Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon
A slightly more simplified version of Julia Child’s beef bourguignon recipe, with a rich red wine sauce and buttery herbed mushrooms.
This post was originally written way back in August, 2012 to celebrate Julia Child’s 100th birthday celebration! I was one of the bloggers that was asked to participate in an international online celebration hosted by the one and only publishers, Alfred Knoff.
It was such a fantastic event where a handful of bloggers made a Julia Child recipe each week for 100 days leading up to her birthday. The event taught me so much about cooking, cooking French recipes and of course introduced me to Mrs. Child.
A Slightly Simplified Version of Julia Child Beef Bourguignon
I’ve made beef bourguignon quite a few times and foudn that there are a few steps from the classic recipe that can certainly be simplified.
- One of the first steps in the original recipe is to boil lardons (or bacon) and then sauté. I found this troublesome and enjoy the slightly smoky flavor anyway, so opted to sauté the bacon only.
- In Julia’s original recipe, she states to dust flour over the meat then place in a high temp oven for 4 minutes, toss and do again. Well, we simplified that by lightly dusting the beef in flour first.
- Another few steps illustrate to cook the mushrooms in one pot and the pearl onions in another. Instead, we’ve combined those steps as well.
- An addition of cognac is added that not only offers a fun effect but also another another layer of flavor.
As the beef bourguignon recipe braises in the oven, the flavors develop and blend together. I could eat this everyday, but I don’t because how much of a treat would that be?
How to Make Beef Bourguignon Recipe
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place a dutch oven over medium heat. Add cubed bacon and cook until fat has rendered, then remove to a plate and set aside.
- Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and season with salt and pepper and dust beef with all purpose flour so they are evenly and lightly coated. Bring heat up to medium high and sear beef in batches until deeply browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Once done, remove to a plate and set aside.
3. In the same pot, add the carrots and sliced onions and sauté until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and sauté for another minute and then the tomato paste and sauté until for another minute.
4. Now this is the fun part, but be careful. Turn off the heat (if you’re using a gas stove) and pour in 1/4 cup of Cognac. Light a match and carefully ignite to burn off the alcohol. Then once the flame subsides, use a wooden spoon or spatula and scrape all the meaty bits from the bottom.
5. Turn the heat back on and return the beef and bacon to the pot. Then pour in wine and enough beef stock to just cover the meat. Add bay leaf and thyme, season with salt and pepper and bring up to a simmer.
6. Once the stew is lightly simmering, place the lid on the pot and place in the middle rack of the oven. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours, or until meat is fork tender and wine has reduced by at least a quarter.
7. Mushrooms and Onions: While the bourguignon is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. In another pot over medium heat, drizzle with olive oil and add butter until melted. Add quartered mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are deep brown and excess moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
8. Add pearl onions, 1/2 cup of red wine, thyme, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Continue sautéing on low-medium heat until wine has reduced and onions and mushrooms are tender.
9. Once beef bourguignon is done, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Remove the bay leaf and herb bundle from both the stew and mushrooms, then stir in the mushroom and onion mixture. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
More Julia Child favorites
Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon
A slightly more simplified version of Julia Child's beef bourguignon recipe, with a rich red wine sauce and buttery herbed mushrooms.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 487kcal
Cost: $30
Equipment
Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Bacon cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces
- 2-21/2 pounds Beef stew meat cut into 2 inch cubes
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup All purpose flour for dusting
- 2 Medium sized carrots peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup Cognac
- 1 Small yellow onion sliced thin
- 2 cups Red wine
- 2-3 cups Beef stock low sodium, preferred
- 3-4 Sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leafs
Braised Mushrooms and Onions
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 pound Button or cremini mushrooms quartered
- 1 cup Frozen pearl onions
- 1/2 cup Red wine
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves finely chopped
- 1 Bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place a dutch oven over medium heat. Add cubed bacon and cook until fat has rendered, then remove to a plate and set aside.
- Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and season with salt and pepper and dust beef with all purpose flour so they are evenly and lightly coated. Bring heat up to medium high and sear beef in batches until deeply browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Once done, remove to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the carrots and sliced onions and sauté until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and sauté for another minute and then the tomato paste and sauté until for another minute.
- Now this is the fun part, but be careful. Turn off the heat (if you’re using a gas stove) and pour in 1/4 cup of Cognac. Light a match and carefully ignite to burn off the alcohol. Then once the flame subsides, use a wooden spoon or spatula and scrape all the meaty bits from the bottom.
