Boeuf Beaujolais

By corlear

Onomatopoetically, I believe Beaujolais to be just about the happiest-sounding word in the world. As a region, it is also one of the most delightful for cycling. The vineyards of Gamay grapes are tiered over rounded hillsides interspersed with quaint stone hamlets and forests fragrant with pine and chestnut. The biking itself may be more challenging with the roller-coaster pops up and down hills, but it’s likely to feel painless because the temptation to stop and taste the fruity and floral wines of the land is everywhere. In Burgundy, no place better exemplifies the unique coexistence of the sensual with the spiritual than the village of Julienas’s wine-tasting caveats housed in the town’s old church—a watering hole sacred to many of my cyclists. No wonder any recipe made with Beaujolais wine seems blessed!

Here, rosy steaks are napped with a coarse but flavorful Beaujolais-based sauce that has been studded liberally with minced shallots, celery, carrots, garlic, and green peppercorns. The panseared steaks are served sliced rather than whole so that the sauce literally seeps into all the surfaces of the meat. Potato Gratin Dijonnaise makes a perfect accompaniment. Guests’ spirits will of course become one with the wine if plenty of extra bottles of Beaujolais are kept flowing.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus additional to taste
• 6 boneless shell strip or sirloin steaks (10 to 12 ounces each), at least 1 inch thick
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 4 shallots, minced
• 1 rib celery, minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons drained coarsely cracked green peppercorns
• 2 1/2 cups red Beaujolais wine
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons marc de Bourgogne or brandy
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the dry mustard, black pepper, and 2 teaspoons salt. Rub this mixture lightly into both sides of the steaks to season them.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter with the oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks to the skillet and sauté 4 to 5 minutes per side for rare to medium-rare meat. Transfer the steaks to a platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in the oven while making the sauce. (The steaks will continue to cook a bit, so keep this in mind when deciding how long to cook them.)

4. Add the shallots, celery, carrot, tarragon, bay leaves, and green peppercorns to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the wine and boil until the liquid is reduced by half, 10 to 12 minutes. Discard the bay leaves, and stir in the garlic and marc de Bourgogne or brandy. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the remaining 5 tablespoons butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, to make a lightly emulsified sauce. Season with salt and stir in the parsley.

5. Slice the steaks 1/2 inch thick and fan them out onto dinner plates. Nap generously with the Beaujolais sauce and serve at once.