Here is a classic beef bourguignon recipe: try this traditional French beef stew with pearl onions and mushrooms at home!
Classic French cuisine, that is what this beef bourguignon recipe is all about!
And even though it is quite an old fashioned recipe, you also might have heard of it before. If the name Julia Child rings a bell that is. Because her version of the classic French ‘boeuf bourguignon’ is epic, she also brought this dish from France to the US.
The recipe for beef bourguignon appeared in her best seller cookbook named Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Have you heard of it before?
The entire cookbook and her recipes were a huge success. But it was her recipe for beef bourguignon that made people call it her signature dish.
Julia Child
And I can only agree with that.
Her beef bourguignon recipe is also one of the best I have ever seen, and tasted. Even the version of famous French chef Escoffier isn’t as good as hers, if you ask me. Escoffier was one of the first chefs to mention beef bourguignon in a cookbook.
That was in the early 1900’s.
So what is so awesome about her recipe then?
It is all about the flavors. The richness. That glossy look. It looks, tastes and smells like a delicious sin. Even my version isn’t that good. And I have given it quite a couple of go’s.
Try it out for yourself!
Easy Classic Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Back to the recipe.
The most important ingredients here: beef (of course), bacon, red wine, pearl onions and mushrooms. Can’t you find any fresh pearl onions? I also make this recipe with frozen silverskin onions from time to time.
If you want your stew to look more glossy, then just add a little sauce thickener or cornstarch to it. Or stir in a tablespoon of cold unsalted butter in the end. That should do the trick as well.
Do you love this beef stew?
Then you should also check out another classic French wine stew: my coq au vin with chicken and mushrooms!
Enjoy!
Easy Classic Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Here is a classic beef bourguignon recipe: try this traditional French beef stew with pearl onions and mushrooms at home!
- 2 ⅓ lbs beef chuck (1050 g)
- 3,5 oz salted bacon (100 g), diced
- 1 small fresh carrot peeled
- 3 cups red wine (720 ml)
- 1 cup beef stock (240 ml)
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 3 large garlic cloves chopped
- 14 fresh pearl onions peeled
- 7 oz white mushrooms (200 g)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- pepper
- salt
- Dice the beef up into large chunks. The beef will shrink quite a lot while cooking so don't make them too small. Add the unsalted butter to a large pan, then place it over medium-high heat. Once the butter starts foaming, add the diced beef.
- Quickly sear the beef on all sides. Add the bacon.
- Stir and fry the beef and bacon for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and pearl onions to the pan. Season with a good dash of pepper and salt.
- Stir and add the bay leaves, fresh rosemary, brown sugar and tomato paste.
- Then add the beef stock and red wine.
- Stir well and bring all the ingredients to a boil. Then put a lid on the pan, turn the heat low and simmer the beef for 2 hours. Stir regularly.
- If you are serving the beef stew immediately, slice the mushrooms and carrots up, add them to the pan and cook for another 45 minutes until the beef is tender. I prefer to make this stew a day in advance. I just let it cool down fully and put it in the fridge overnight. Next day reheat the stew, add the sliced white mushrooms and carrots and cook the stew for another 45 to 60 minutes.
- Then check the seasoning and add extra pepper, salt or brown sugar if necessary. Scoop the stew onto plates and serve hot.
