In our current issue we worked with La Cigale - home of the French farmers market in Parnell - to come up with a range of dishes to celebrate Bastille Day. And now that it is upon us we wanted to share a couple more of the recipes with you here.
[ABOVE From fresh breads and pasteries to their famous rotisserie chicken La Cigale is a one stop shop for French foodie essentials, especially on the weekend when they hold their French style farmers market]
Beef Bourguignon
Our favourite French winter dish!
Serves 4
250 g sliced bacon
4 tbsp olive oil
1 Kg lean stew beef, cut into 2 inch cubes
2 cubed carrots
1 medium diced onion
salt and pepper
2 tbsp flour
1 L dry, full-bodied red wine
4 cups beef stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
herb bouquet –4 parsley sprigs, ½ bayleaf, ¼ tsp thyme and 2 garlic cloves
10-15 diced shallots or 20 pearl onions
3 tbsp unsalted butter
500 g quartered fresh mushrooms
Blanch bacon with a cup of water in a non-stick pan, to render and give off enough fat to fry with. Remove bacon and set aside.
In the same pan, sauté beef cubes until nicely brown on all sides, using rendered fat from bacon and two tablespoons of olive oil. Remove from the pan into bowl with bacon.
Add carrots and onion to pan and brown. Pour out excess fat, return beef and bacon to pan. Toss with salt, pepper and flour to coat meat lightly. Cook until flour makes a light crust on the meat, turning occasionally.
Remove meat and vegetables, place in a large casserole dish which can be used on the stovetop. Deglaze pan with red wine, add to dish along with beef stock, to almost cover meat and vegetables. Stir in tomato paste and add herb bouquet. Bring to a simmer and cover, simmering very slowly for four hours, or until meat is tender and sauce has reduced. Check every hour, gradually adding half a cup each of beef stock and red wine if needed
When stew is done, prepare shallots and mushrooms. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and stir in two tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add shallots and sauté over moderate heat, until browned evenly. Add a cup of stock, salt, pepper and the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly until tender, and liquid evaporates. Remove herb bouquet and set shallots aside.
In the same skillet, heat remaining oil and butter over high heat and toss mushrooms until slightly browned, then set aside.
Pour contents of casserole into a sieve, set over a saucepan. Simmer sauce for two minutes, reducing gently. Season carefully with salt and pepper.
Clean casserole dish, put back on heat and return meat and vegetables. Pour over the reduced sauce. Add shallots and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for another two minutes, gently basting meat and vegetables with the sauce.
Serve hot over mashed potatoes or your favourite pasta garnished with parsley.
Find the recipe for this delicious dish of Lamb Neck With French Cepes & Green Beans here.
Prune Armagnac Tart
The perfect finish to a classic French feast.
6-8 Slices
For the sweet pastry
350 g butter, at room temperature
150 g icing sugar
4 egg yolks
50 ml water
500 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
For the frangipane
125 g unsalted butter
125 g icing sugar
125 g ground almonds
25 g plain flour
3 beaten eggs
12 stoned and pitted Agen prunes
50ml Armagnac
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. For the sweet pastry, in a bowl, beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, add egg yolks, beat until well-combined. Add a splash of water, then mix in flour. Pour in remaining water and beat for two minutes until a dough forms. Roll out to ¼ inch thickness on a floured work surface.
For the frangipane, mix together butter and icing sugar until pale. Add ground almonds and flour, mix well. Slowly incorporate beaten eggs and Armagnac mix until well combined.
Line a one-inch tall and eight-inch wide pastry case with the sweet pastry and two-thirds fill with frangipane mixture. Arrange prunes on top so you have a pattern like a clock face.
Bake tart for 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown on the edges and frangipane cooked through.
Serve with a drizzle of crème anglaise.
Recipes Warwick Brown
Photography Kelsi Duin
