Boeuf bourguignon
Photo: Guislin · CC BY 4.0

History

Beef bourguignon is younger than its reputation: the dish was first documented in 1867, and similar 'à la bourguignonne' preparations of other meats appear earlier in the 19th century. It did not enjoy a great reputation at first, often being made with leftover cooked beef. Its fame came later, sealed by Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961), who called it one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and it has since become the dish most visitors expect in Dijon.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Sulphites, Celery

Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg beef chuck or cheek, cut into 5cm pieces
  • 200g smoked lardons
  • 1 bottle (750ml) red Burgundy, such as a Côte de Nuits Pinot Noir
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 300ml beef stock
  • 18 small pearl onions, peeled
  • 250g button mushrooms, quartered
  • 40g butter, 2 tbsp oil, salt and pepper

Method

  1. Dry the beef well and season it. Brown the lardons in a casserole with the oil, lift them out, then brown the beef in batches in the fat until deeply coloured on all sides.
  2. Soften the carrots, onion and garlic in the same pot for five minutes, return the beef and lardons, sprinkle over the flour and stir for two minutes.
  3. Pour in the wine and stock, add the bouquet garni, bring to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven at 160C for two and a half to three hours, until a knife slides through the beef.
  4. Meanwhile brown the pearl onions in half the butter and glaze with a splash of water; fry the mushrooms in the rest of the butter until golden.
  5. Lift out the beef, strain the sauce and reduce it on the hob until it coats a spoon. Return the beef, add the onions and mushrooms and simmer ten minutes more before serving.

Tip from the editors. It is better made a day ahead: chill overnight, lift off the set fat and reheat gently.

Where to eat boeuf bourguignon

Boeuf bourguignon in Dijon

La Brasserie des Loges ★ 3.9

€€ BrasserieCentre Historique

La Brasserie des Loges seats guests beside the Musée des Beaux-Arts on Place du Théâtre in Dijon, serving Burgundian brasserie classics daily.

OrderThe Menu Bourguignon, a set three-course run through the region's classics.

TipIt stays open every day of the year bar three, useful for a Sunday or holiday table when smaller kitchens shut.

Directions

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