Trying to Find Burgundy: A Salute to Classic French Food and Wine

Greetings fellow foodies (Dave here) and welcome to my attempt at a very classic concoction, Beef Bourguignon paired with red Burgundy wine. Beef Bourguignon (or Beef in the style of Burgundy) is a very old fashioned dish. Basically its beef stew made with red wine. But what makes it so special? For me, making regional food is an attempt to find a place or time when you can't actually be there. Going to France is not an option this afternoon, but I can cook myself a simple beef stew and imagine I am there.

Fooling myself into thinking I've arrived at a beautiful French bistro is a lot easier if I've had plenty of wine to drink. Naturally, if you are going to make food from Burgundy, you should drink wine from the same place. Red Burgundy wines are almost always made of pinot noir. Seems simple, but the variety can be daunting for even the most seasoned wine drinkers. With complex labels and so many regions who can figure it all out? If you are familiar with these wines you may know one when you see it, but if you go to a good wine shop you will usually find them clustered together.

My suggestion is to keep it simple when choosing a wine to cook with. Burgundy wines can be made from grapes grown throughout the entire region but there are also bottles made from grapes grown on specific sites. Burgundy wines which are labled Appellation Bourguignon Controlee are made from grapes grown all over Burgundy. These wines are not considered to be as refined but many are delicious and perfect for braising beef. As an added bonus, they can be more affordable varieties. Be sure to drink a glass of anything you are cooking with just to make sure you approve it. Try not to down the whole bottle. If your friends are anything like Tricia, be sure to hide the wine you intend to put in the stew or quite frankly, there won't be much liquid in the pot.

Choose something special to drink with your meal. Many of the premium varieties are labled by the specific area they come from, with some regions boasting better wine than others. Some good wines that I have tried include selections from Gevery Chambertin, Marsannay, Santenay, Corton and Pommard but keep in mind that is less than a handful of what's out there. Just have fun with it and try a few of them! Burgundy wines are getting better and better and now is a great time to try them.

The wine I chose for this dish: Maison Louis Latour Marsannay (2006) worked out wonderfully. This wine is a robust example with lots of deep red fruit and a pleasant mineral quality which balances the flavors. Bad red Burgundy is often very acidic and this one is not. I found it for $18 which is a great deal considering how good it was. If you can find it try it, but I encourage you to explore this region without reserve. Try them all and then we'll talk about it.

Now back to the Beef! There are soooo many recipes for Beef Bourguignon, some great, some dissapointing. Many of them take forever to cook, but I decided to cheat and use beef tenderloin. This cut of meat is so tender that it doesn't need to cook as long, giving you more time to do other things. It also makes this meal even more special. Heres what I do:

Beef Bourguignon

2 lbs beef tenderloin cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
4 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 1lb carrots, thickly sliced
2 onions sliced
1 1lb mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup brandy
1 bottle (more or less) of burgundy red wine
2 cups of beef broth
1/3 cup of crushed tomatoes
1 good size sprig of thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch to make it gluten free
1 bag of frozen pearl onions, thawed) or 1 1lb fresh
a chunk of butter (however much you dare)
some vegetable or olive oil


Heat the oven to 275*F. Cook the bacon over medium heat in a dutch oven or deep oven proof pot with a wide bottom and tight fitting lid. Cook until crisped then remove and set aside. Salt and pepper the beef chunks. Turn the heat up to high and when very hot, sear the beef on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots and mushrooms, cooking for a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the brandy off the heat then add it back to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, beef broth, wine and thyme. Bring to a simmer and then add the beef and bacon back to the pot. Cover the pot and place in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and place the pot on the stove. Remember not to touch the pot. It seems obvious but I do it every time. Mix together the cornstarch or flour with some butter to make a smooth paste. Add the butter mixture and the pearl onions and bring to a simmer until the onions are cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened, a few minutes. Serve with grilled bread, mashed potatoes or noodles.