Boeuf Bourguignon

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

For Marinade:

  • 3 lbs Boneless Lean Stewing Meat (cut into 2” cubes)
  • 4 Garlic Cloves (peel and cut in half)
  • 1 Onion (roughly chopped)
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 3 Sprigs Fresh Parsley
  • 4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
  • 2 Springs of Rosemary
  • 1 Carrot (peeled and sliced)
  • 1 btl Dry Red Wine

 

For Stew:

  • 1 lb Bacon (cut into ½ inch cube)
  • 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 8 tbsp Flour
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 4 Cups Beef Stock
  • 3 Large Carrots (peeled and sliced)
  • 12 -14 Pearl Onions (blanched and peeled)
  • 1 lb White Mushrooms (sliced)
  • Red Wine from Marinade
  • Salt, Pepper (to taste)
  • Fresh Parsley to garnish

 

Method:

Marinade the meat: Place the cubed beef in a large glass bowl. Add the garlic, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, rosemary, carrots, onion and red wine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Stew: Pre-heat oven to 450F 

Into a large colander strain marinated beef and vegetables over a large bowl saving marinating liquid. Discard the herbs, onion and garlic.

In a large pot heat oil to medium high heat. Add meat (batch at a time ensuring not to over crowd pot) to brown on all sides. Remove the browned beef to separate pot and toss with flour. Place in oven for 4 minutes. Then remove from oven.

In same pot beef cooked in add bacon and sauté till done. Add beef, tomato paste, beef stock, carrots, onions and reserved wine from marinade. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes on stove top then place covered in a 325F oven to cook for 2hrs.

Remove from oven and add mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste and cook for approximately 1- 2 hr (until meat is fork tender). Once ready check seasoning and serve with chopped parsley. Enjoy. 

 

French Niçoise Salad 

Yields: 2 Servings

Ingredients:

Vinaigrette:

  •  1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  •  2 tbsp Lemon Juice
  •  1 tsp Shallot (finely diced)
  •  1 tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
  • 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
  • ½ cup Olive Oil
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • ¼ tsp Black Pepper (finely ground)

Method: 

Vinaigrette:

• Assemble the mustard, lemon juice, diced shallot, thyme, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. Whisk until combined. Add the red wine vinegar and whisk until combined.

• While whisking, slowly add the olive oil to the bowl in a thin stream. The mixture will thicken slightly. Continue adding and whisking until all of the olive oil is incorporated. Set aside.

 

Ingredients:

Salad:

  • 8 leaves Butter Lettuce
  • 2 Hard-Boiled Eggs
  • (peeled and cold)
  • 16 Green Beans (trimmed)
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 8 Cherry Tomatoes
  • 3-4 Nugget Potatoes
  • 1 Anchovy
  • 1 tsp Capers
  • 10 Black Olives (Niçoise)
  • 1 tsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 4 slices Baguette
  • 4 oz. Albacore Tuna Filet
  • 2 tsp Olive Oil
  • TT Salt and Pepper (to taste)

 

Method: 

Hard Boiled Eggs:

  1. Put eggs in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and cover.
  2. Wait 12-15 min. Rinse in cold water and peel.

 

Green Beans:

  1. Put a medium pot of water on to boil. When the water is boiling, add 2 tsp of salt, and wait for it to return to the boil. When the water is boiling, add the green beans and blanch them until they are no longer crunchy. About 2 minutes. They will turn a bright green.

 

Potatoes:

  1. With cold water in the pot, add the potatoes, and cook on medium low heat for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the biggest potato slips off easily. Remove from the heat, drain and cool. (You want them still warm or room temperature for the salad.)

 

Cherry Tomatoes & Lettuce:

  1. Divide the cherry tomatoes in half and cut eggs into quarters.
  2. Wash the butter lettuce and spin it dry.

 

Tapenade:

  1. Assemble the anchovy and capers into a mortar and pestle, and crush until combined into a paste.
  2. Chop the olives finely and add to the mortar and pestle along with the lemon juice and the 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Mix until combined, crushing the olives a little bit. Set aside paste (known as tapenade) into a clean container.

 

Albacore Tuna Filet:

  1. Heat a sauté pan over a burner until you can feel the heat rising off of it.
  2. In the meantime rub the albacore tuna filet with 1tsp of the olive oil. Then lightly season it with salt and pepper.
  3. Carefully place the albacore tuna loin down on the grill pan. Sear for one minute on that side. Turn the tuna with a pair of tongs to the next side. After another minute, turn it again. You want the outside of the tuna to become slightly cooked, while the inside remains raw. When the tuna is cooked evenly on all sides, remove it from the pan and to a cutting board.

 

Baguette:

  1. Rub the 4 slices of baguette with the remaining olive oil.
  2. Grill the pieces of baguette on the grill pan until grill marks form. Be careful not to burn the bread. When the bread is grilled on both sides, remove it to a plate.

 

Salad:

  1. In a medium sized bowl, put the lettuce leaves and 1 tbsp of the dressing. Mix until the dressing coats the leaves well. Divide the leaves between two plates, creating a base for the rest of the salad.
  2. In the same bowl that you dressed the lettuce in, add the beans, tomatoes, and potatoes that have been cut into quarters. Add 2tbsp of the dressing and mix until combined.
  3. Divide the vegetables between the two plates, forming a small mound in the centre of the plate on top of the lettuce.
  4. Arrange the quarters of the eggs around the two plates.
  5. Spread the tapenade on one side of the pieces of bread and arrange 2 pieces on each plate.
  6. Carefully slice the tuna into 6 slices and arrange 3 slices on top of the mound of vegetables. Drizzle a little bit of the remaining dressing on top of the tuna and the eggs.