Beef Bourguignon

I've never actually made beef bourguignon before, but it was been something I wanted to try after watching "Julie & Julia."  It looked like a combination of simple flavors, paired with simple techniques and patience with the ultimate payoff of a great dish with complex flavors.  After discovering a Disney recipe for it, I knew I just had to give it a shot.

This recipe didn't disappoint.  The meat melted in my mouth like butter and the flavors were just out-of-this-world...  I even overcame my hatred of mushrooms. And it was really neat to prepare and eat a dish with history to it, both in Walt Disney World and the culinary world in general.  At Disney, this dish used to be one of the top offerings in the most exclusive of restaurants.  Everywhere from Chef Mickey's to the Food and Wine Festival served a version of this dish.  Perhaps the most famous version was found at King Stefan's Banquet Hall.  In the 90's, King Stefan's was the signature dining experience to end all dining experiences at Disney.  Located in Cinderella's Castle, the menu was made up of all sorts of fancy, signature meals and the beef bourguignon was the top of that list.

Today, King Stefan's is long gone, having been replaced by Cinderella's Royal Table, and beef bourguignon has also largely filtered off the menus around Walt Disney World.  While it does still make a yearly appearance at the Food and Wine Festival and occasionally it appears as a seasonal dish at various restaurants, it's not the staple it once was on the menus at Disney.

While I get that it's a somewhat dated dish, more vintage 80's than modern and innovative, it's a

shame because this dish is easy to make, has a surprisingly complex flavoring, and has a very home-style feel to it which makes it satisfying in a way that some modern dishes just aren't.

Now, I know there's somebody reading right now and wondering if I made a typo...  "Wait, in Cinderella's Castle, there was a restaurant called 'King Stefan's Banquet Hall?'  Isn't King Stefan Princess Aurora's father?  Why would Sleeping Beauty's father have a restaurant in Cinderella's Castle?"  Well, this did create a lot of confusion (which is why I think the restaurant ultimately was renamed to "Cinderella's Royal Table"), but the answer is surprisingly simple and has a degree of amazing historical accuracy to it.  Many believe that the reason the restaurant was named King Stefan's Banquet Hall was because it was a regal sounding name to fit with the regal surroundings of the castle.  Because Cinderella's father was unnamed and even Prince Charming's true name was a mystery, the best the Imagineers could come up with was to name the castle restaurant after King Stefan of "Sleeping Beauty" fame.  But the Disney Imagineers are pretty clever people...  It doesn't make sense that this was "the best" they could come up with.

Well, the real reason the restaurant in Cinderella's Castle was named after King Stefan is because historically castles had multiple banquet halls, a main banquet hall for the day-to-day festivities, then banquet halls for visiting royalty.  These banquet halls were often named after the rulers of the neighboring allied kingdom's ruler.  For example, King Henry VIII had a banquet hall named after the King of Spain to denote the close relationship he had with the family of his first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon.  It was a tribute and an offering that showed that, should the rulers/representatives of that castle come to visit, that they should feel welcomed.  A regal "my home is your home" gesture.  By having a banquet hall dedicated to King Stefan at Cinderella's Castle, it's an acknowledgment that the kingdom where Cinderella lives (Walt Disney World) is allied with the kingdom where Princess Aurora resides (Disneyland).  It was the subtle tie between the two parks and a sweet tip-of-the-hat from the newer park to the original park.

Knowing that, it's kind of a bummer the name got changed!

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Beef Bourguignon

As was served at Chef Mickey's, Disney's Contemporary Resort, King Stefan's Castle, Magic Kingdom, and Food and Wine Festival, EPCOT

 

°o°  3 tablespoons olive oil  
°o°  2 pounds beef tips, cut into cubes  

°o°  1 1/2 cups onion, diced  

°o°  1 cup fresh crimini mushrooms  

°o°  1 cup button mushrooms  

°o°  2 tablespoons flour  

°o°  3 tablespoons tomato paste  

°o°  1 1/2 cup red wine  

°o°  1 tablespoon Kosher salt  
°o°  1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground  

°o°  2 bay leaves  

°o°  1 cup beef broth 

°o°  4 tablespoons butter

°o°  Rice, noodles, potatoes, or bread (to serve under the beef)  

  

Heat olive oil in a an and sear beef tips on sides, about 10 minutes.  Add onions, mushrooms, flour, tomato paste and stir to combine.  Cook 5 minutes to bring up to temperature, just under boiling/simmering.  Add wine to deglaze the pan, scraping browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Add salt and pepper, bay leaves, and beef broth.  Bring to temperature again.

Lower heat to low so that liquid goes to a simmer.  Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.  

After 45 minutes to an hour, or when meat is fork tender, remove from heat and stir in butter until totally melted.  Serve immediately over rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, or bread.  Remove bay leaves before serving.

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