- Hey Guys.
Christmas dinner is one of my most favorite meals
of the year,
but let's be honest,
it can also be one of the more stressful.
Between all the gift giving, relatives, and kids
running around in the background
it can really be hard to pull off something elegant
with all this activity.
Not to worry,
for this episode I have partnered with Swanson
to show you how you can use their beef stock
for a make ahead
beef bourguignon.
I love this dish,
it's a classic French beef stew that's festive,
fancy, elegant,
and the best part is
it can all be made the day before.
In fact, it's even better if you make it the day before.
Let me show you how a little preplanning
can help you pull off a real show stopper.
So the first thing we're going to do
is prep our beef.
So you want to start out with three pounds of chuck.
Now, this sometimes is also labeled as stew meat,
it's a tougher cut of beef but it's perfect for a stew,
especially for beef bourguignon,
because we are going to let this stew simmer.
As the stew simmers it's going to become
more and more tender and flavorful the longer it cooks.
Go ahead and season with some salt and pepper,
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then lightly dredge it through some flour,
and then you can set it aside.
Then you want to choose a Dutch oven,
you want to make sure that it's something that can actually
go in the oven, because that's how we're ultimately
going to cook our stew.
So, in the bottom of your Dutch oven
you're going to put a table spoon of olive oil,
and then six slices of bacon
that has been cut into bite-size pieces.
We're going to cook the bacon
just until it's nice and crispy,
and then you can strain it out with a slotted spoon,
place it on a plate lined with a paper towel.
Now, do not go clean out that pan.
All of that bacon grease is what we are going to use
to cook our vegetables in.
There's a ton of flavor in that pan, so we don't want
to get rid of it.
To the pan we're going to add a cup of diced onion,
and then two cups of cut carrots
that have been sliced on the bias.
Now this is really just for visual presentation,
I think it looks prettier when your stew is done
to have the carrots cut this way,
and for Christmas dinner it's worth the extra effort.
So you're just going to cook the vegetables
until they're nice and tender,
and then you can strain those out
and transfer them to a bowl and set those aside.
Now at this point
if your pan looks like it needs a little bit more oil
you can go ahead and drizzle a little bit more olive oil,
and then we are going to sear our beef in stages.
Searing the beef this way is a really great step
because it's going to allow that beef
to just lock in all that flavor and become caramelized.
It will also protect the beef as it cooks in the oven,
allowing it to just become tender and flavorful.
It's really a great step to do;
it's probably the more time consuming step,
but worth the effort.
Once all of your beef is seared off,
you can transfer it to a bowl and set that aside.
Now, again, don't wash out that pan,
you've got tons of flavor in the bottom of it,
and we are going to basically clean our pan
by deglazing it.
So at this stage you're going to add three cups
of red wine.
Now for a beef bourguignon,
here in the states I think a good wine to use
would be a Cotes du Rhone wine, or a Pinot Noire,
or even a Merlot would work, too.
And as that wine is simmering you can take a wooden spoon
and just kinda scrap the bottom of your pan
and make sure all those delicious pan drippings
are becoming incorporated with the wine.
To the wine we are going to add three cups of the Swanson
Beef Stock.
Now, I love using a stock like this, especially this time
of year when making your own stock can be really
time consuming.
It's a great quality stock that will give our stew a rich
and meaty flavor.
And if you don't drink, that's OK,
you could actually leave out the wine
and double the beef stock in this recipe.
Because it's such a full-bodied cooking base
you'll be assured of a really delicious stew as well,
without the wine.
Then we're going to add a quarter 1/4 cup of tomato paste,
two cloves of minced garlic,
two teaspoons of dried thyme,
one bay leaf,
a teaspoon of salt,
and some freshly cracked pepper to taste.
Then you can go ahead and just whisk that all up
until it's nice and combined.
And then we're going to add back in
our sauteed vegetables,
our beef,
and our bacon.
Then we're going to put our lid on our pot,
and we're going to pop this stew in the oven
at 325 for two hours.
I know, you might be thinking, "what?
(chuckles) "Two hours?"
But I'm telling you, that is what is going to make this stew
so succulent and delicious,
because the longer that the stew cooks in the oven,
the more tender and flavorful that beef is going to be,
and the richer and more delicious your sauce is going to be.
Now there is a secret benefit to this stew,
and let me tell you what it is,
especially around Christmas time.
So, you have a stew
that has to be in the oven for two hours,
so technically you have to babysit the stew.
So when all the chaos is going around,
and people are running here and there
going for last minute shopping,
you get the excuse of staying home while everybody goes out,
that then leaves you with a quiet house
with nothing to do but watch your stew.
So you can put on the Christmas carols,
you can wrap some presents,
you can dash off some last minute Christmas cards,
and you will be so happy because your dinner is simmering
in the oven and everything will be done the day before.
Now once your stew has been in the oven for an hour
and 30 minutes,
you are ready for the next stage.
What we're going to do is take some little, white
button mushrooms,
and then we're just going to sautee them in some
melted butter
until they become nice and golden brown.
And then you're going to add them to the stew,
drippings and all.
And then the other thing we're going to add
is a cup of frozen while pearl onions.
Go ahead and give your stew a stir,
put the lid back on the pot,
and let it keep going for another thirty minutes.
Meanwhile, you can prepare your slurry.
So a slurry is basically just a combination
of flour and water,
and what it is going to do is we are going to
put it in our stew to help thicken it up.
So once your stew is ready
you can take it out of the oven,
remove the lid,
we're going to pour in our slurry,
give it a stir,
and then bring it up to a boil.
Once the stew starts to boil
we can then turn it down to a simmer
and then just continue to let it simmer
until you'll feel that the stew is starting to become
a little bit thicker,
and a little bit more velvety.
And then we're going to add a tablespoon of butter
just to give it a nice smooth finish,
and then at last your stew is done.
So what we're going to do now
is we're going to allow this stew to completely cool down,
and then you can transfer it to an airtight container
and pop in your fridge,
knowing that Christmas dinner is all ready to go.
Then when it comes time to serve
you can take your stew, put it back into your Dutch oven,
and once it's sat, especially overnight,
it is going to absorb all of that flavor,
all of those juices and seasonings are going to
marry together,
and it's going to be even better.
And then once it's completely warmed through
you can go ahead
and ladle it out into some shallow bowls,
and then I also like to top with some freshly chopped
parsley.
And I also like to serve this with some crusty
French baguettes,
and there you have it, Christmas dinner is served.
I think you'll find that this stew is the perfect thing
to celebrate a festive holiday.
It's elegant, it's delicious,
and the whole thing was made the day before.
I hope you guys give this one a try
and let me know what you think.
And for more quick and easy recipes be sure to subscribe,
you know it always makes me happy when you subscribe.
And I will see you back here next time
for another delicious recipe.
Until then,
bye.
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