Friday, April 3, 2009

French Style Oven Braised Beef


This is a recipe that I have had for years and it is always a special treat when I make it. When I clipped the recipe from our newspaper years ago I was a young wife and hadn't savored too much time in the kitchen yet :) I thought I was really heading down the gourmet path since I was actually putting wine and brandy in a recipe...Oooo-la-la!

Sometimes I add peas and sauteed mushrooms and serve it on a bed of wide noodles - yum!


I regret that I can't share the source for this recipe. When I retyped it onto my computer years ago, I threw away the recipe and, sadly, the source - never thinking that one day I would be blogging! Even attempts to find it online didn't help. But here it is, anyway. The flavors are delicious


French Style Oven Braised Beef

Printable Recipe

4 to 5 lb lb boneless chuck
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 rib celery, cut into thin crescents
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin discs
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup dry red wine*
¼ cup brandy*
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 sprigs parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon dried crushed thyme
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
Cornstarch

*Note – I like to increase these amounts to make sure I have lots of juices for making the sauce later.

Please heavy duty foil, enough to wrap up meat in shallow roasting pan. Arrange meat in center, fold up edges of foil leaving space to add onion, carrot and celery. Place pan under broiler and brown meat fairly well, turning several times from side to side. When meat is half browned, add onion, carrot and celery so they will brown slightly.

Remove pan from oven and reduce temperature to 300F. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Stir together wine, brandy and tomato paste. Add parsley, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and cloves. Pour over meat. Seal foil with a ‘drugstore’ fold and bring two longest ends of foil up over beef and vegetables so edges meet; fold these edges together twice. Seal ends of foil by turning up and folding over twice. Return sealed package in the roasting pan to the 300 degree oven.

Bake until tender as you like – approximately 3-1/2 to 4 hours. Open foil and remove beef to a warm platter; keep warm in low oven.

Please a fine mesh strainer over a quart measure and strain juices into measure. Do not force vegetables through. Skim off fat. For each 1-1/4 cups of liquid, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth. Pour liquid and cornstarch mixture into a saucepan. Over moderate heat, stirring constantly, cook until slightly thickened, clear and boiling. Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

16 comments:

  1. Susan, oh, yum! We're getting not so pleasant forcasts too, so this sure looks good to me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, this one looks good! Will be copied and saved as soon as I finish commenting ;)

    I have never been disappointed with a recipe you shared...a true gourment that has made me "savor more time in my kitchen" as well!

    The photos are outstanding!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is my kind of meal on Sundays. I will be making this. It looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Susan, what a lovely posting for Flashback and Foodie Friday.

    I love oven braised beef ... always tender and juicy. Your French style sounds delicious with lots of great flavors.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Susan, this looks like a wonderful recipe! Thank you for sharing. The pictures are great, too!

    Happy FF...

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. SURE - you like to add a little more wine and brandy so you'll have extra juices...Yea, I'll buy that!!
    Looks delicious, good comfort food! Will definitely go in my file!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, this is divine. I STILL don't have a functional Viking (a gas leak, so it's shut off until the repairman can come back), and I'm thrilled to find a recipe this extraordinary that doesn't demand a cooktop. :-) My trust electric skillet has gotten a work out, and we are boiling eggs on the gas grill.
    Thanks so much for this stunning, mouthwatering contribution to Foodie Friday.

    ReplyDelete
  8. MM it's pouring rain here.. we are going to eat Aubergine casseroles I made and froze cause I have clients tonight..but I must say..I would rather have your dinner hands down.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks fantastic, Susan! Definitely comfort food! I love the flavor of the brandy in a braise!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That looks delicious! I can just smell it cooking, must be heavenly!
    Great meal..
    Yes, who know years ago we would be blogging! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Almost all of my real old recipes don't have a source unless it is "Aunt Mable's this" or "Cousin Grace's that"!

    This looks really good and I love that sort of comfort food.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Of course it's your own now! I know you have put your own touches to it. What a great looking dish..and you are one of the most consistently gourmet cooks I know!!!! :-)At least you make it all look that way with your beautiful photos. I'm happy you joined me for Flashback Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  13. What an incredible looking dish! I copied it and will try it too of course adding the peas, that just made it for me! Thank you!

    ~Really Rainey!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. This recipe looks delicious. Copied & pasted! Your photos are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yes,Really Rainey, it looks good but I couldn't have a bit of it...
    I love extra rare beef!!! This is very French!!! I never had beef in England because it's always overcooked to me...
    For me roasted beef (1 kg) is cooked maximum 25 minutes in the oven...
    I sometimes have Bourguignon beef but I eat it thanks to the sauce!!!

    I know, I have quite weird tastes!!!Sorry for this!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looks delicious! I normally do my roasts in the crock pot but would like to try something different!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Karyn

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comment!