and the vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. 

12.  Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove. 

13.  Combine the 2T of butter and flour with a fork and stir into the stew. 

14.  Add the frozen onions. 

15.  In a medium pan, sauté the mushrooms in the remaining 2 T of butter over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, and then add to the stew. 

16.  Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.  Season to taste.  (Tasted fine to me.)

17.  Rub each slice of toasted bread on one side with garlic. 

18.  For each serving spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley. 

The final part of the meal to assemble aside from the appetizer plate of cheeses was the vegetable.  These tomatoes from the Barefoot Countess’s cookbook were a great accompaniment to the meal.

Ingredients:  

2-2 1/2# large red tomatoes (choose firm ripe tomatoes or they will fall apart)

3 T EVOO

2 t dried oregano

Kosher salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

½ pesto, store- bought or homemade

½ C freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2.      Core the tomatoes and then slice them across in ½” thick slices.  Arrangethe slices in a single layer on a sheet pan. 

3.      Drizzle the tomatoes with the EVOO and sprinkle with the oregano, 1 ½ t salt and the pepper.  (I did this before the company arrived.)

4.      Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes. 

5.      Remove the tomatoes from the oven, spread each slice with pesto, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.  Return the tomatoes to the oven and continue baking for 7-10 minutes, until the Parmesan is melted and begins to brown. 

6.      Using a flat metal spatula, put the tomatoes on a serving platter, sprinkle with extra slat, and serve hot, warm or room temperature.

This meal turned out perfect.  We had three cheeses, nuts and olives in the wine room.  Jim served Image du Sud which is from the Chateauneuf du Pape region.  With our soup we had a Robert Mondavi, Fume Blanc, 2010.  With our main course we had a bottle labeled Chateauneuf Du Pape, 1999.  No one complained about the wine or the food.