Boeuf and Burgundy

Sure, this is an unprecedented and scary time for everyone, especially if you’re in a Shelter-In-Place city like I am in San Francisco. But I have a confession to make...I’m sort of into it! Not the whole disease pandemic situation, of course, but being holed up with my wonderful wife and sweet pup with plenty of food and wine is pretty much my heaven. 

Do you like wearing pajamas and taking the truly from-scratch route when cooking? Then you’re definitely one of my people. Given the option and the time I’ll roast bones until they’re a rich nut brown and spend the day extracting every molecule of gelatin out of them to make a bangin’ stock. And when I need some guidance on such long form recipes I turn to the Serious Eats. Kenji Alt-Lopez and his team are the Bill Nye’s and Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s of food. They make cooking a science, literally.

So when my wife and I decided on Boeuf Bourguignon as the large format meal we would make for the week, the first place I turned was this recipe. Check it out for yourself to see why the little tweaks that Daniel Gritzer, their Culinary Director, suggests totally make this dish extraordinary. Fish sauce? Soy? Gelatin? YES! Maybe these aren’t traditional ingredients but you’ll see they make the difference.

But the real reason I casually suggested Boeuf Bourguignon during our morning constitutional was the mature bottle of Raphet Gevrey-Chambertin that has been calling my name. Since I bought it I’ve heard it whispering to me to be opened like some sort of Pinot Tell-Tale Heart. Burgundy isn’t normally my go-to, mostly because of the price, but Flatiron Wines & Spirits got some great older bottles in recently and I had to splurge. After all, if it’s going to be the apocalypse I might as well get the good stuff while it’s around. Luckily they’ve got a ton of wine still in stock so there’s plenty to be had.

Raphet’s wines are often referred to as a Burgundy lover’s Burgundy. If that’s the case then, despite my sporadic indulgence, I must be a Burgundy lover. They are that paradoxical combination of seeming light in the glass and on the nose but then unloading deep earthy, savory flavors on the palate. Rather appropriate for a winemaker that, though has never formally studied winemaking, nonetheless makes absolutely transportive wines. Feel the need to get out of town? Open up one of these bad boys!

It was hard to keep my hands off the bottle while cooking because...well, a chef’s got to drink, however freebasing the boiling cognac while deglazing helped. Just kidding, I finished the bottle of Gamay I used for cooking to slake my thirst. I know, I know. I’m supposed to be using Burgundy to make my Boeuf Bourguignon but an inexpensive Gamay works just as well.

This is a great recipe to make for these weird times because it’s the perfect combination of active cooking and patiently waiting. It’s not a 12 hour ordeal where you’re sitting there drooling while your house fills with amazing smells, ravenously wondering when it’s going to be done. Nor is it a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am dish that leaves you searching for another distraction. You get the satisfaction of layers of homey aromas by searing and sauteing the ingredients in separate stages. First the beefy balm of searing brisket (it called for chuck roast, but the butcher was pretty cleaned out) followed by sweet caramelizing onions and carrots, ascending into the intoxicating perfume of crisping bacon and finally a crescendo of earthy incense as an entire orchestra of mushrooms browns alongside pearl onions in the smoky drippings.

Of course the cooking experience was dwarfed by the toe-curling joy of actually getting to eat it. Holy shit! This is what comfort tastes like. Meaty, earthy and sweet all wrapped up in a warm hug of fatty joy. And the wine! The ‘09 was absolutely shining with wave upon wave of dried flowers, cherries, raspberries and wet earth. This beauty was ready to go from first pour and just continued to evolve. 

When I get stressed, I get fancy. Like many of my friends and colleagues in the restaurant and retail world, I was laid off recently. But even on a reduced budget it’s important that we treat ourselves with soul-filled foods and wines. For me, at least for today, that means turning my kitchen into a meat-themed spa with a glass of old-school Pinot in hand. However, if you’re like my friend and former coworker Sara, you might just be satisfied with a glass of rose and some goldfish crackers. NO JUDGEMENT!

One last note: If you have the means and the inclination please support Flatiron Wines and Spirits as well as your other local restaurants, bars and wine shops. Order delivery or pick up. Buy wine from independent wine shops online (they can still ship to you!). If you are part of the wine and food industry or know someone who is, you probably already know how devastating this time is for all of us. My motivation for writing right now is to inspire good eating and drinking. However, my hope is that I might encourage you to help those of us who have made sharing delicious food and wine with the world our career to be able to have a future doing so.