Yesterday evening, we celebrated Eric’s uncle Malcolm’s 50th birthday at the Nordik Spa in Chelsea with our own personal party cabin!

We enjoyed Beef Bourguignon for dinner with lots of beautiful red wine and various cakes and lots of Champagne for dessert.

Here’s the recipe for Beef Bourguignon from Canadian Living. You can of course double or triple the recipe, depending on how many people are eating.

Ingredients: 1 pkg (14 g) dried porcini mushroom, 3 lbs boneless beef cross rib pot roasts, 4 oz thickly sliced bacon chopped, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 onion chopped, 1 carrot chopped, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 bottle (750 ml) red wine (such as Pinot Noir or Merlot), 1 1/2 cup beef broth, 3 fresh parsley, 2 fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 pkg (10 oz/284 g) pearl onion, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 cups button mushrooms, 2 tablespoons brandy, 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley.

Instructions:

-Soak dried mushrooms in 1/2 cup (125 mL) hot water for 30 minutes.
-Meanwhile, trim fat from beef; cut meat into 1-1/2-inch (4 cm) cubes and set aside.
-In Dutch oven, sauté bacon over medium-high heat until crisp; transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Drain fat from pan.
-Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the oil to pan; brown beef, in 3 batches and adding remaining oil as necessary. Transfer to bowl. Drain fat from pan.
-Add chopped onion, carrot, garlic, salt and pepper to pan; cook over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
-Reserving soaking liquid, remove mushrooms and chop; add to pan along with soaking liquid, wine and broth. Bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits. Tie parsley, thyme and bay leaves together with string. Add to pan along with bacon, beef and any juices. Cover and braise in 325°F (160°C) oven
until meat is fork-tender, 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
-Meanwhile, in pot of boiling water, boil pearl onions for 3 minutes; drain and chill in cold
water. Peel and trim, leaving root ends intact. In skillet, melt butter over medium heat; brown pearl onions, about 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer to bowl.
-Add mushrooms to skillet; fry until browned, about 5 minutes.
-With slotted spoon, remove beef to separate bowl. Add pearl onions, mushrooms and brandy to liquid in Dutch oven; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until thickened and onions are tender, about 25 minutes. Discard herbs. Return beef to pan and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.

Pairs well with: Ringbolt Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River in Australia.

This recipe is perfect for a large group of people and for a cozy winter night- especially at the spa!