When we have people over for dinner I try to take the stress away by having the meal prepared as much as possible and depending on the season, in the oven when the guests arrive. Winter is perfect for that.
We had friends over on Saturday night and I decided to make a Daube of beef. This would have to be one of my favourite recipes and, as long as I’ve got the right cut of meat, one of those sure winners – you know the ones that you’d be confident to make if the boss was coming to dinner?
A Daube, was once a poor man version of the Beef Bourguignon with cheaper cuts of meat and ingredients, however over the years it’s been adapted in so many different ways and is now usually just that little bit more special than the Beef Bourguignon. I’ve tried a few different recipes but the one that I come back to time and time again is by Matthew Kemp, of Restaurant Balzac, Sydney. Sadly Balzac closed it’s doors a couple of years ago. This recipe is lovely and rich with sweet undertones from the use of port and wine.
If you feel like an excuse to make it, this weekend is Bastille Day! If I were to do an entire French meal, it would look something like this:
Fois Gras and with finely sliced quality bread toasted and served with a sweet wine such as Sauterne
Daube of Beef served with a full-bodied red wine such as Côtes du Rhône, Syrah/Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon
Simple green salad with vinaigrette
Cheese platter
Click here to see a post I did on “how to do a cheese platter with matching wines
A chocolate tart, homemade or bought from a quality patisserie served with champagne
Everything in the meal would have been prepared already so that I would actually be able to enjoy myself chatting to friends and not stress about the cooking.
Here’s the recipe:
Daube of Beef (serves 4)
Ingredients:
4 large beef cheeks trimmed by butcher (cross cut blade steak works also)
2 large carrots peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion diced
2 sticks celery, washed and diced
4 cloves garlic smashed
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
4 black peppercorns
1 litre red wine
500ml port
olive oil
2 litres of quality veal stock (chicken works also)
flour to dust
Method:
Place all ingredients except veal stock and flour into a large bowl, mix well, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for 24 hours. Drain the cheeks and vegetables from the wine marinade, reserving the liquid. Dredge the cheeks in flour, heat the oil in French oven/casserole and add cheeks to pan. Brown the cheeks well, set aside. Add vegetables and fry until golden, set aside. Add wine and port marinade and deglaze the pan until it reduces considerably to a syrup consistency, pushing away anything stuck to the casserole with a wooden spatula. Add the cheeks, vegetables and cover cheeks with veal stock. Close with a tight fitting lid and place in a 150°C oven for about three hours or until the meat is lovely and tender. Season to taste and serve with steamed baby potatoes. Note that I’ve tried doing this recipe on the stovetop and it takes less time however the sauce is nowhere near as good in texture and taste.
Bon appétit!
Mel x
11 Comments
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Hmmm that looks so delicious! I forgot its Bastille Day – thanks for the reminder! I’ll have to do a french inspired Blog post!
Cool, I’ll come check it out… x
Hi Mel!
What a lovely post – Boeuf Bourguignon is my favorite dish both summer and winther, it’s a real comfort dish :-)
I’m you suggestions sounds so tasty! I love Gateau Marcel made with dark quality chocolate. Thank you for sharing this version of the Daube of Beef. Have a lovely day and enjoy Fete de la Bastille :-)
Thanks for your lovely comment Mette and for stopping by! The Gateau Marcel sounds wonderful:)
i usually do this recipe with oyster blade steak. I’ll give it a try with beef cheeks next time. Thanks for sharing Mel.
Ah oyster blade, I’ve been trying to remember what we call it in Australia, here they call it cross cut. Oyster blade works beautifully but definitely try the cheeks – really good! M x
One word: delicious!
Thanks Marie!
Hmmm you’re making me hungry! I cooked Boeuf Bourguignon a little while back as my daughter had to make a french meal for her french assignment. I’ll have to try this one now. Aren’t beef cheeks just the best to slow cook, especially in Winter..delicious. Thanks Mel, your entire french meal sounds absolutely devine and you definitely had me at chocolate tart and champagne. Happy Bastille Day!
So nice to see in your tweets that you’re now making it! Can’t wait to hear how it goes. Yes, cheeks are the best, I’ve got another recipe I’ll have to do because I bought too many cheeks… x