Get Your Schnitzel Girl Weekly Recipes Delivered To Your Inbox!
We’re always cooking something good, whether its Old World, New World, or out of this World! Please subscribe and don’t miss a single recipe!
Beef Bourguignon En Croute
- Total Time: 4-5 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
This is my adaptation of a classic recipe, served in a ramekin and topped with a puff pastry crown. Everything is better with puff pastry! This recipe is a bit more complex than my usual genre of recipes – this is a great choice for when company comes for dinner. Make the Beef Bourguignon the day before and let it sit in the frig overnight, the flavors will really meld then. And the day of your dinner party, its easy to finish the meal. To save time, ask your butcher to cut the chuck for you. Do NOT buy the stuff labeled stew meat, already cut and packaged. It is definitely subpar.
Ingredients
For Eight Servings:
- Approx 2 Tbl Olive oil & 2 Tbl vegetable oil
- one 10.5 oz package of your favorite bacon
- 3 – 3 1/2 lbs beef chuck, cut into approx one inch cubes (remove as much fat & muscle as possible)
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 lb baby carrots
- 3 tsp chopped garlic (the stuff in the jar is fine)
- 1/2 to 2/3 bottle good dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2–3 Tbl tomato paste
- approx 3–4 Tbl all-purpose flour
- 1/2 stick (4 Tbl) butter, at room temperature
- 1 lb frozen pearl onions
- 1 lb mushrooms (portabello would be nice), stems removed, tops sliced thickly
- 1 box Pepperidge Fams puff pastry sheets, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
- Heat the oils in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned nicely. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain.
- Dry the beef cubes, sprinkle them generously with salt & pepper and sear them on all sides in the Dutch oven that has the oil and bacon fat in it. Do this in about four batches so as not to crowd the beef, otherwise you will steam the meat instead of brown it. Remove the seared beef cubes to a plate.
- Toss the carrots along with a little salt & pepper in the same Dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for one more minute. Add the meat, bacon, wine, and broth to the pot. The liquid should just about cover all the meat. Add the tomato paste and stir it in thoroughly. Bring the pot to a simmer, cover, and place in the preheated oven for about two hours. (NOTE: At this point, you can let the pot cool and place it in the frig until the next day, see note above).
- Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the mushrooms, sauteeing them for about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir well to incorporate. Add the mushroom mixture to the bourguignon. Add the frozen pearl onions. Bring the Bourguignon to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste and correct seasonings (add salt & pepper if needed). Remove from heat.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the puff pastry sheets from the packaging, and lay out on a cutting board. Cut each sheet into fourths.
- Dish the Bourguignon into eight 14-oz oven safe ramekins. Place a quartered sheet of puff pastry over the top of each ramekin. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet (or two cookie sheets if needed). Place the ramekins in the preheated oven and bake for about twenty minutes, until the puff pastry is puffy and brown.
- YUM!!!.
Notes
Use the best quality ingredients possible, it will make a difference. And do prepare the bourguignon the day before, it will make the day of the Big Dinner even easier and better!
- Prep Time: 1.5-2 hours
- Cook Time: 2.5 hours
- Category: Beef
- Method: stovetop + oven
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: Beef, Beef Bourguignon, Bourguignon, French, stews
SchnitzelGirl
Head Cook
I’ve always loved cooking, and spent many years working on the food & beverage side of the hospitality industry, which served to increase my interest in food, wine and entertaining.
