The first use for the quick beef stock is a classic: boeuf bourguignon. There exist many variations of boeuf bourguignon, ranging from simple ones such as Larousse Gastronomique's and elaborate ones such as Thomas Keller's.
Larousse Gastronomique asks you to cut a kilogram of braising steak into cubes and coat them with flour. The cubes of beef, along with 150 grams of 'belly pork', two onions and a shallot are fried in a casserole. Because, at this point, the bottom of the pan will be covered in Awesome, brandy must be used to deglaze. The meat is cooked in 500 mL of red wine and 250 mL stock for at least a couple of hours. Towards the end of the cooking time, a handful of sauteed pearl onions are thrown in and the cooking liquid is thickened with beurre manie.
Now, that belly pork bit. I've always used bacon in boeuf bourguignon. Always. When I saw this part of the recipe in Larousse Gastronomique, I figured that maybe it was talking about salt-cured bacon. But seemingly no. Seemingly--unless I've misunderstood the 'pork' entry--I should be using fresh pork belly. I've got no problem with adding pork belly to anything.
This version of boeuf bourguignon is nice. It's plain, yes, but not in a bad way. There's something so comforting about classic country dishes such as boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin.
69. Potato pancakes
To make potato pancakes you peel and grate potatoes. For every 500 grams of grated potatoes, you mix in 100 mL milk, 20 grams of butter, 2 eggs and a little bit of minced garlic. Take spoonfuls of the mixture and fry them on both sides in butter.
I was looking forward to the pancakes--the smell as they cooked reminded me of walking into Glicks and their blintzes--but I was really let down. Not by the recipe so much but by the fact I had a lot of difficulty forming them. They ended up looking like shit, as you can see. I think next time I should use some egg rings to hold them in shape as they cook.
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