I had a few ladies over on Sunday night, for a book club.  The book was The Paris Wife, and we are trying to make meals that fit the theme of the book for that month.  I decided to make boeuf bourguignon.

I usually use this recipe from Baked Bree. I always follow the recipe very closely, so I haven’t posted it here before. Today I decided to make it in the slow-cooker, so I wanted to share how I did it.  It’s still a pretty interactive recipe, but using the slow-cooker allowed me to leave the house while it was cooking!

Boeuf Bourguignon (Slow-Cooker Version)
Adapted from Baked Bree
Serves 6-8

3 lbs. chuck roast, cut into 2-inch chunks
6 slices of bacon, diced
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T flour
5 carrots, cut into 1-inch slices
1 T fresh thyme, minced
1 bay leaf
1 T tomato paste
2 c red wine
2 c beef stock
1/2 c brandy
1 lb mushrooms, in thick slices.
kosher salt
black pepper

For the topping:
8 strips of bacon, diced
14 oz bag of frozen pearl onions, defrosted
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c parsley, chopped

To make the stew, brown the first batch of diced bacon in a large skillet. Remove the bacon from the pan and put it into the slow-cooker. Drain off most of the bacon fat.

Rinse the beef and pat it dry with paper towels. Season it with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, brown the beef in the bacon fat. Flip the beef once the first side releases easily from the pan. When both sides are brown, put the beef into the slow-cooker. (You will probably need to do this in batches.)

If there isn’t much fat left in the skillet, add the olive oil to the pan. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until they start to soften. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour on top, then stir to combine, and allow to cook for two more minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the slow-cooker.

Turn on the slow-cooker. Add the carrots, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaf, beef stock, wine, and brandy.

You can cook the stew on the high setting for four hours or the low setting for eight hours. About halfway through, add the sliced mushrooms.

When the beef is tender, serve over buttered egg noodles, garnished with pearl onions and bacon.

To make the topping:
Brown the diced bacon in a large skillet. Remove the bacon, drain over paper towels, and drain most of the fat from the skillet. Add the pearl onions and brown over medium heat. Once the onions have started to brown, add the brown sugar, and cook until the sugar melts and bubbles a bit.

Serve the browned onions, bacon, and parsley over the stew. Bon appetit!

I’ve been missing in action for the past couple of weeks, because things have been incredibly busy around here. We went to New York for five days to visit friends and attend Paco’s annual fundraising gala, and after spending six years at my previous company, I started a new job last week.

As a result, I have not had much time to try new recipes. However, fall is here (sort of, it’s in the 80s in L.A.), and I definitely have the urge to make some seasonally appropriate meals, so stay tuned!