Despite Julia Child’s extensive collection of signature dishes, one, in particular, would become synonymous with her name, beef Bourguignon. Child’s rendition of the classic French beef stew is everything you could ever want, with tender, fall-apart beef and hearty vegetables simmered in a rich, savory red wine broth. While Child’s beef Bourguignon remains a culinary marvel, it is a time-consuming dish by most home cooks’ standards.
A recent Instagram post by Ina Garten pays tribute to Julia Child by recreating the iconic recipe. Garten took to Instagram and captioned her photo, saying, “This weekend is the Hamptons International Film Festival and I’m so excited to see JULIA, the documentary about Julia Child by my friends Betsy West and Julie Cohen. In Julia’s honor, I made Beef Bourguignon for dinner tonight.”
But Garten revealed that her version of beef Burgundy is slightly different from Child’s, as it takes only a fraction of the time to cook. Plus, she added that her time-saving tips on the iconic French stew prevent you from missing out on your evening plans. “My version doesn’t cook for the usual four hours so you’ll be able to make dinner and get to the movies on time!” Garten explained.
How does the Barefoot Contessa’s beef Bourguignon stand up to Child’s? And, how does Garten simplify the iconic dish without compromising taste? Discover her fool-proof solution to mastering this mouth-watering, exquisite meal in no time.
Ina Garten’s Fool-Proof Method For Cooking Beef Bourguignon In Less Time
Ina Garten is well known for refreshing classic recipes by adding new and interesting twists. Whether it’s grown-up mac and cheese smothered in truffle butter or cheesy mashed potatoes with goat cheese and sour cream, Garten has a knack for comforting flavor. So it’s no wonder Garten took to this flavorful, French beef stew.
A segment of the Barefoot Contessa featured Garten demonstrating how to make beef Bourguignon, which she dubbed “beef stew in red wine.”
“I think Americans think of French food as this sort of fancy, pinkies-up kind of thing,” she said. “And I love the really traditional recipes that are real country food.”
Garten began by frying bacon in a large Dutch oven. Having cooked the bacon and set it aside, she seasoned and cubed the chuck beef into one-inch cubes. Then, she browned the beef on all sides in the hot oil.
Garten then set the beef aside with the bacon. She added chopped carrots, sliced onions, salt, and pepper to the hot oil in the pan, cooking for about 10 to 15 minutes. After Garten had given the vegetables time to cook, she added the garlic and cooked for about a minute.
Garten described the next step of beef Bourguignon as “the fun part,” which is adding cognac. The fun begins after Garten ignites a match and holds it over the pan. “What the flame does is it burns off all the alcohol but leaves a gorgeous flavor of cognac,” Garten explained.
While Garten and Child’s beef Bourguignon has a similar process, here is where Garten and Child’s recipe diverge. When the mixture reaches a boil, Garten covered the pot and placed it in the oven for about an hour and 15 minutes. “Instead of cooking it on top of the stove, as most beef Bourguignon is… I discovered that if I cooked it at 250 degrees in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes instead of like two and a half hours… it comes out perfectly done.” Garten shared.
Lastly, the Barefoot Contessa used flour and butter to thicken the sauce once the stew was removed from the oven. In addition, she added sauteed mushrooms and frozen onions before serving.
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