I am looking forward to returning to America for many different reasons, the most important of which I will share soon.
But the original reason I decided to return next Monday is because I love celebrating Halloween with my friends and family. I am passionate for Halloween because it is a time when everyone opens their homes for visiting which is wonderful for the community. I also love the creativity the holiday inspires and the fact that you can be someone else for the day. Also that the best gift is YOU {and candy}, there are no gifts required.
Beast Bourguignon tops off my favorite menu to serve for Halloween. I usually make this a day or two before serving to let the flavors blend. About an hour before serving, I heat up the stew and prep the vegetables. This stew can be left on the stove on low heat to take care of all of your trick or treaters as they come and go.
There are many great recipes for Beast {Beef} Bourguigon, but we’ve found it hard to improve upon the recipe in The Silver Palate New Basics Cookbook, though we have simplified the original a bit. We like to make the stew a day or two in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until almost ready to serve.
Beast Bourguignon Recipe
adapted from The New Basics Cookbook
Ingredients
1/2 pound center cut bacon
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups of burgundy wine
3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
leaves
leaves
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into
1~1/2 inch julienne
1~1/2 inch julienne
2 cups of frozen white pearl onions,
thawed
thawed
8 ounces fresh chanterelles or other
wild mushrooms
wild mushrooms
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon red currant jelly
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian
parsley
parsley
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a or ovenproof casserole or
dutch oven
sauté the bacon until crisp.
Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, crumble after it cools. Pour off
all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Sauté the beef in the bacon fat in small batches, until browned on all sides. Return all of the beef to the pan and add the onions. Sprinkle beef and onion moisture with salt, pepper and the flour. Stir to combine well and cook over high heat until the flour is no longer white or dry looking, about 5 minutes.
Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, crumble after it cools. Pour off
all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. Sauté the beef in the bacon fat in small batches, until browned on all sides. Return all of the beef to the pan and add the onions. Sprinkle beef and onion moisture with salt, pepper and the flour. Stir to combine well and cook over high heat until the flour is no longer white or dry looking, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine, beef stock, tomato paste, the reserved crumbled bacon and rosemary. Loosen up any bits of food from the bottom and sides of the pot with a spatula or spoon as you bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and place in the oven to cook for two ~ three hours or until the meat is very tender.
At this stage, you could refrigerate
the stew for a day or two until you are ready to serve it.
When ready to serve, heat the stew on
the stove {if necessary}. To prepare the vegetables: Rinse the pearl onions in a colander.
the stove {if necessary}. To prepare the vegetables: Rinse the pearl onions in a colander.
Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan and add the cut carrots and parboil for about 7 minutes until crisp/tender. Add them to the colander with the onions and give a cool rinse.
Wipe the mushrooms clean, trim the stems and slice lengthwise. Melt the butter in a small skillet, add the chanterelles in small batches, and sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, set aside.
add the onion, carrots, mushrooms and jelly to the pot.
Cook over medium heat for another 30 to 40 minutes to heat the vegetables through.
We serve it with Pappardelle egg noodles tossed in a little olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt and chopped parsley.
The Luna Moth Wing Salad is simply butter lettuce leaves dressed with the Splendid Vinaigrette.
I hope you didn’t miss the recipe for the Chocolate Covered Tarantulas, if you did, click here, everyone LOVES this one.
Booooone Appetite!
This is one of mine and my hubbies favorite dinners….such a treat and especially great in the colder months. Now I am most intrigued by these chocolate taranturals, gotta go see what this is all about…..wonderful menu!
Yes, totally LOVED the tarantulas!! And Beef Bourguignon (along with sister recipe Coq au Vin) are my two favorite winter dishes!! I used to make the Julia Child version but now make one similar to yours – never heard of adding the currant jelly – will have to try that!!
Q – the red currant jelly adds a mellow sweetness to the stew and gives it a nice gloss. I have seen some recipes that add a little brandy at the end, I'm thinking of trying that in place of the jelly next time. I hope you have a chance to try it.
EH: the tarantulas are fun to make with kids and every age loves them. They are a perfect blend: crunchy, creamy, salty, sweet, tangy, earthy. Plus they are unusual looking. Enjoy!
I have never made this but I know my hubbie would be REALLY happy if I did. With cooler weather, the time has come. Thanks for the inspiration…now i'm off to get the Tarantula recipe – I have a feeling we'll all love it!
xo Elizabeth
What a great Halloween menu! We are definitely going to try some of these! Happy Halloween weekend.
xo E + J
❤️