Marjorie Taylor and
her daughter Kendall
Smith Franchini.
Pot-au-feu
SERVES 6-8A comforting, classic French stew, pot-au-feu is a dish recognised
throughout France and can vary depending on the region. This
savoury one-pot meal is a two-day process, but worth the efort,
when it fills the kitchen with a wonderful fragrance.Pictured p127.900 gm beef shin, tied at
intervals with kitchen string
800 gm piece beef chuck
1 small (about 1kg) oxtail,
cut into pieces and tied
into a flat bundle
3.8 litres veal stock (see note)
4 leeks, white and light green
parts only
2 onions, cut into wedges
1 bouquet garni (see note)
2 large carrots
8 beef marrow bones
3 thyme sprigs
FINISHING VEGETABLES
10 white pearl onions, scored
at the base, soaked in
boiling water for 15 minutes
and peeled
10 small white radishes,
peeled, some stems
attached, halved lengthways
10 breakfast radishes, some
stems attached, halved
lengthways
10 small carrots, peeled, some
stems attached, halved
lengthways
10 small turnips, peeled, some
stems attached, halved
lengthways
10 small Brussels sprouts,
outer leaves removed,
halved lengthways
Handful of chervil leaves1 Rinse and thoroughly dry
the beef shin, chuck and oxtail.
With a sharp knife, score the
chuck in a crosshatch pattern
on both sides. Season the beef
shin, chuck and oxtail with salt
and pepper, then arrange on
an oven tray or in a large dish,
cover and refrigerate overnight.
2 Place shin, chuck and oxtail
in a 7.5- to 9.5-litre casserole.
Add stock and enough cold
water to cover the meat. Bring
to a simmer, skimming of any
foam that comes to the surface.
3 Meanwhile, halve each leek
lengthways. Thoroughly wash
the leeks, then tie the halves
together with kitchen string.
4 Once the stock is simmering,add the leeks, onions and
bouquet garni, and gently
simmer, adjusting the heat as
needed, until the meat is tender,
(about 3 hours).Remove meat
from stock, allow to cool, then
cover and refrigerate overnight.
5 Strain the stock through a
muslin-lined chinois into a large
container. Discard vegetables
and bouquet garni. Place the
container inside a bowl of iced
water and let stock cool, stirring
occasionally, until it reaches
room temperature. Cover and
refrigerate stock overnight, so
the fat will congeal on the top
and be easier to remove.
6 Skim the fat from the top of
the stock (discard). Return stock
to the casserole over medium
heat. Once stock is warm, add
the beef shin, chuck, and oxtail.
7 Cut the carrots lengthways
into thin strips that roughly equal
the diameter of the marrow
bones, the place carrot strips
over the open ends of marrow
bones and tie them in place
with kitchen string to secure
the marrow inside.
8 Add the marrow bones
and thyme to the casserole,
season to taste, and gently
simmer, adjusting the heat
and skimming any of foam
as needed, until the meat is
very tender (about 2 hours).
9 Meanwhile, for the finishing
vegetables, blanch onions in a
large saucepan of boiling salted
water until tender (7 minutes;
see cook’s notes p168), drain
and refresh in iced water, then
drain well. Fill the pot with fresh
salted water and bring to the
boil, then, in separate batches,
blanch the white radishes,
breakfast radishes, carrots,
turnips and Brussels sprouts
(2-3 minutes each), refresh,
then drain well.
10 Add the blanched
vegetables to the pot-au-feu
and simmer to meld the flavours
(10-15 minutes). Season to taste.W
hat we cook is only as good as the ingredients
we use, which is why we feel so fortunate
to have our cooking school, The Cook’s
Atelier, in Beaune. From the beginning,
we’ve taken joy not only in teaching others how to cook,
but also in introducing them to the region’s best growers
and producers. We are especially taken with the region’s
vegetables. Burgundian farmers, whether they are growing
grapes or raising animals, have a similar, old-fashioned
mentality. They keep their productions small and focus
on quality, often using traditional farming methods, such
as horse-ploughing, to leave a gentler footprint on the land.
Beaune is a charming, medieval city in Burgundy, just
two-and-a-half hours from Paris by high-speed train. The region
is renowned for its culinary heritage; famed regional dishes,
which include escargots bathed in garlicky butter and boeuf
Bourguignon, can be quite rich thanks to the abundance of
excellent local meat, poultry, charcuterie and cheeses.
Our recipes are inspired by the bounty of the region, with
seasonal vegetables and artisanal products front and centre.
Above all, our goal is to help guests become more confident
cooks. Our philosophy is simple: it’s about seasonal ingredients,
mastering classic French techniques and developing intuition.
Like the French, we shop for produce frequently in small
quantities, planning menus around what’s available. We share
our philosophy of shopping locally and seasonally in our book,
The Cook’s Atelier, and we hope to inspire you to do the same.
We created the book as an extension of our French cooking
school, providing approachable yet in-depth instruction on
classic French techniques and recipes we feel every cook should
know. We hope that you view our recipes not as rigid dicta,
but as suggestive guides to help hone your cooking instincts.128 GOURMET TRAVELLER