Beef bourguignon can be described as one of the most widely known of all French dishes. It is a stew prepared with beef braised in red wine – traditionally red Burgundy – and beef broth, generally flavoured with garlic, onions and a bouquet garni, with pearl onions and mushrooms added towards the end of cooking. Although there is nothing difficult about its preparation, there are no shortcuts. Such dishes do not have a rigid formula; each cook interpreting it according to their taste.
Watch the Beef Bourguignon with Dark Chocolate video recipe
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Beef bourguignon was a staple of the bistro era but it dropped out of favour due to over-familiarity. This dish actually was beginning to fade out of existence simply because diners got bored. However, after more than 30 years of relative oblivion, it is now about to come crashing through the brasserie doors and make a comeback. Besides traditional ingredients, here’s how you can add dark chocolate to make this dish more delicious.
Here’s a tip before you start cooking!
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Ingredients (good for 10 portions)
Meat and sauce
- 1.2kg beef rib fillets for braising
- 30g vegetable oil
- 200g bacon
- 150g chopped carrots
- 200g onions
- 5 cloves garlic
- 500ml red wine
- 400ml Knorr Demi Glace (prepared)
- 3 pieces bay leaf
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- Dark chocolate to taste
Vegetables
- 20 spring onion sprouts
- 15 small new potatoes
- 5 small artichokes
- 200g brown mushrooms
- 15 pieces small turnip
- 20 pieces carrots (minimum)
Preparation
Meat and sauce
- Cut the beef in equal parts (approximately 2 x 2cm) and season with pepper and salt
- Clean and cut the carrots, onions and garlic
- Cut the bacon in small strips
- Fry the beef in vegetable oil
- Add the bacon to the carrots, onions and garlic
- Deglaze with red wine
- Reduce until ¼ is left
- Add the prepared Knorr Demi Glace
- Simmer for about 3 hours until the meat is tender
- Strain the stew
- Finish the sauce with grated dark chocolate to your own taste
- Add the meat back in the sauce
Vegetable
- Clean and boil the potatoes, then grill them
- Boil the cleaned artichokes with a splash of lemon juice
- Clean the carrots and turnips, boil them and then stew in butter
- Cut the mushrooms in quarters and fry until golden
- Clean the spring onions, then grill or stew
Plating
- Serve the stewed meat in a deep plate
- Finish and divide the vegetables
- Add the sauce
