Let me hear you say Boeuf Bourguignon with a French accent!

Ready? Go!

Please tell me you did it! I am imagining y’all staring at the screen and practicing your best Gérard Depardieu impersonation.

Today is the official first day of fall and I am celebrating with this divine, comforting Boeuf Bourguignon, or Beef Burgundy in English, which is one of my fave dishes ever and the perfect dinner for this season . (sharing the recipe at the end of this post) If you’ve never heard of it before, it is pretty much a beef stew made with red wine, mushrooms and pearl onions that was given a big fancy French name!

I used a Merlot-dominant Bordeaux from an acclaimed vintage for everyday price from 90+ Cellars! The tasting notes are clove and dried fruits on the nose + blackcurrant with notes of cherry that lead way to toasty smoky layers that last.

This Bordeaux was divine in my beef stew and divine on its own too!

When it comes to “classic” wines, it doesn’t get much more classic than Bordeaux, France. Bordeaux’s roots in wine go back thousands of years. The meticulously tended vineyards of Bordeaux flank the Gironde Estuary which empties into the sea along France’s Atlantic coast. There, the five red Bordeaux grapes are grown: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The percentage of each variety in a given Bordeaux blend is dependent on the vintage. Cooler vintages tend to have a greater percentage of Merlot since it is easier to ripen than the Cab.

90+ Cellars is one of the fastest growing wine brands in America. They are a modern day négociant – working with acclaimed wineries and vineyards to curate a portfolio of fine wines from all over the globe. They do this because they love great wine, and they want to make drinking great wine easier and more affordable for you. Find your nearest 90+ retailer on their Store Locator, or check out their full selection of wines in their online store. Join their Wine Club too! Get 3, 6 or 12 bottles of wine delivered to your door four times per year. Starting at just $50/quarter. Always free Shipping!

I really love the idea of their Starter Club. This is an introductory club for the travel seeker who wants to get a foot in the door of exploring a world full of wine.
The Starter Club is our 3-bottle option that includes a mix of red, white and the occasional sparkling and/or rosé wine up to their Reserve Series. If you find 3-bottles isn’t enough to fill up your adventure wine bucket, they can easily upgrade your membership to a Red or Mixed Club at any time too!

The Red Club is for the adventurer who knows what they’re in search for: red wines... and red wines only. Choose 6 or 12 bottles of world class red wines up to their Reserve+Collector Series!

And then The Mixed Club is for the ultimate wanderlust who has a thirst for trying a little bit of everything and desires making new wine discoveries. Choose 6 or 12 bottles of world class reds, whites and the occasional sparkling and/or rosé wine Reserve+Collector Series!

So lots of options for you dears! Wonderful holiday gifts too, right?!

Read more about them here. I really love their story.

And I am so impressed with their French selection of wine too!

Now for that delish Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe as promised.

This recipe is from Ina Garten and it’s on that I make quite often! This beef stew will quickly become a family favorite. I would classify Ina’s style as simple, classic American comfort food, influenced by a passion for French life and cuisine. She and her husband Jeffrey made a four month sojourn to France early in their marriage that inspired a lifelong love of all things French. Throughout her career Ina has explored French cooking and has infused a French attitude towards food into her classic American dishes. And here she’s taken the venerable Beef Bourguignon, a dish that Julia Child taught us to make in excruciating detail, and simplified it… made it more friendly. HA! But don’t worry I will be sharing a very French version of this stew on Friday! But for my followers needing simple..this one if for you!

simple BOEUF BOURGUIGNON RECIPE

Ingredients

1 tablespoon good olive oil

8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon diced

2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound carrots sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks

2 yellow onions sliced

2 teaspoons chopped garlic 2 cloves

1/2 cup Cognac

1 750 ml. bottle good red wine such as this one

1 can 2 cups beef broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1/2 teaspoon dried

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour use a gluten free flour or thickener if desired

1 pound frozen whole onions

1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded caps thickly sliced

Instructions

Set oven to 250F

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

Happy happy Autumn!!!!!! I personally am just so thrilled that it’s finally here!!!!!