Individual Beef Burgundy Pies W/ Easy Herb Crust And House-Made Mash

Beef Bourguignon is something I have admired ever since I watched Julia Child prepare her version on an old 1970’s cooking show. It was such a delight to listen to her talk, to watch her methods and ability to prepare wonderful French cuisine; I was completely mesmerized by her. She was an anomaly in a rare up and coming community of unspoken women who were just learning to cook wonderful and creative dishes for husbands and dinner parties. They were just emerging from the apron strings of classic dishes like meatloaf and cabbage rolls; and setting the backdrop for millions of aspiring men and women to follow in a vast culinary explosion of flavor and creativity. What a wonderful journey she must have had and what a wonderful chef to have known. This recipe is my very own version of that ever wondrous dish of robust red wine and hearty vegetables that I gazed upon Julia Child making so many years ago. A tribute, if you will, to a wonderful woman who set the stage for so many wonderful things to come, but a tad more user friendly. Another biscuit recipe, Beef Burgundy.

For the Burgundy:

3 slices of thick-cut bacon                            

½ tbs olive oil                                               

1 ½ tsp shallots, minced                              

1 tbs all-purpose flour                                 

1 lb. chuck roast, trimmed and diced         

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 tsp tomato paste

2 c dry red wine

3 c beef stock

1 tbs fresh thyme, minced

2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced

For the Mash:

4 large russet potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled        

2 tbs unsalted sweet cream butter                                

Salt to taste

1/2 c milk

1/3 c heavy cream

For the crust:

1 can flaky layer butter biscuits                     

½ tbs dried rosemary                                      

½ tbs dried thyme                                           

1 tbs fresh minced parsley

 1 large egg

1 tsp water

Preheat oven to 300˚ Toss diced meat in flour. Set aside. Over medium heat, brown bacon on both sides in a large Dutch oven. Cook through, but not to a crisp, set aside on paper towel to drain. Discard all bacon grease, reserving 1 tbs. (I like to store bacon grease in jars for later use.) Add olive oil and shallots. Cook until tender. Add meat and brown on all sides. Add tomato paste and continue cooking about 3 minutes. Remove meat from pot and deglaze with red wine. Bring to a simmer and cook down for 7-8 minutes until wine has reduced 1/3 in amount (leaving you with 2/3). Return beef to pot and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover and place in oven for 1 hour.Thirty minutes before removing beef from oven, make your mash.

In a large mixing bowl, add potatoes, butter and salt. Mash to personal preference. Mix in milk and cream. If your beef is ready, remove from oven and raise temperature to 350˚. Remove lid and set aside. Fill the bottom of 8-10 oz ramekins about 1/3 of the way full of your mash.

Begin making your pie crust by removing all biscuits and separate on a nonstick workstation. In a small bowl, combine rosemary, thyme and parsley. Mix well. Sprinkle with equal amounts over the top of each biscuit and gently press into the dough. Spoon burgundy over your mash leaving ¼ inch at the top of your ramekin. Cover each ramekin with 1 biscuit, gently pressing sides down over the edges. Make your egg wash by lightly beating 1 lg egg with 1 tsp water. Place all the ramekins on a baking sheet to prevent spilling over. Brush tops of your biscuits with the egg wash making sure to coat the edges as well and bake for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. You can serve this dish with an earthy red wine. I, personally, am extremely fond of California Cabs, but you can most definitely serve this dish with a good imported French wine.