Making Beouf Bourguignon with Julia Child

French cooking is complicated and time-consuming. No shortcuts are allowed here!  But what a delicious outcome for a meal.  I love it when we can cook together to create a gorgeous meal.

Bob peeled pearl onions while I cleaned and quartered a pound of button mushrooms. Bob browned the onions and I made a bouquet garni using fresh herbs from our garden. We continued to brown onions and then to sautee mushrooms for nearly an hour.

 


In between times, we snacked on this little lunch I made to tide us over until dinner!  We love to have a beautiful and delicious charcuterie board.  What's your favorite thing about it?  I think I am most fond of the olives.



Bob cut the carrots into sticks while I took the rind off the bacon and cut it into small pieces. I put the water on to boil and to parboil the bacon slices. Bob prepared the chunks of meat to brown on our dutch oven, which we love dearly. It is a red Le Creuset. We learned by using this pot that good tools produce good results.

My mom called and so Bob continued on... mashing garlic, trimming the meat, preparing the bacon, and prepping for the actual cooking of the stew. In the meanwhile, I have been taking shots of Robitussin, as I have developed a mean little cough.

The meat browned in the dutch oven and Bob moved on to the vegetables. He added carrots and onions to the pot. The kitchen got a tad smoky as the bacon fat is very hot. Our kitchen is not used to bacon fat.

Bob added the wine, the stock, and the veggies to the pot and in the oven it is. Now, we wait for 2 1/2 hours for the goodness!



Bob sat down to watch the Cardinal game and promptly fell asleep. While he naps, I think I will go in and clean the kitchen.  Cooking can be very hard work.