The Classics: Beouf Bourguignon

In art, there are times when you invent and times when you follow a master.  When I have needed inspiration or a technique refresher in painting, I turned to a master painter.  Last night I turned to the master of home cooks to help me in the kitchen, Julia Child.  I am inspired by her patience. Dare I admit that on an off day I have watched that episode where she makes a cheese souflee` three times?  It just goes to show that an attention to detail and technique can result in a baked cream that defies gravity.  But what I admire most about Julia Child was her persistance.  At the start of her culinary endeavor she had very little to no knowledge of cooking.  When first presenting her cookbook series for publication, it was turned down numerous times.  So perhaps I am not the culinary magician that can create a cheese souffle` (or any other souffle` for that matter). But I won't give up on the idea that it will happen someday.  Like perhaps many other things in my life.  Maybe I was just in the mood for a really good beef stew but I think that it is Julia's spirit of persistence I really needed to emulate. Last night I donned Julia's pearls and sense of can-do so as to recreate her Beouf Bourguignon.

The herb and vegetable bouquet