Beef Bourguignon: slow-cooked beef stew served with carrots, mushrooms, and mashed potatoes. Recipe via MonPetitFour.com

Beef Bourguignon: A slow-cooked Burgundy meal

The French are known for their talent and skill in their culinary creations, but perhaps one of their most loved dishes is actually one of their most simple. Beef Bourguignon is a beef stew consisting of beef that has been braised in red wine, beef broth, and infused with flavors of garlic, onion, and herbs. It was actually a meal made and eaten by peasants in historical France, but now it’s become a “fancy” dish to enjoy by people around the world. While it’s name and appearance can look fancy, I’m here to tell you that it’s actually a really easy dish to create.

pot au feu

Pot au Feu (Beef Stew)

When you find yourself cozying up by a fire with your feet in socks and a blanket over your lap, there’s no better time for a comforting meal of pot au feu to warm your belly. I know this because I grew up eating this dish, long before I even knew what it was called. It’s the kind of meal that haute cuisine scrunches its nose at, but secretly devours with fervor and delight. Pot au feu, literally meaning “pot on the fire,” is a French beef stew made with meat, potatoes, carrots, and any other vegetables you can get your hands on. It’s uncomplicated and incredibly satisfying, making it a revered dish in France. 

braised short ribs

Braised Short Ribs

I have a confession. When I first started cooking, I really had no idea what I was doing. I had thus far viewed myself as a baker and a baker only, so when I’d ask my mom for recipes I could practice my cooking with, I’d be begging her for step-by-step directions. I’d have to plead for actual measurements rather than her version of measurements (i.e. a little bit of this or a dash of that). In any case, I got tired of trying to decipher her recipes and attempted an online recipe for braised short ribs. To say these turned out beautifully would be an understatement; they were some of the best short ribs I’d ever had. I remember the group of family that I had over for dinner that night was oohing and aahing over the short ribs, declaring me a born chef! Can you believe it? I felt like I was in one of those frozen meal commercials, where the hostess pretends she made a homemade meal but it’s really store-bought.