Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. beef chuck , cut into small bite size cubes (about 1/2 inch) *
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
- Olive oil
- 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 6 oz pearl onions, peeled*
- ¼ tsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
- ¼ cup cognac or brandy
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp water
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream
- 1-2 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar, to taste
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (my favorite brand is Dufour)
- Flake salt
- Thinly sliced fresh chives
Instructions
- Season beef all over with salt and pepper. I do a heavy amount of coarse pepper here for the au poivre vibe.
- Coat the bottom of an 11-12 inch cast iron pan with olive oil. Heat over medium until hot.
- Add in half of the beef and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes total. Remove to a plate.
- Add in the rest of the beef and sear in the same manner. Remove to the plate with the first batch.
- Add in mushrooms and cook until browned about 6 minutes. Add in onions and cook until they are just starting to soften, 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the ¼ tsp of crushed peppercorns and stir.
- Deglaze with cognac, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce just about all the way.
- Add in beef broth, thyme, and bay leaf (tied together with twine if you have it). Return the seared beef and all its drippings to the pan.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer on low, until the meat is tender, 60-70 minutes. You want to maintain a low simmer here as you don’t want to boil away the broth! We need the liquid to create our sauce later on.
- While the meat simmers, mix together the butter and flour for the beurre manié. Whisk the egg and water together for the egg wash. Set both aside. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Once the beef is soft, remove thyme and bay leaf. Stir in the butter and flour mixture until it's melted into the sauce. Bring mixture to a boil to thicken.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in cream and vinegar—season with salt to taste. Remove from heat.
- Roll out puff pastry, if needed, to fully cover your pan. I like to keep a rustic rough shape with an overhang. Place the pastry over the skillet tucking in the overhanging edges.
- Brush egg wash all over the pastry and sprinkle with flake salt and pepper.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until deep golden brown. Serve with a lightly dressed bitter green salad on the side and sprinkle with chives. ***
Notes
*The size of the cubes here matters. If you cut them too big the stewing time will be longer than the 60-70 minutes.
**You can also sub with frozen pearl onions, just add them in after the beef has stewed, right before the cream and vinegar.
*** I like to dress some frisse lightly with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram so I can see! @haileecatalano
