1 ½lb.beef chuck cut into small bite size cubes (about 1/2 inch) *
Kosher saltto taste
Coarsely ground black pepperto taste
Olive oil
8ozshiitake mushroomssliced
6ozpearl onionspeeled*
¼tspcoarsely crushed black peppercorns
¼cupcognac or brandy
2cupslow-sodium beef broth
1bay leaf
5sprigs fresh thyme
3Tbspunsalted butter
3Tbspall-purpose flour
1egg
1Tbspwater
3Tbspheavy cream
1-2tspsherry or red wine vinegarto taste
1sheet puff pastrythawed (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. ***
Video
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