"Beef made in the style of the Vintner"
Chef Marian Gray
For Beef:
4-5 # well marbled Chuck or English roast
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
4 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups Cherry Creek Cellars Montage
4 cups beef stock
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 California bay leaf
Assemble all the above ingredients in glass container, cover, refrigerate minimum of 4 hours, no more than 12. If marinade does not cover meat then turn the meat occasionally.
For Vegetables:
½ # thick bacon slices, cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces
1# pearl onions, TIP: frozen are already cleaned (if needed, cleaning directions below)
1 tablespoon Cherry Creek Cellars Balsamic Vinegar
2 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
6 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1½-inch pieces (optional)
2# medium fresh white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
PREPARATION:
Braise beef:
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 250°F.
Pat beef dry. Heat oil in a wide (12 inches in diameter) 3- to 5-quart heavy dutch oven over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef on both sides, turning with tongs, about 4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Add marinade to pot and bring boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.
Add beef along with any juices accumulated on plate and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Transfer to oven and braise until beef is very tender, 3-4 hours.
Cooks' Note: Meat can be braised 1 day ahead and cooled completely in sauce to keep meat form drying out, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Remove solidified fat from dish before reheating.
Cook vegetables while beef braises:
If onions are not peeled: Blanch pearl onions in a wide 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then drain in a sieve. When just cool enough to handle trim root end just enough to leave onions intact, and slip peel off onions.
Heat butter in heavy saucepan over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, stirring occasionally, until brown spots appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, then add chicken stock and carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and boil, if necessary, until liquid glazes vegetables.
While vegetables are simmering, cook bacon in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender about 20 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to vegetables in saucepan.
Assemble dish:
Transfer servings of meat to oven-warmed plates. Pour sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids, then skim fat from sauce. Boil sauce, if necessary, until thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Season with salt and pepper. Add sauce to vegetables then spoon mixture around meat.
Copyright © 2008 Cherry Creek Cellars, Albion, MI