The Time Has Finally Come

Bloggers, the time has finally come for me to literally take a page right out of the "Julie & Julia" film. Tonight I made Boeuf Borguignon! Not the Julia Child version although I am waiting with baited breath to finally do so. It can't be that very different. I used another favorite. Ina Garten. Yes, the Barefoot Contessa herself. I actually made this recipe a few months ago and even though it tasted fantastic, there seemed to be something missing. Tonight I figured out what it was. My dish, the first time out was much more of a red wine based broth, type of stew. I caught my oversight tonight when I noticed that I only printed one page of the actual recipe. I left out the butter mixed with flour to thicken the broth and give it a much thicker consistency.

As I added the butter and flour compound into the stew, I immediately saw a change in the texture. Making it so rich that the difference between the first time I made this dish and the most current was palpable. The one thing that I did different this time out, was to add a couple of bay leaves to the mixture which also enhanced the flavor. I noticed in other online recipes that people had done this a decided to give it a try. I cannot take credit for originality on this one. Just decided to add something to an already tried and true dish. I love Ina's serving method with the crusty toasted bread. Although, I did notice that quite a few recipes had the stew served over rice or mashed potatoes. To give the family a choice I also prepared a long grain brown rice in case they opted out of the garlic baguette which I prefer. Tonight's dish I must say, as did the people eating it was a much better dish than the first time. Word to the wise. Make sure you check your printer settings when following a recipe. The Ina recipe can be found on www.foodnetwork.com or by simply searching, Beef Bourguignon on the Google or Ask search engines.

Until next time lovelies....Cheers!