“The Point and Look”

Menus were created for a very simple purpose: The Point and Look.

I don’t know about you, but fancy French restaurants can give me the creeps, and before I knew a thing or two about la langue française, I would cower behind that glossy, calligraphied sheet of entrées every time the gent in black and white came around, eyebrows impatiently raised.

I knew just what I wanted to eat, but I did not know how to say so. The italicized line read, “boeuf bourguignon,” but if you were to ask my privileged twelve year old palate, but underprivileged twelve year old gourmet vocabulary, there were enough i’s and u’s nestled up next to each other to make my head spin like a table de roulette. Thankfully, just underneath the italicized words, mercy was dealt. In plain font, I read, “beef cubes, stewed gently in red wine served over egg noodles.”

At this budding young age when mom’s steak was the apple of my eye, and pasta with butter was my surefire go-to, this sounded like just the thing for me. Taking a sip of my coke, I confidently eased back into my seat, straightened out my new party dress, and waited for the gent in black and white to circle 'round.

And then, the moment for The Point and Look:
- Self-assured gaze at the man holding a tiny notebook and ballpoint pen
- Firm index finger upon the boeuf bourguignon

This is a dish that I continue to enjoy today, and one that I now see as a simple, rustic, and wintery stew rather than an haute French-y entrée. And the best part about boeuf bourguignon is that everyone knows what it is, thanks to Julia Child, and everyone thinks that it’s a special occasion dish. But really, it’s just a beef stew gussied up with rich burgundy wine - turning the beef cubes extra silky and giving the egg noodles beneath a field day in glossy wine sauce.

You can prepare the boeuf bourguignon in its entirety the day before a dinner party, and simply re-warm on the stove while boiling the noodles. Serve this with the wine that’s in the stew, and your guests won’t see clearly enough to point and look!

Serves 8
½ package (about 8 oz.) bacon, coarsely chopped
3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into cubes, washed in cool water and patted dry 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 pounds packaged and peeled pearl onions, defrosted
3/4 pound large carrots, diced into about 1-inch chunks
6 large garlic cloves, peeled (left whole)
3 cups store-bought beef broth
2 750-ml bottles red Burgundy wine
1 1/4 pounds mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme
1tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste

- Preheat oven to 325°F. Sauté bacon in heavy, large Dutch oven over high heat until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes.
-Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels.
- Season the beef generously with salt and pepper. Coat with 1/3 cup flour, using all of flour.
-Working in 3 batches, brown beef in same pot over high heat, about 5 minutes per batch. -Transfer meat to large bowl.
-Add onions and carrots to same pot and sauté until light brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to bowl with beef.
-Add 1 cup broth to the pot; boil until reduced to glaze, scraping up browned bits, about 8 minutes.
-Return meat and vegetables and their juices to pot. Add wine, mushrooms, thyme, sugar, tomato paste and 2 cups broth. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and place in oven. Cook until beef is tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Ladle liquid from stew into large saucepan. Spoon off fat. Boil liquid until reduced to 2 3/4 cups, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour liquid back over beef and vegetables. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Rewarm over low heat before serving.