ode to joy: boeuf bourguignon

If Christmas is anything, it sure is filled with food. For treats to give away, I made 2 kinds of chocolate bark (one white chocolate/candy cane and one vegan dark chocolate/salted mixed nuts), a peanut butter/dark chocolate fudge, vegan chocolate-peanut butter squares, and my friend Kyla’s recipe for dark chocolate gingerbread truffles. Yes, I definitely went overboard on the sweet gifts and we still have lots in our fridge to keep us nibbling throughout the new year.

On December 24th, Cornelius and I woke up with Bailey’s fever. Bailey’s Irish Cream went into our morning coffee and managed to sneak it’s way into our waffle batter. Definitely a delicious way to start the day! The rest of the day was spent playing board games and watching movies — everything from “The Lords of Dogtown” to “The Shop Around the Corner” (my favorite Christmas movie I’ve decided). Cornelius made me my favorite drink, the classic Canadian Caesar and I made him a blender drink full of strawberries, orange juice, vodka and Southern Comfort. It was time for dinner.

When I was little, my mom would often make boeuf bourguignon for Sunday dinners from her trusty Madame Benoit cookbook. I shamefully do not have any Jehane Benoit cookbooks so my recipe came from another old standby, The Joy of Cooking. This meal is rich and beyond satisfying and made a perfect Christmas Eve meal. I was hoping to serve it with dreamy white beans from the lovely Orangette, but I forgot to soak the beans the night before. Instead, I opted for roasted potatoes sprinkled with fresh thyme. Not a bad choice.

3 comments to “ode to joy: boeuf bourguignon”

  1. 1
    Rachel   December 27, 2005 at 7:24 pm

    yum!

  2. 2
    jana   December 27, 2005 at 11:11 pm

    Hm. Bailey’s in waffle batter! Breakfast suddenly got a lot more appealing. 😉 – Jana

  3. 3
    kickpleat   December 28, 2005 at 11:29 am

    Thanks Rachel and Jana!

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