Before Julia Child and Lyon’s Paul Bocuse there was Auguste Escoffier, a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. His genius was in simplifying Antoine Carême’s elaborate style. He was the first to codify the recipe for boeuf burguignon.

Boeuf bourguignon is a rich stew prepared with beef braised (preferably Charolais) in a full-bodied red wine. It is a regional winter favorite that originated in Burgundy. The tender meat is stewed with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and seasoned with a typical French bouquet garni (mix of thyme, bay leaves and parsley).

Boeuf Bourguignon
 For six
 Preparation time: 30 minutes
 Cooking time: 2H30

1.2 kgs of beef cut in large cubes, 150 gm of diced bacon, 200 gm of carrots 1 large onions, 100 gms of small onions, 300 gms of cultivated mushrooms, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 bouquet garni, 30 gms of butter, 5 cls of oil,1 l of red Burgundy wine, 5O mls of stock, 40 gms of floor, salt and pepper.

Heat up the oil in a dutch oven and brown the meat on a high heat. Add the diced carrots and onions, sprinkle with floor, mix and cook for a few minutes over a high heat.

Pour the wine and stock.

Add crushed garlic and bouquet garni.Put salt and pepper, cover and leave to simmer for 2h30 on medium heat (Th. 6 - 180° C)

Warm up butter in a pan and fry the diced bacon, sliced onions and mushrooms. Add them to the dutch oven at the last minute.

Serve with steamed potatoes or tagliatelle and butter.

If you like using a slow cooker this video reveals all.