Molecular Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

This recipe will use modern techniques such as sous vide cooking and spherification to create a new take on the traditional Beef Bourguignon. The beef will be cooked sous vide to ensure a perfectly tender texture, and the red wine sauce will be transformed into small, flavorful spheres using spherification. We alse have the original recipe for Beef bourguignon, so you can check it out.

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) beef chuck, cut into 5 cm (2 inch) cubes 1 kg (2.2 lbs) beef chuck, cut into 5 cm (2 inch) cubes
• 250 ml (1 cup) red wine 250 ml (1 cup) red wine
• 250 ml (1 cup) beef stock 250 ml (1 cup) beef stock
• 50 g (1/4 cup) flour 50 g (1/4 cup) flour
• 50 g (1/4 cup) butter 50 g (1/4 cup) butter
• 1 onion, chopped 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley) 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley)
• 10 g (2 tsp) salt 10 g (2 tsp) salt
• 5 g (1 tsp) black pepper 5 g (1 tsp) black pepper
• 10 g (2 tsp) sugar 10 g (2 tsp) sugar
• 10 g (2 tsp) agar agar 10 g (2 tsp) agar agar
• 100 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil 100 ml (1/2 cup) vegetable oil

Nutrition

• Calories: 450 kcal / 1884 KJ
• Fat: 25 g (10 g saturated)
• Carbohydrates: 10 g (2 g sugars)
• Protein: 45 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Salt: 2 g

Preparation

1. 1.
   Preheat sous vide cooker to 60°C (140°F).
2. 2.
   Season beef cubes with salt and black pepper, and vacuum seal in a sous vide bag. Cook in the preheated water bath for 24 hours.
3. 3.
   In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened.
4. 4.
   Add flour and stir until well combined. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. 5.
   Add red wine, beef stock, bouquet garni, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. 6.
   Remove bouquet garni and transfer the sauce to a blender. Add agar agar and blend until smooth.
7. 7.
   Pour the sauce into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled, use a syringe to drop small droplets of the sauce into a cold oil bath. The droplets will form small spheres.
8. 8.
   Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat. Sear the beef cubes until browned on all sides.
9. 9.
   Serve the beef cubes with the red wine spheres on top.

Treat your ingredients with care...

• Agar agar — Make sure to dissolve the agar agar in the sauce before blending to ensure a smooth texture.

Tips & Tricks

• Use a syringe with a small needle to create uniform spheres.
• Make sure the oil bath is cold to prevent the spheres from melting.
• Serve the beef cubes and spheres immediately after cooking to ensure the best texture.

Serving advice

Serve the beef cubes and red wine spheres on a large plate, garnished with fresh herbs such as thyme or parsley.

Presentation advice

Arrange the beef cubes in a neat pile and scatter the red wine spheres around them. Drizzle any remaining sauce over the top.