I posted about this stew in the wine talk section. Here is an adapted recipe that I used. The original was posted by Regina Schrambling in the NYTimes after 9/11/2001.
It is a beautiful stew and so comforting. I used the mustard whole grain instead of Pommery. I also cut the carrots in full moons and the mushrooms into large quarters. I roasted the mushrooms in the oven on 350F for 20 minutes with a drizzle of olive oil instead of sautéing them. I highly recommend this.
It worked great. Enjoy.
Recipe: Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew
Summary: Adapted from Regina Schrambling’s recipe in The New York Times Cookbook.
Ingredients
1/4 pound salt pork or bacon, diced
1 large onion, finely diced
3 shallots, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, or as needed
2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Cognac or other brandy
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Pommery or whole-grain mustard
4 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into half-moons
1/2 pound white mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1/4 cup dry red wine
Instructions
Start by rendering the bacon in a Dutch Oven on low heat (I add a splash of vegetable oil to help it along). When it’s crispy and the fat is rendered, remove it from the pan and snack on it while you proceed.
Raise the heat and add the onions and shallots, cooking them until they’re soft but not brown (10 to 15 minutes). Transfer them to a bowl. Even though it’s hard, make sure to get all of the onions out so you can brown the meat well without burning an onion piece.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the Dutch oven and increase the heat to medium-high. Season the beef cubes with salt and pepper, dust with flour, and then brown in batches. Make sure you get the pieces brown on all sides–this’ll give great flavor to your stew. Remove the browned beef to the bowl with onions and repeat with the remaining beef.
When all the beef is browned, add the Cognac to the pot (it’ll sizzle and bubble!) to dislodge everything on the bottom. If that amount of Cognac doesn’t do it, add a little more. When the brown bits are worked up, add the beef broth, Dijon mustard, and 1 tablespoon Pommery mustard and whisk to blend; then return the meat and onion mixture to the pot. Lower the heat, partially cover, and simmer gently until the meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
Add the carrots and continue simmering for 30 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, and saute the mushrooms with a pinch of salt until browned and tender.
Stir the mushrooms into the stew, along with the remaining 3 tablespoons Pommery mustard and the red wine. Simmer for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
Quick notes
If you’ve made stews before, feel free to play around here. For example: I used more beef than the recipe called for (I was serving 6), adding more Cognac and beef broth and red wine and mustard based on my instincts. Also: add more butter to the pan as you brown the 2nd and 3rd batches of beef so they have enough fat to give them color.
Preparation time: 20 minute(s)
Cooking time: 2 hour(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4