Beef in Claret Sauce

Everyone needs to know a few French recipes to impress company. This one isn;t hard or too time consuming.

Beef in Claret

5 oz lean bacon
6 to 8 small onions
2 cups chopped button mushrooms
3 lb stewing steak
4 tablespoons oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 bottle of burgundy or fruity claret
Salt & pepper
1 teaspoon of sugar
Bouquet of herbs (parsley, rosemary, thyme, oregano tied in twine)

300°. Cook the bacon in a frying pan until it is lightly brown. Add the onions and cook uncovered for roughly ten minutes. Then add the mushrooms, stir, cover and cook gently for a further ten minutes.

Cut the stewing steak into cubes roughly 1½" (4cm) square. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the cubes of meat. Place in a casserole, add the garlic and sprinkle the flour over the meat. Place in the oven uncovered for 15 minutes to continue the browning process. Stir from time to time.

Add wine, sauteed veggies and herbs. Cover and simmer for 3 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove from the oven.

Serve over egg noodles, mashed potatoes or boiled new potatoes.

Baeckeoffe - French Lamb Stew

This is a very simple, very savory stew that will feed 4 people comfortably. If you're not fond of lamb, pork or beef could concievably be used in its place without swapping ingredients.

Baeckeoffe

1 tablespoon butter
2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
4 potatoes, cubed
12 oz lamb, cubed
4 oz white wine
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy Dutch oven, sauté the leeks in the butter until they start to turn tender. Add the potatoes and the lamb to the oven, and then toss with the white wine, salt, and pepper.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Serve ASAP with crusty bread.

Vintage Herbed Beef Roast

I'm a big fan of pretty looking food. A roast brined with peppercorns and herbs is a work of art. It can help set a mood for special dinners or themed events so easily. The hardest part is gathering the ingredients.

Vintage Herbed Beef Roast

1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
2 ¼ lb boneless rib roast or tenderloin
¼ cup flat leaved fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon dried thyme

425°. Rub pepper evenly over the roast, press gently until peppercorns adhere to the beef. Chop herbs with kitchen shears and scatter on a sheet of wax paper. Roll the roast in the herbs until the roast is completely coated. Loosely tie the beef with twine and place on a roasting rack. Roast until meat thermometer reads 155° or for 30 minutes for medium doneness (170° and about 45-55 minutes for well done). Carve into thin slices.

Beef ala Mode

An aromatic and rustic dish bursting with color and flavor. The smell of it cooking will fill your entire house and welcome home your family.

Beef ala Mode

4 lbs beef stew meat, cubed
8 carrots, sliced
½ cup flour
1 ½ large sweet onions
1 ½ teaspoon salt
6 potatoes, quartered
½ teaspoon pepper
2 (1 lb 13 oz.) stewed tomatoes
3 tablespoons bacon fat
1 tablespoon dried sweet marjoram
1 tablespoom dried chervil (Optional)
1 tablespoom dried basil
1 tablespoom summer savory

325°. Roll meat cubes in mixture of flour, salt and pepper. Brown cubes in bacon fat. Arrange meat in a casserole dish. Add carrots, onion, potatoes and the pulp drained from the canned tomatoes. (Reserve tomato juice.)

Stir remaining seasoned flour into fat left in pan. When mixture bubbles add reserved tomato juice in gradually, stirring constantly. Cook until slightly thickened. Add herb mixture. (If you dislike seeing herb flecks in the liquid it may be tied in a square of cheesecloth.)

Pour liquid over meat and vegetables, adding, if necessary enough water to come one inch from top of casserole. Cover. Bake for 4 hours. The longer the cooking the better the dish. Serve over biscuits or with crusty bread.

**If you don’t know what chervil is, don’t worry. It's a relative of parsley with a faint licorice taste. It's often used in soups, omlettes and pultry dishes. Very popular in French cuisine.