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the RARE belle

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Tag Archives: Beef

boozy stew…a fall/winter belle staple 

11 Friday Nov 2016

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

bacon, Beef, beer, dutch oven, guinness, Guinness Stew, kale salad, mushrooms, recipe, shallots, slow cooker

Although the temps seem to have been on a roller coaster (mostly uphill) across the south this fall, we like to pretend we have cooler weather to warrant the classic fall/winter recipes we have up our sleeves.  Case in point…this Guinness Stew we decided to make for a football-watchin’ crowd a couple of weeks ago…when it was 75 and sunny!  It was belleicious anyway…just sayin’. We served it alongside this kale and quinoa salad, courtesy of a dear belle-friend.  An-delicious (that’s Irish for very delicious!)

We found the original recipe from Clodagh McKenna via the Today show, but made some tweaks (as we do) to make it ours.


The Belles’ Boozy Guinness Stew

2 T butter

1 T olive oil

12 slices bacon, cut into 1″ bits

12 shallots, peeled but left whole

2 1/2 lb cubed stewing beef

2 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced (we used shiitake and baby bella)

1 qt Guinnesss

1 bouquet garni (we used bay leaf, thyme and tarragon)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper


We like to gather ingredients and do the prep so that all goes smoothly

 The assembly of the bouquet garni. (We actually only used 2 of those bay leaves)

Now for the cookin’…


Start by melting butter in a large dutch oven or cast iron skillet.  Add a swirl of olive oil and heat.  Add bacon and brown


Add shallots and allow to cook with bacon for a couple of minutes.  Transfer bacon and shallots to another dish


Sear beef, seasoned with salt and pepper, in the same dutch oven (scraping up the bacon bits for flavor).  After a quick 2 minute sear, remove beef…


…and add mushrooms.  Sauté 1-2 minutes.  (We added a bit of olive oil to the shrooms after a bit)

Add bacon, shallots, and beef back to mushrooms (if using dutch oven).  Otherwise, place all in a covered casserole, pouring pan juices on top.  Add the bouquet garni.

Now for the booze…


Drop in the bouquet garni and add the Guinness…


Ready for the oven!!

Cover and place in the oven at 325 degrees for 2 hours.


Ready for the table…belleicious!!

***Slow cooker tip #1…if you can start earlier in the day, pop all of this in your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours…or high for 4.

***Slow cooker tip #2…you could even do this one day, allow to cool, pop in the fridge, and slow cook it for a couple of hours on low the next day.  Voila!  A belle-ringin’ dinner on a busy day!

And here’s the recipe all-together (screenshot-able perhaps)…

***********************************************************************

The Belles’ Boozy Guinness Stew

2 T butter
1 T olive oil
12 slices bacon, cut into 1” bits
12 shallots, peeled but left whole
2 1⁄2 lb cubed stewing beef
2 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 qt Guinness
1 bouquet garni
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt butter in large dutch oven.  Add a swirl of olive oil
Add bacon and brown.  Add shallots and saute 1-2 minutes

Transfer bacon and shallots to another dish.

Add beef, season with salt and pepper, and sear, scraping up bacon bits from pan.  

Remove beef.

Add mushrooms and saute 1-2 minutes.

Place all ingredients back together in dutch oven (or any large, covered casserole)
Add bouquet garni
Add Guinness

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours

***********************************************************************

Serving suggestions:  

– Although we chose to skip the carbs with the salad, this would be excellent (and authentic) served with mashed potatoes…or add bite-sized potatoes to the stew before baking

Ithe go maith! (that’s Irish for good eatin’)

a&a

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foolproof tenderloin…a surprisingly easy hit for any occasion

11 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Allegro, Barefoot Contessa, Beef, Char Crust, recipes, tenderloin

IMG_1663

Beef tenderloin…whether served for Christmas or other special-occasion dinner, served sliced with rolls for a cocktail party, or devoured as a leftover…is the ultimate hit for the meat-lover. However, we belles are often at a loss as to the best, most foolproof way to prepare this beefy delicacy…and at the price of an arm and a leg per pound, we certainly don’t want to risk ruining it!  (one belle in particular is pretty famous among her family for being very good at ruining dinner…it’s that adult-onset ADD kicking in…).

So…we went on a search about a year ago for a no-fail way to prepare a tenderloin to suit all tastes (super-rare to over-done) and came up with what we have found to be the gold-standard prep.  We have prepared it this way time after time with surprising success, and…not to brag…to rave reviews! We feel guilty taking any credit…we just follow the directions and the rest takes care of its tender, juicy self!

 

The Belles’ Foolproof Party Tenderloin 

1 beef tenderloin, trimmed (about 5 pounds)
1 bottle Allegro marinade
1 package Char Crust roasted garlic peppercorn rub

IMG_1678-1

Marinate beef overnight in bottle of Allegro (we use a giant ziploc bag…works perfectly)

Almost as early as you wish on serving day, heat oven to 475 degrees, with one rack set in the center. Remove tenderloin from marinade and seer all sides on a hot grill or griddle, giving it a quick coat of color.

Place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan, then sprinkle evenly and thoroughly with the Char Crust seasoning, making sure to rub it in to coat completely.

Now, for the most important part…get a timer and follow step-by-step:

–  once oven is heated, place tenderloin in to roast for 15 minutes
–  without opening oven door, turn off the heat
–  let stand in the oven for another 15 minutes
–  remove pan and place on rack
–  cover loosely with foil and let stand at least 30 minutes before slicing

IMG_1676

At this point, we have left the tenderloin “resting” for a couple of hours…plenty of time to shower, set the table, put out fresh flowers, etc…

Just slice when ready to serve and bask in the accolades!!

We recently served this at a dinner party with The Barefoot Contessa’s Spinach Gratin (not a proper dinner party without Ina’s touch), goat cheese mashed potatoes, and a delish green salad. An excellent and belleicious way to spend an evening with friends…

Get cookin’, belles
a&a

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