Welcome to this week’s blog post: beef Bourguignon and Chocolate self-saucing Pudding! Both of these recipes are absolute family favourites, as they’re easy to make and taste incredible! As the days are getting shorter, and the nights colder and longer, you’ll have the perfect opportunity to enjoy them all!
We’ll be cooking these recipes on this week’s class over on Eventbrite (grab a ticket if you haven’t already, it’s FREE!), and we’ve also included a bonus recipe at the end (the French classic, Aligot, the best creamy mashed potato you’ll ever try!).
Making casseroles and stews are so easy, almost every single one of them starts the same way; dry the meat, coat in seasoned flour, then fry in either oil or fat of some kind. From there, it’s about developing flavours; caramelised onions, carrots, and other vegetables. They also incorporate wine (used to ‘deglaze’ the pan and get all those super tasty bits off the bottom), and either vegetable, meat, or seafood stock to braise the meat and veg.
If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between stew and casserole is, it’s best explained like this. Traditionally, a stew is cooked on the stove-top, whereas a casserole is cooked in the oven. Technically, stews only have contact with heat from the burner, whereas a casserole is heated all around the dish. Also, a ‘casserole’ is a style of cooking vessel, like a Dutch oven.
So, there you go, now you know the difference between them! Now, let’s look at what you’re going to need to make these recipes!
Family favourite Ingredients:
Unlike a lot of ‘classic’ recipes, this week’s ones use ingredients you’ll probably already have at hand. So, don’t worry you’re not going to need any fancy ingredients for these recipes, just the basics; stewing steak, carrots, onions, garlic, a nice drop of red wine, and potatoes. The chocolate pudding is equally straight forward; self-raising flour, butter, cocoa powder, sugar, and milk.
The process is also really easy, and will only take a few moments to mix before you put it in the oven. Literally, each of these recipes (including a BONUS one at the end) only take minutes to prep, so you’re not going to spend hours chained to a kitchen counter!
Family favourite Equipment:
Just like the ingredients, the equipment needs are minimal too! Just the essentials; chopping board, knife, saucepan, masher, Dutch oven, mixing bowls, wooden spoons. Don’t worry if you don’t have a Dutch oven, you can use any sort of casserole dish, just make sure it has a lid for when it’s cooking in the oven, or use some aluminium foil.
So, now we have all the nitty gritty out of the way, let’s get on with the cooking! First up, beef Bourguignon!
How to Make beef Bourguignon:
Beef Bourguignon
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Oven or slow cooker
- Stirrer
- Measuring jug
- Plastic bag
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg/3lbs stewing beef (NOT prime cuts), diced into 2-inch cubes
- 10 g Salt
- 3 g ground black pepper
- 40 g/1.5oz/2tbsp all-purpose flour
- 150 g/5oz bacon lardons cut into 1” batons
- 200 g/1lrg/7oz onion large dice
- 200 g/1lrg/7oz carrot large dice
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 20 gr/1oz tomato paste/puree
- 750 ml/25floz red wine preferably Burgundy
- 500 ml/18floz beef stock/broth
- 1 large bay leaf
- 2 med sprigs of thyme
- 250 g/8oz small onions pearl or pickling size, peeled
- 250 g/8oz mushrooms ‘button’ are good
- 20 ml/1floz/1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Begin by warming your slow cooker, or preheating your oven to 325˚F/160˚C.
- Next, with some kitchen paper/paper towel, pat dry the diced beef, and in a plastic bag add the flour, salt, and pepper, and mix. Then, add the beef, and shake until all the pieces of beef are coated in flour and seasoning.
- In a large Dutch oven, or other stove/oven-proof dish, heat half of the oil, and sauté the lardons until crispy and golden. Remove them from the oil, and keep these bacon batons for later
- Next, add the beef, and begin to brown - only turning once each side is golden brown. This caramelisation of the outer surface is important, so don’t rush it! This is where you’ll develop amazing flavours! Try not to crowd the pan, brown off the meat in batches, and you can add the other half of the oil as needed.
- Once all the meat is browned, add the all the onions, carrot, garlic, and sauté for 3-5mins. Then add the mushrooms, and cook for a further 3mins. When you’re ready, add the tomato paste, stir in as best you can, then add the beef and bacon.
- When all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, pour in the wine, and bring to the boil - it’s important to do this before adding the beef stock, so that the alcohol is cooked out. Once boiling, pour in the beef stock and add the bay leaves and thyme, then return to the boil.
- Put the lid on your Dutch oven, and place it in your oven, or turn your slow cooker to ‘low’ for the next 2.5hrs.
- Beef Bourguignon is best served with creamy mashed potatoes, or even garlicy-cheesy Aligot made with Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes.
Aligot How to Make It:
Aligot - Creamy & Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Large saucepan
- Knife
- Ricer/vegetable masher
Ingredients
- 680 g (1½lbs) Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes (starchy mashing potatoes) peeled and cut into 1"/2 cm pieces
- 15 g (2 cloves) garlic peeled
- 1.2 lt (5cups) cold water
- salt to taste
- 115 g (½cup) butter cubed
- 240 ml (1cup) heavy cream
- 250 g (2½ cups) shredded cheese: Swiss Comté, Fontina or Gruyère
Instructions
- Using a large pot, bring the potatoes, a large pinch of salt, and garlic cloves to the boil in the water, over medium-high heat and boil for approx. 20mins, or until the potatoes are super tender.
- Drain from the water, place the potatoes and garlic in either a 'ricer' or mash by hand with a vegetable masher until smooth and lump-free.
- Over low heat, add in the butter one cube at a time, stirring all the time to mix thoroughly. When all the butter is added, add in the cheese, and stir until smooth and the cheese is fully melted.
- Slowly pour in the heavy cream, stirring carefully until fully combined. Begin to 'stir and lift' to stretch the cheesy potatoes. If the mixture breaks, add more cheese, if it's too thick, add more cream.
- Serve as soon as the correct consistency is achieved, best served with classic dishes like beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, or with roasted vegetables.
How to Make chocolate self-saucing pudding:
Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Stirring spoon
- 20cm/10" circle or square pudding bowl, or 4-6 moulds
- Jug
Ingredients
- 1 cup SR Flour
- 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 125 g Butter
- 1/2 cup Caster Sugar
- 2 Eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
- 1/2 cup Milk
Sauce
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar firmly packed
- 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 2 cups hot Water
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 175˚C
- Cream together the butter and sugar, then add the eggs one at a time.
- Carefully fold in the flour and cocoa powder, add the milk and vanilla essence.
- In a small saucepan, add the sugar, water, and cocoa powder, and heat over a low heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Pour the batter into greased moulds, then pour the sauce over the top - pour it over the back of a spoon to avoid flooding the top.
- Bake in the oven for 35-40mins - the sauce will slowly sink down through the batter to create a thick chocolately sauce.
- This pudding is best served immediately with a generous scoop of good vanilla ice cream.
Thanks for checking out this post on how to make beef Bourguignon and also how to make chocolate self-saucing pudding. I hope you make them soon, and if you do, please come back and post a comment, or share a photo with the tag: #LarderPantryandGarden.
Don’t forget, Larder Pantry and Garden are holding online Cook-a-Long sessions over on Eventbrite, they’re FREE, so come along and hang out as we cook these dishes!
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