Beef Bourguignon with Dark Chocolate

Ingredients

• 1 kg Stewing beef (Cheek, chuck, or shin; to be marinated)
• 1 bottle Red Burgundy wine (For the marinade; one bottle, approximately 750 ml)
• 1 Onion (Stud with a few cloves)
• Cloves (A few, for studding the onion)
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 3 Carrots (For the marinade and cooking)
• Fresh thyme (Amount unspecified; for the marinade)
• 200 g Smoked bacon (Brown, then set aside; later used as lardons)
• 2 tbsp Flour (For coating the meat and vegetables)
• 15 Pearl onions (Approximately 15)
• 250 g Button mushrooms (Brown well before adding)
• Beef stock (Enough to cover; quantity unspecified)
• Bay leaves (Amount unspecified)
• 1 square Dark chocolate (At least 70% cocoa)
• Salt (Season at the end of cooking)
• Pepper (Season at the end of cooking)

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare the marinade by combining the beef, red Burgundy wine, the onion studded with cloves, the garlic cloves, carrots, and fresh thyme.

2. 2

   Cover and marinate the meat with the vegetables and aromatics for 12 hours in the refrigerator.

3. 3

   After marinating, drain the meat thoroughly. Strain the marinade through a chinois to separate the liquid from the vegetables and aromatics, then reserve the strained marinade and the vegetables.

4. 4

   Place the smoked bacon in a cold cast-iron casserole. Heat it gradually so it browns and slowly renders its fat.

5. 5

   Remove the lardons from the casserole and set them aside.

6. 6

   In the rendered fat, over high heat, sear the drained meat well on all sides.

7. 7

   Add the carrots from the marinade and sauté them with the meat for a few minutes.

8. 8

   Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the meat and vegetables. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

9. 9

   Pour the strained red wine marinade into the casserole.

10. 10

    Add enough beef stock to cover, along with the bay leaves and the remaining vegetables from the marinade. Bring the mixture to a very gentle simmer.

11. 11

    Simmer very gently and slowly for approximately 4 hours, until the meat is very tender.

12. 12

    After the meat has simmered for approximately 4 hours, add the pearl onions and the mushrooms, previously well browned.

13. 13

    Add the reserved lardons to the casserole.

14. 14

    Continue cooking gently uncovered to reduce the sauce slightly until it reaches a good consistency.

15. 15

    At the end of cooking, add a square of dark chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa and stir to melt it into the sauce.

16. 16

    Finally, season with salt and pepper, then serve the beef Bourguignon with its sauce.

Notes

The source specifies a 12-hour marinade and very gentle cooking for approximately 4 hours, but does not give a temperature or exact quantities for the stock, thyme, bay leaves, salt, or pepper. The transcript indicates that the mushrooms should be well browned before being added, without specifying the method used. The creator mentions that the bacon is optional according to personal preference.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• French cuisine
• slow-cooked
• stew
• beef
• wine-based
• comfort food
• traditional