The 37th recipe I made this week for French Fridays with Dorie from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, is Boeuf a la Mode (aka great pot roast), found on pages 252-253. “What?” French Fridays with Dorie...the group finished cooking the book a few years ago, right? Well, yes that’s true. I sort of fell off the wagon and haven’t gotten over the feeling of disappointment with myself as I did want to do a better job of making the recipes in this book. I made 36 of them before the hiatus. So, now I’m back with renewed interest and zeal hoping to do justice to the book. I think Margaret might be joining in occasionally as well.
Ingredients: chuck roast, onion, carrot, celery, bouquet garni, red wine, olive oil, beef broth, canola oil, brandy, anchovies, and tomato paste.
It is cold and wintery here, also known as Roast Season, as we tend to cook a few roasts over the winter, so this seemed like a fine place to jump back in. Roasts are easy, especially if you put them in the crockpot for the day with some potatoes and carrots and just walk away from it all. This is not one of those roasts. That said, this one is far superior in flavor and texture and might just have spoiled me for all other roasts from now on. The recipe is fussy (you know, like only the French can take something simple and complicate the heck out of it with the process). But, oh, do those French know how to make food taste so superior with their techniques and ingredients…it is so worth it in the end.
Follow the recipe, do as she says. Don’t question it, just do it and I promise you that you will have the most delicious roast you have ever tasted. It’s so tender and juicy, the sauce is the perfect accompaniment, and the leftovers are even better. It will spoil you for all other roasts for the rest of your life.