Treat this as a weekend project (quick it's not) and your Sunday supper will be off the charts.
Ingredients
6 servings
Special Equipment:
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400°. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Season 1/2 cup flour with salt and pepper. Add beef and toss to coat; shake off excess. Working in batches as needed to avoid steaming meat, cook beef, turning often, until browned all over, 8-10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.
Step 2
Cook bacon in same pot, stirring often, until brown and crisp. Add 1/4 cup water and cook, scraping up browned bits, then add onion, leek, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and parsley and return beef to pot. Add brandy and simmer until liquid is almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add thyme leaves, bay leaf, star anise, broth, and wine and season with salt and pepper; bring to a simmer.
Step 3
Mix 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl until smooth; stir into meat mixture. Cover pot and braise in oven until beef is very tender, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Step 4
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and pearl onions and cook, stirring, until browned, 8-10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and onions to stew, cover pot, and return to oven. Cook until onions are very tender, 25-30 minutes. Let stew cool.
Step 5
Meanwhile, working with one at a time, roll out pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface until about 4" larger than baking dish (use a 2-qt. oval or an 8" square). Place 1 sheet on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill. Transfer remaining sheet to baking dish. Lift up edge and let dough slump down into dish. Trim, leaving about 1" overhang. Transfer stew to baking dish. Brush edge of pastry with egg.
Step 6
Using a cutter, punch out a circle in the center of chilled pastry. Drape pastry over filling and trim to a 1" overhang. Press edges of dough together to seal and fold overhang under. Crimp edge, then brush top of pastry with egg.
Step 7
Bake until crust is deep golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Let pie cool slightly.
Step 8
Do ahead: Stew can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Leave a Review
Reviews (22)
Back to TopWhen I read this recipe, I was very surprised at the 400 degree temp. I make many braises and cook them between 275 and 325. Going with the written temp will surely cause a hard boil rather than the desired slow simmer. Can someone who made this please comment?
gumboboy
Rochester NY
12/31/2018
Does this dish cook at 400 degrees the entire 2 hours, and then again with the crust for 30 -35 minutes?
Anonymous
SF Bay Area, CA
10/30/2018
My family enjoyed very much! I didn't do a bottom crust or the star anise.
c3nolan
5/29/2018
This is definitely an over the top "Wow!" dish that tastes amazing. It is a little time consuming to do in one day, but I made the beef bourguigonne a few days ahead so it was really easy and fast to put it together for dinner later in the week. I did what others recommended and cooked the bacon first, removed it from the pan, and then seared the beef in the bacon fat (because why wouldn't you cook in bacon fat?). I will make this again, but I will definitely do individual pot pies for each person. I think it will require another package of puff pastry, but having that perfect ratio of flaky pastry to rich stew needs to happen for each serving (also freezing leftovers will be easier). Also, I may try to bake the bottom pastry crust in the dishes with some pie weights to crisp it a little before adding the filling. The bottom crust was soggy, so I'd like to find a way to fix that.
jenlmorg
2/16/2018
I had left over tenderloin steak (very rare) that I used. This took 1 hour off the cook time. I also used store bought pie crust (the roll out kind). This was amazing. Very, very yummy.
Cyndiemmmm
Texas
6/7/2017
I agree with everyone about the bottom crust being a little mushy. When I make it again I would lay the bottom crust in the dish and then bake it with a smaller cake round on top for about 15 minutes. This will cook the bottom crust more and keep the puff pastry from rising.
brittanyzak
Fort Worth, TX
12/29/2015
Also, I did not line the bottom of the baking dish.
hilaryvardy
Georgian Bay, Ontario
11/8/2015
This is an awesome recipe. The changes is made were recommended by keukacook from Dundee, NY. The bacon should be browned first and removed to be added back in, and the beef should be seared in the bacon fat. As the bacon I used was very lean I had to add more bacon grease from earlier in the day. 2. The veggies should go directly into what fat remains and sautéed without adding water. 3. There is no need to make a roux. Just add back in the beef, and 1/2 cup flour with , cook for a couple of minutes, and then proceed with the recipe. Add 1/4 cup water when adding the wine and broth. The only other change I will make is to divide amongst 4 dishes as there is only my husband and myself. I will have 2 nights dinners.
Anonymous
Georgian Bay, Ontario
11/8/2015
The actual beef bourguignonne was delicious. Not terribly difficult, just takes some time. Didn't need to do anything to thin or thicken. I agree with everyone who says the puff pastry on the bottom got soggy (the top was golden brown and yummy). I will definitely make this again, and I will definitely omit the bottom crust. I also chopped the mushrooms into halves or quarters (rather than leaving them whole), which I thought worked well. I used frozen pearl onions with no problem.
lizb22
Watertown, MA
10/3/2015
Excellent flavor! Definitely worth the time to prepare. The bottom crust was a bit mucky but will try baking longer than the suggested time next time.
lnilsen
Union Grove, Wi
8/5/2015
This is a terrific idea, especially the addition of star anise, but it flies in the face of Boeuf Bourguignon prep knowledge in several respects. 1. The bacon should be browned first and removed to be added back in, and the beef should be seared in the bacon fat. 2. The veggies should go directly into what fat remains and sautéed without adding water. 3. There is no need to make a roux. Just add back in the beef, sprinkle with flour, cook for a couple of minutes, and then add liquid. As I am not a professional chef, don't take it from me. Take it from Julia and others who have been making Boeuf Bourguignon for decades. With these adjustments, and just for fun with home made puff pastry, this was delicious. Maybe even better than the original.
keukacook
Dundee, NY
4/13/2015
This was amazing, the smell, flavors, taste....awesome! Take the time to do it right, can't be rushed. I only did one puff sheet for the top. We'll be making this again!
HollyMulcahy
Chicago, IL
3/22/2015
Wow! what a great recipe. Yum Yum. I did forget to extract the star anise though, so I have that to contend with. OOOPS. No bottom crust. So beautifully tender and rich with flavour. I will make this again!
Flavourful
Montreal, Qc.
3/22/2015
Yes, do not forget to remove the bay leaves and star anise pod before filling crusts! Wasn't pretty biting into the star anise!
designrmom
3/5/2015
I made a few alterations to the recipe based on what I had in the fridge but it turned out delicious. I pre-made it and elected not to put the crust on the bottom because I thought it would get mushy sitting in the fridge. I gave it a three just because of the time investment.
notanotherjenn
3/5/2015
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