Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
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Ingredients
about 900g beef skirt or sliced braising steak
2-3 tbsp olive oil
450ml beef stock
4 large onions
50g unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp chopped thyme, plus extra to garnish
2 tbsp plain flour
300ml white wine
2 bay leaves
For the topping
1 stone-baked white baguette
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp full fat crème fraîche
175g Gruyère, grated finely
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Prepare to the end of step 4, cool, and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat on the hob, adding a little extra water, then add the topping and bake.
Cut the beef into 6 equal servings and season well. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a casserole, add half the beef and brown over a high heat for 2 minutes on each side, then remove to a shallow bowl. Add a little stock to the casserole and stir to deglaze then pour into the bowl. Repeat with the rest of the beef, adding more oil if needed.
Meanwhile, thinly slice the onions. Add another tablespoon of oil and most of the butter to the casserole and stir in the onions and a good pinch of salt. Cook over a high heat for 8-10 minutes until starting to brown, stirring so that they don’t catch. Mix in the rest of the butter with the garlic, sugar and thyme then turn the heat right down and cook the onions for at least 30 minutes until meltingly soft and caramelised.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Cut 12 slices (about 2cm thick) from the baguette, brush with oil on both sides; season. Bake on a baking tray for about 20 minutes until crisp, turning over halfway. Remove and set aside, and reduce the oven temperature to 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1.
Set aside a spoonful of onions for the garnish. Increase the heat then stir the flour into the onions in the casserole and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and bubble for 1 minute, then add the rest of the stock, the bay leaves and seasoning. Return the beef to the casserole, submerging it in the sauce. Bring to a simmer, add a lid; transfer to the oven for 2 hours or until tender.
For the gratin topping, combine the eggs, mustard and crème fraîche in a bowl. Season then stir in the Gruyère. When the beef is ready, remove the casserole from the oven and turn the oven up to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
Spread the cheesy gratin topping over the crisp croutes then arrange them on top, slightly overlapping. Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered, until the topping looks molten and golden brown. Scatter on the reserved caramelised onions and extra thyme just before serving.
A meaty stew of poultry, sausage, pork, and beans, all under a rich, dark brown crust. Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site.
Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell.
Add the wine and tomato paste to the onions and other aromatics in a pan before slow cooking. Plus, this helps to really deglaze any fond that's left. This ingredient is one that your mum and nan would probably use in their stews. It adds a bit of tang, sweetness and savoury spices that give an extra punch of flavour.
cassoulet, French dish of white beans baked with meats; it takes its name from its cooking pot, the cassole d'Issel. Originating in Languedoc in southwest France, cassoulet was once simple farmhouse fare, but it has been elaborated into a rich and complex dish.
Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1½ hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.
If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.
The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot. The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.
Although I added carrots, little red potatoes, rutabaga and cremini mushrooms, you have plenty of options. Parsnip, turnip, pearl onions, squash and fennel will also work. Stir them in gently and immediately return the pot to the oven for the final hour of cooking.
The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.
Pot-au-feu is to France what roast beef is to England. A hearty stew, flavoured with herbs and thickened with marrowbone and root vegetables, it seems to encapsulate all that is best about Gallic culture.
The Oxford Companion to Food calls pot-au-feu "a dish symbolic of French cuisine and a meal in itself"; the chef Raymond Blanc has called it "the quintessence of French family cuisine ... the most celebrated dish in France, [which] honours the tables of the rich and poor alike"; and the American National Geographic ...
According to tradition, cassoulet was invented in 1355 in the town of Castelnaudary, under siege by the English during the Hundred Years' War. In medieval times the dish was referred to as an estouffet.
Pot-au-feu is a slowly simmered meat and vegetable dish that appears on most home tables in France. Pot au Feu, which literally translates to 'pot in the fire', started its life in working-class homes as a way to make less expensive cuts of beef more tender and palatable.
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Prep time: 50 mins
