When we were at the butcher, we inquired about a “paleron” cut at Olivier’s and were told it was perfect for beef bourguignon, so we grabbed two pounds and set out researching this French classic. We’d never made a beef bourguignon before. Our culinary experiences tend more toward the Italian side.

 

 

With some ideas and techniques inspired by Julia Child and Thomas Keller, this is what we came up with. Note that the vegetables you’ll actually eat with the stew are added at the very end because we agree with chef Keller that mushy vegetables that have given all their flavor to the sauce already are not very good. We guarantee that if you follow these directions exactly, you will present your dinner guests with an elegant and highly refined beef stew that everyone will want more of.

 

 

 

This is also cooked on a stove instead of in the oven. This allows you to more easily skim off the fat and impurities. A good cast iron dutch oven is key to this technique because it holds a lot of heat and seems to cook more gently than a steel stock pot. We typically use Staub or Le Crusette enamaled cast iron dutch ovens. Some good options are here, here, and here.