The inspiration for this dish came from the sheer desire to create something I have never made before. And what’s a better place to start than a dish with a bottle of wine in it- and to level it up it’s a French dish, adding a fancy note. So now that I’ve humbly admitted this dish’s creation came from wine, let’s dive into a few historic notes on this French classic. Ironically, much like the origins of Cioppino (a story I will share later in that post), this ancient dish was curated by ‘peasants’ to make tough meat more palpable. You will see in the title of this page, this is also referenced to as “Beef Burgundy” because these peasants resided in the Burgundy wine region of France. In 1961 Julia Childs published this recipe in her book, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, aiding the push of this dish to its global pedestal. I took a peek at her recipe for some inspiration but, of course, I sprinkled in my usual tweaks to make it a tad healthier. So, without further ado, I present to you Brittney’s Beef Bourguignon, which was served with flair at a vinyl dinner party.  And let’s be real, after typing Bourguignon this many times, I still resort to copy/pasting it from Google, so don’t even think about asking me to spell it on the fly.

Start your oven’s engine by pre-heating it to 350. While it revs up, sauté the bacon until crisp, set that aside and pour out the grease (in a jar NOT YOUR SINK (daughter of a plumber has taught me well)). Add the chopped beef to the same pan, sear the sides until they are brown and remove it yet again. That was the most annoying part of this dish, I didn’t have enough dishes ready so please do us both a favor and come better prepared than me. Next food on the hot plate are the veggies. Add the carrots, onions, and parsnips to the party and sauté for 3-5 minutes.

Then- add the bacon, beef, and garlic to the same pan. Right? Thank god not another dish to ‘set aside’. Season everything with salt and pepper and add the flour slowly whilst stirring vigorously. From here we add the onions, wine, and stock- you want the meat to be barley covered. Add the tomato paste, bouillon, and herbs.

Toss the Dutch Oven in the oven for 2-3 hours. Let it enjoy its sauna session as you binge watch shows and anxiously await its temptatious aroma.

But you aren’t out the clear yet, so don’t get too invested in your season of whatever the hell is popular at that point in your life. You still have work to do. Sauté the mushrooms and let those puppies rest until their moment arrives, which will be very soon.

Once the sauna session wraps, you will need to remove the herbs and separate the sauce and the rest of its contents via the draining method. Set the contents aside and focus all of your energy towards the liquids. We need to create a thicker sauce to serve as the gravy (or heart) of this dish. No pressure. Essentially, you will reduce the sauce until it thickens and hope to whichever deity you worship that it reduces properly with the already added flour and tomato paste from its pre-bake era. However, this is not always the case. In that event, add a roux of 1 tbs flour and a bit of hot water, if that is not working try 1 tbs of additional tomato paste. And most importantly, don’t worry be happy. You will still have a decadent dish even if it’s a bit runny, just pair it with a biscuit to help your efforts. I happen to have leftover homemade sourdough biscuits from Thanksgiving (thanks to me freezing them).

Once you have a sauce that is consistent to your liking, marry all the ‘set-asides’ together and pour the gravy overtop. Serve and consume- it’s a rich dish that pairs nicely with an earthy Pinot Noir, particularly from the Burgundy region of France. Bon Appétit.