French Beef Bourguignon with Red Wine

Ingredients:

For the stew:
1kG of Chuck Beef
Half a bottle of Red wine (ideally pinot noir)
half a liter of veal stock
1 onion
1 carrot
1 bouquet garni

For the garnish:
1kg of Boiled potatoes
200 grams of bacon
200 grams of Mushrooms
10 pearl onions

for the herb butter:
3 to 4 cloves of garlic finely chop
30 to 40 grams of salted butter
1 handful of chopped parsley

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 300°F. Pour chicken stock into a medium bowl and sprinkle gelatin evenly all over the surface, allowing each packet's worth of gelatin to soak up stock before sprinkling next one on. Set aside.

2.In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season beef all over with salt and pepper and add to Dutch oven. Cook, turning occasionally until beef is well browned on 2 sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer beef to a rimmed baking sheet.

3.Add split carrots, halved onions, and garlic to Dutch oven and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes; lower heat if browned bits on the bottom of Dutch oven threaten to burn.

4.Add brandy, if using, and boil until the alcohol has nearly cooked off about 2 minutes. (If not using brandy, proceed with next step.)

5.Scrape chicken stock and all gelatin into Dutch oven. Add red wine, fish sauce, soy sauce, and bouquet garnish and bring to a simmer, then lower heat to maintain a simmer. Meanwhile, cut beef into 2-inch chunks and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add flour and stir until beef is evenly coated with a flour paste. Add beef and any accumulated juices to Dutch oven. Transfer to oven, cover with the lid partially open and cook until beef is starting to become tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

6.Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook lardons over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat has rendered and lardons are lightly browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer lardons to a plate with a slotted spoon.

7.Add mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their liquid and browned about 12 minutes; add oil as needed if pan becomes too dry. Add diced carrots and pearl onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned about 5 minutes.

8.Remove stew from oven. Using tongs, fish out and discard large pieces of carrot and onion. Discard bouquet garnish. Using a ladle, skim off and discard accumulated fat on the surface. Add reserved lardons and sautéed carrots, onions, and mushrooms to stew return to oven, and continue to cook, uncovered, until beef is tender, about 30 minutes longer.

9.Remove stew from oven. If serving right away, skim off any additional fat from surface. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Allow to cool slightly before serving, then serve topped with parsley. If making ahead, cool down stew, then chill in the refrigerator; remove the solid fat cap from the surface once fully chilled. Reheat stew on the stovetop or in a low oven.