Any Ideas For A Beef Bourguignon In A Slow Cooker

[Bobbisox1]

I'd like to do this with cream potatoes as a main course when we go to a log cabin for my sister in laws birthday in 4 weeks time,
I was thinking
Broccoli and Stilton soup as a starter
Beef bourguignon with cream potatoes as the main course
A fruit skewer kebab dipped in Hotel chocolate
Finished with a cheese board and grapes

I've never done a bourguignon before , is it as similar as a diced steak casserole, and I'd like to add red wine to it , I've looked at recipes online but they differ greatly

[-SharonA-]

Can I come!??!! Sounds yummy!

[MartinMillar]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/beef-bourguignon%3famp

This is the recipe I use

[Bobbisox1]

I may have to do a dummy run of the bourguignon Sharon :0/

[Bobbisox1]

Thank you MM , could I add red wine to that ? Or would it make it too watery?

[-SharonA-]

Don't mind testing it!! :-)

[MartinMillar]

Lol Bobbi it’s already got 2 bottles in it

[Bobbisox1]

I'll send some down ...in a flask haha

[Mamyalynne]

I follow the same path as MM, you may have bigger appetites than me but I'd opt for a lighter starter with such a hearty main.

Sounds yummy.

[Bobbisox1]

Sorry I did a quick glance, two bottles seems an awful lot of wine ?

[Bobbisox1]

I was going to do a prawn cocktail but she doesn't like seafood , I'm open to other starter ideas tho

[Mamyalynne]

1.6kg braising steak is a lot of meat.

[Bobbisox1]

They'll be 6 of us Mamya

[MartinMillar]

I bulk cook and tend to do this recipe for 6 plus

[MartinMillar]

It cooks down and reduces don’t forget it’s a cheap wine, but if you are doing it in the slow cooker which retains liquid I would be tempted with only 1 bottle

[barry1010]

I wouldn’t serve soup with a casserole or stew as the main. How old goat cheese tartlets or mini fish cakes?

[Bobbisox1]

That sounds good Barry
Thanks again MM ( I'll do that )

[AuntPollyGrey]

The link is a nice recipe but I've never had beef Bourgogne with carrot in it. You also need at least 6 cloves of garlic, added with the meat at the beginning which you can leave whole if you want -you will not taste it but it gives a more authentic flavour. 1 bottle of wine would be quite enough, topped up if necessary with a bit of beef stock .

[Buenchico]

Martin's link provides the guaranteed method of making a decent boeuf bourguignon. Quote: "The secret to this super-rich beef casserole is to use all wine and no stock". While I wouldn't necessarily agree that you've got to leave out the stock entirely, you certainly need to be generous with the wine! The best boeuf bourguignon I've ever tasted was in a restaurant in Bordeaux, where I felt like I ought to be drinking it, rather than eating it!

Be wary of the reference to 'cheap red wine' in Martin's link though. That shouldn't be taken as meaning that you could get away with buying the dreaded 'British wine' that, for example, Asda sell under the 'Three Mills' brand name. As many a TV chef has said, "If it's not good enough to drink, then it's not good enough to cook with!" Look for a house claret for economy but authenticity.

The Hairy Bikers' recipe gets 5 star reviews too:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/boeuf_bourguignon_25475

[AuntPollyGrey]

For a starter I would do nice fresh mixed leaf salad with a mustard dressing -maybe sprinkle with pine nuts. I think the soup will be too heavy for the main course.

[MartinMillar]

The French chef i trained under always put carrots in his bourguignon.
He also said garlic is a personal thing he never felt it was needed but said add if required