Friday, December 10, 2010

FFwD - My Go To Beef Daube


I do love comfort foods. There is nothing like a hearty stew on a cold night to make the world seem a brighter place, as it warms you from the inside out. My Mum used to make a beef stew she called Hotch Potch. I have tried many times to make hotch potch just like Mum's, but it is never the same. Mine tends to be a watery, less flavoursome imitation of the real thing.

Although it is summer here, my pick for this week's French Fridays With Dorie was My Go to Beef Daube - a type of rich beef stew with root vegetables, bacon and red wine. Although it was not perhaps what I'd normally make in summer, it was a delicious, rich dish which I nonetheless enjoyed.


The lighting gods were not smiling on me when I finally completed My Go To Beef Daube for this week's French Fridays With Dorie - so unfortunately, the best photo that I have of he finished product is the one that you see at the top of this post.

However, so that you get a feel for what this stew is like, I took some step by step shots when the lighting was much better.

First you dice the beef - Dorie used chuck, I used blade:



You also dice up a few slices of bacon:


and some carrots, parsnips and onion (I just threw in some garlic cloves as I didn't have a full bulb of garlic):


You then brown the bacon in the pan:


then the beef:


After setting aside the meat, you fry up the finely sliced onion:


followed by the rest of the veges, then the whole lot goes back into the pot with the red wine (or in my case, a mixture of red wine and water because I didn't have enough wine):


The daube then cooks for 2 1/2 hours all up in the oven. Voila! You have beef daube (and a kitchen that smells like cooking meat).

The long cooking time for this stew leaves the meat soft and tender, while the red wine adds a richness of flavour and smell.

This is a beautiful stew, which I will certainly make again - in the winter.

To see what the other FFwD members made this week, visit the LYL section for this week at the FFwD website.

31 comments:

  1. Great process photos...love seeing all that. I wasn't going to make this one as I figured it was just another beef stew and then I saw and read your post and am thinking that I should make it. It's summer there...it's summer there...it's summer there, maybe if I keep chanting that I will either be transported there instantly or it will appear here. So envious of those words!!!

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  2. LOL - u have made me laugh Kayte on a dreary grey morning when I have missed the train and am feeling out of sorts. I wish lots of sunshine your way, whether it be from the sun or family and friends. Have a great weekend.

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  3. I'm happy that you made this even though it's summer for you. I'm intrigued by the fact that you cooked your dish on top of the stove for 2&1/2 hours. I think I misread the directions because I ended up putting mine in the stove. Oh, well. I should really stop trying to make several new recipes at once!

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  4. Nope, I have just remembered that I did the 2 1/2 hours in the oven too - I am reinventing the process to suit myself :) Will amend that.

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  5. That looks marvelous... well done you for braving casserole making in the summer

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  6. Oh, summer is a distant memory and a far off dream up in this end of the world. It was 8F (-13C) this morning. But I am sure that if I had a bowl of that stew in hand, it would not have seemed so dreadful.

    Enjoy the warmth and that beautiful stew!

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  7. Oh yum. This looks like a great recipe for my new cast iron pot. I might wait until the weather cools down a bit.

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  8. That stew really looks wonderful. I'll have to add this to my list of "must try" recipes.

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  9. This looks so good and I imagine that you will love it even more during the winter. Your process photos are great.

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  10. I couldn't believe how much flavor came from a dish with such simple ingredients. This is a keeper recipe for sure. Thanks for sharing your pictures with us, it's fun to see the process!

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  11. I'm smiling, and impressed with you, because I just made another beef stew and browning all that meat and leaving the oven on for hours was such a hot, messy process...perfect for our cold snap but not something I would have wanted to do in summer! Agree that your process photos are great and the finished dish looks delicious too!

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  12. I loved this one too! Your stew looks awesome! It's the perfect comfort food.

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  13. I kind of wish it was summer here, though below-freezing weather IS perfect for this dish! I'll have to make that soon. Yours looks great!

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  14. That looks delicious! Will you keep trying to perfect your mum's do you think? :)

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  15. Yes, bravo for having your oven on for so long in the summer! I actually had to crack the window open the day I made this 'cuz my kitchen got so hot, and it was below zero C here!

    Cheers,
    Karla

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  16. This looks delicious! I think the aroma of this dish was one of the best parts.

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  17. Thanks for the process photos. I need to pay more attention to that because people really are interested. The stew looks fab and I really don't see any issue with stew in the summer. My only complaint is that it is NOT summer here yet!
    Trevor Sis. Boom.

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  18. Looks wonderful - it was perfect for us, since the nighttime temps are so low! :)

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  19. I have been craving red meat lately, so I will have to give this a try! I have been a little behind with FFWD these past couple of weeks.

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  20. I agree, total comfort food and oh so delicious!
    I loveee the browing part , so good!
    Oh this months Recipes are all so good!
    ANd the stew look perfet , am looking forward to add in lods of red wine :-)

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  21. I'm making Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon today which is well, almost the same thing. The house smells wonderful and I love that the work is done before noon for guest this evening. I'm sure Dorie's Beef Daube is just as amazing...truly is comfort food; but elegant comfort it is!

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  22. This looks delicious! I plan to make this before I head to Australia so I can enjoy it while it's freezing outside here in Atlanta! - Laura

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  23. How does the Beef Daube compare with your mom's Hotch Potch? since it's summer there have you tried to make the ice cream? I've been thinking about it a lot lately.

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  24. Sorry you're having a rough day. Your stew looks perfect...even if made in the heat of summer!

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  25. mmmm I can't wait to make this and you make it wound fabulous. It is 30 degrees here today and would be perfect. Glad this turned out so well! :)

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  26. Even though the lighting Gods weren't smiling down on you (as you say) your finished dish looks very tasty indeed. Would love to know more about Hotch Potch too :)

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  27. Hi Lorraine and Kudos, maybe I'll ask Mum for the recipe and have another go.

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  28. We all enjoyed this stew at my house. And, I like the step by step photos...I try to add a few. That way, I can just tell my girls to view my blog and since they have Dorie's recipe book they have a visual for the "how to"...works great!

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  29. It looks like a lovely winter dish, and it is certainly winter where I am!

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