the time has come

After seeing the movie Julie & Julia, the film that intertwines the story of the legendary grande dame of food Julia Child with food blogger Julie Powell, I knew the classic Boeuf à la Bourguignonne that was immortalized throughout the story would finally end up on our table.

So last week when it seemed that we finally had what we call “winter” here in southern California, basically it just rained for about 5 days in a row, I decided it was time to make it. I followed the recipe verbatim, not wanting to disappoint Julia I suppose.

There are really not that many ingredients but the steps and the time involved are the key factors. What I found was that even a mediocre cut of beef works quite well, since it cooks for so long in the wine, it breaks down beautifully. For the wine, buy something you would enjoy drinking along with the meal. I used a young red Beaujolais. But a nice Burgundy or a full-bodied Chianti would work well too. Traditionally boiled potatoes are served with this dish, but buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Boeuf Bourguignon

From Julia Childs Mastering the Art of French Cooking

6 ounces chunk of bacon

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 lbs. lean stewing beef, cut into 2 inch cubes

1 sliced carrot

1 sliced onion

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. flour

3 cups red wine

2 to 3 cups brown beef stock

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

½ tsp. thyme

1 crumbled bay leaf

18 to 24 small white onions, brown braised in stock

1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter

Parsley sprigs

Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Serves 6

Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that’s bad for you! ~Tommy Smothers

special request

The other day I was in the kitchen in the midst of creating some concoction when my husband came in and asked what I was making. I went into great detail about the ingredients and process as he listened patiently. When I finished with my tediously verbose food tirade, he looked at me and said…"I really like blueberry muffins". I couldn’t help but laugh. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in brioche this or calfoutis that I forget about the simple pleasures of a lovely muffin dosed in butter (French butter of course).

The next morning I complied with my sweet husbands request and made Rick Katz amazing blueberry muffins. There is a beautiful lightness about these muffins. Savored while still warm, the texture is melt-on-your-tongue light; only the plump blueberries seem substantial. The next day, when they have settled down, they are a different kind of wonderful. That is the day you might want to slice them, toast them, and let a little butter melt into them. Delish.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Blueberry Muffins

by Rick Katz

1 ¾ cup cake flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. salt

1 pint fresh blueberries

¾ cup milk

¼ cup sour cream

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter or spray 18 muffin cups or line them with paper bake cups. If you have two muffin tins with 12 cups, fill the 6 cups that will be empty in one of the tins with water-this will help the muffins bake evenly.

Sift the cake flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt together twice, and leave sifted dry ingredients in the sifter or strainer; set it on a piece of waxed paper. Remove a tablespoon or two of the dry ingredients and toss with the blueberries. In a separate bowl, stir the milk and sour cream together and set aside until needed.

In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work with a handheld mixer), beat the butter on medium speed until white and pale, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until the mixer no longer feels grainy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the paddle and the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, yolk and beat until the mixture is fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift half of the dry ingredients into the bowl. Add half of the milk and sour cream mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, delicately fold the ingredients together, stopping when barely combined. Add the remaining dry and liquid ingredients and fold in only until just mixed-don’t be concerned about getting everything evenly incorporated. Sprinkle over the blueberries and fold them in only to the just-mixed stage.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup at least two-thirds full, and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the tops, which will be flat, are golden and spring back when lightly pressed. Turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Storing: The muffins will stay light and lovely for a day. If you are not going to serve them within a few hours of baking, pack them into a plastic bag; they’ll keep for 1 more day and will them be best sliced and toasted. For longer storage, wrap airtight and freeze for up to a month. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

things that go together

When I think of things that go together I think of:

Salt & pepper
Batman & Robin
Chocolate & Vanilla
Fred & Ginger
Dooney & Burke
Bert & Ernie

And of course we cannot leave out the iconic classic American food pairing… Peanut Butter & Jelly!  I would imagine that unless you have some sort of food allergy you probably grew up on this combo stuck between two slices of white bread. Or in my case, wheat bread that was so dry and had so many seeds in it you couldn’t tell if the peanut butter was creamy or crunchy. In any case it is familiar.

I admit I haven’t had a PB & J sandwich in a while, but I do have this combination in bar form. I have had this recipe in my repertoire for several years now from the Barefoot Contessa herself, Ina Garten. It is one of those old stand-by’s that seems to always receive many a praise.

Enjoy!
Shannon


PB & J Bars
Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) creamy or chunky whatever you have on hand
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) strawberry jam or other jam
2/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.