- Turn the heat back on and return the beef and bacon to the pot. Then pour in wine and enough beef stock to just cover the meat. Add bay leaf and thyme, season with salt and pepper and bring up to a simmer.
- Once the stew is lightly simmering, place the lid on the pot and place in the middle rack of the oven. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours, or until meat is fork tender and wine has reduced by at least a quarter.
Braised Mushrooms and Onions
- While the bourguignon is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. In another pot over medium heat, drizzle with olive oil and add butter until melted. Add quartered mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are deep brown and excess moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
- Add pearl onions, 1/2 cup of red wine, thyme, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Continue sautéing on low-medium heat until wine has reduced and onions and mushrooms are tender.
- Once beef bourguignon is done, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Remove the bay leaf and herb bundle from both the stew and mushrooms, then stir in the mushroom and onion mixture. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
If you can’t find frozen pearl onion, use fresh but the prep and cook will take longer. Peel the onions and braise the onions for about 20-30 minutes until fork tender.
For the red wine, use one that you enjoy drinking, preferably on the drier end such as Chianti or red blend.
Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
Nutrition
Calories: 487kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 435mg | Potassium: 1126mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3611IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 4mg
This post was originally published August 15, 2012 and has been updated with nutritional info, easier instructions and updated photos.
I’ve never attempted this dish but her tomato sauce is a favorite at our house.
I am very happy to met you through this wonderful experience we were blessed to be apart of. Cheers, Tara
This dish is absolutely beautiful, Sam! Perfect, even. I would love to dig right in. Yum! My favorite Julia dish is her chocolate mousse. It’s beyond delicious.
i love Julia Child beccause he made cooking look so easy and her love for food showed
Julia was such a frank, humorous woman Strong and savvy. I loved her recipe for a chocolate cake with a caramel dome. FAB!
I was introduced to Julia Child through the movie “Julie & Julia” (which I have watching over 50 times). I haven’t cooked my way through the whole collection of recipes in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” but she did bring me back to cooking and now I am obsessed with her cookbooks & DVDs.
I cooked Scalloped Potatoes with Heavy Cream and Cheese and my son asks or it weekly….I made Boeuf Bourguignon last winter and can’t wait to do it again.
This morning I am making an amazing omelet for my husband and a poached egg for myself (Julia taught me how to poach eggs in her DVD series “The Way to Cook”.
Thank you, Julia, for bringing me back to cooking. I forgot how much it relaxes me and how much I love it!
I loved watching Julia on PBS as a child. Always made me smile and helped me learn to love to cook!
Hi Manda! Can you please check your email and email me back ferrarokitchen @ gmail.com You won the book! Thank you!
What is not to love about Julia Child. She loved and enjoyed cooking and shared it with all of us. I too, after watching Julie and Julia, a gazillion times weekly, started Cooking again. Have to say, so fat, her Beouf Bourguignon has turned out the best. Thank you and Bon Apetite!!
I just made Julia’s boeuf bourguignon again a couple weeks ago (and took that opportunity to change the old photo in the blog post!). Yours looks delicious. Funny about Julia’s last cat – when I was on the phone with her assistant the day after Julia died, she asked me if I wanted to take Julia’s cat! I couldn’t, but she went to a good home!
I love Julia because she was funny and could easily laugh at herself.
Hello
Today I will be daring myself to prepare this recipe for the first time…I’ve watched the movie Julia & Julie, since I’m so into cooking more and trying new things…thank you for sharing this recipe
Have fun Karla and please let me know how it goes!!
Julia was such a wiz in the kitchen! I’ve made several of her recipes, but never her beef bourguinon. It looks delicious.
Looks amazing! The flavors are so delicious in this bourguignon. YUM!
so buttery and creamy and goes so good with rice!! always make extras
Awesome recipe! I love Julias recipes.50 years ago I watched every one of her cooking shows on PBS and copied all the recipes into a school notebook-I still have it!! I was 9 or 10. I loved her show talked about it all the time and cooked everything she made on tv for my family-by 13 I was quite accomplished. Started cooking classes at our college at 14 got my bachelors at 16 and my Masters by 18. I never made it to the Le Cordon Bleu Paris
but became a Nanny in Switzerland for 15 years and learned a diverse portfolio of European cooking over the years ALL BECAUSE OF JULIA and her belief to be
“FEARLESS”-“TRY NEW RECIPES”- “LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES” and “HAVE FUN”! She has been my inspiration over 50 years of cooking!
Thank you so much for sharing your story! Julia has touched many lives!!