Beef Bourguignon - B - Alphabet Challenge

It's week 2 of the alphabet challenge which means we're on the letter B. This letter dish came easy to me because I immediately thought of my favorite ingredient - BEEF! To me there's nothing like a great beef stew, prime rib, beef tartare, I could go on... 

Once I knew I wanted to make a beef dish it was finding one I've never made before. I've made braised beef dishes in the past but I wanted to try the ultimate braised beef - Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon. Even though she is an icon and recipe creating master, it was hard to resist the urge to change the recipe. Some steps didn't make a ton of sense to my culinary brain such as putting the flour on the beef after it was already seared. I'd normally coat the beef first for more of a crust or I'd add the flour as a rue to thicken the sauce. I'm glad I gave it a try though since the dish came out amazing! 

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon, cut into lardons
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds chuck roast, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large carrot, sliced
1 large white onion, sliced
1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 cups red wine, like a chianti or (INSERT WINE TYPES FROM COOKBOOK)
2 to 3 cups beef stock
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves smashed garlic
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 bay leaves
18 to 24 small pearl onions (I buy mine pre-peeled in the freezer section)
3 Tbsp. butter
1pound fresh white mushrooms, sliced

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, sauté the bacon in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil for about 3-5 minutes, until it starts to lightly brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Dry the beef with a few paper towels for better browning. Season beef with salt and pepper. In batches, sear the beef on all sides in the Dutch oven. Remove from the pan and set aside with the bacon.

3. Back in the pot, add the sliced carrots and onions; sauté in fat until browned, about 3 minutes. If there's any excess fat, drain it now.

4. Add the bacon and beef back to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Toss. Sprinkle with flour and toss once more. Cook over medium high heat for 4 minutes until the flour is cooked through.

5. To the pot, add the wine and stock. The liquid should barely cover the meat and vegetables. Add the tomato paste, garlic and thyme. Bring to a light simmer on the stove, then cover and simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. (You could do this step in a 325 degree preheated oven which is the way Julia did it, I didn’t want to heat up my house since it’s June LOL).

6. In the last hour of cooking, bring 1 1Tbsp. butter and 2 tsp. olive oil to a medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the pearl onions and toss around in the fat until they've browned, 10 minutes. Then stir in 1/2 cup beef stock, a small pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the onions for about 40 minutes, until the liquid has evaporated, and the onions are tender.

7. Remove the onions and set aside. Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining butter and oil and bring to a high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan to coat with the butter.

8. Place a colander over a large pot. Drain the beef stew through the colander and into the pot. Place the pot with the sauce over a medium heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, skimming any fat on top. Pour the beef and vegetables back into the Dutch oven. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms to the pot. Pour the sauce over the beef mix and simmer an additional 3 to 5 minutes.