Older is Better

I like things that get better as they age. Case in point: George Clooney. (Perhaps I just have old taste? Case in point: Kevin Spacey?)
Not just actors, though, also food. Soup, for example. And, as I experienced today, beef burgundy (or, bouef bourguignon, as Julie and Julia would say).

I toiled all day this past Sunday, chopping and browning and simmering and reducing, all in the name of creating the perfect French bouef bourguignon. Now I know many of you have just been beaten over the head with this dish (if you've been wise/nostalgic enough to see the movie that inspired the rebirth of this blog), but I really can't go on without telling you about my day and my dish. Actually, I'll just give you some photos that I took while working:













Browned beef and butter with carrots and onions. In a sauce of potent red wine, my favorite part.


First, we brown the onions...












Then add a bouquet of herbs (or sprigs, if you're uncultured, like me) and cook until tender.















Though the lighting isn't great, the richness of the 'broth' and the tenderness of the beef is, I hope, quite evident. We served it with new potatoes and cut them up in the stew - they soaked up the juices beautifully.

To top it all off, I continue to enjoy it, four days after cooking!

I used Julia's recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and as she specifies, I didn't cut any corners, or make any substitutions (even adding more butter at times than she called for, for better browning - don't tell my parents, for whom I made the dish). Try it, when you've got a good day to enjoy cooking.


-Lillie