We have received a lot of inquiries about the mustards used in a recently printed New York Times recipe for a mustard and cognac beef stew. The recipe calls for two mustards — a classic Dijon and the venerable Pommery Moutarde de Meaux.
For the Dijon, we recommend either the Amora Traditional Dijon (AMR102) or the Edmond Fallot Dijon (EFL100). There is no real substitute for the Pommery, the grainy mustard that has been around for more than three hundred years. Pommery Moutarde de Meaux is available as 17.5oz / 500g (PMM100) or 8.8oz / 250g (PMM101).
We are very familiar with the recipe. Here is our version of it:
Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew
¼ pound thick bacon, blanched in water and cut into half-inch pieces
1 large onion, finely diced
4 tablespoons butter
2 pounds beef chuck, cut into in 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Cognac
2 cups beef stock
½ cup Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons Pommery Moutarde de Meaux
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into quarter-inch slices
½ pound mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
¼ cup red wine
- Place bacon in a Dutch oven or a large heavy kettle over low heat, and cook until fat is rendered. Remove pieces with a slotted spoon. Raise heat, add onion and cook until softened and just lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Dust the beef cubes with flour, and season with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour and cook them over medium-high heat until well browned on all sides, then transfer to a bowl with onions. You will probably want to do this in batches so the beef cubes are not crowded. If a lot of fat remains in the pan, pour off most of it but leave some.
- Add Cognac to the pan, and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan and scraping to get all the tasty bits from the bottom. Add stock, Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Moutarde de Meaux. Whisk to blend, then return meat and onions to pan. Lower heat, cover pan partially, and simmer gently until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Add carrots, and continue simmering for 30 minutes. As they cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté mushrooms until browned.
- Optional: you may want to return the browned bacon pieces to the pot. Or not.
- Stir mushrooms into stew along with remaining Moutarde de Meaux and red wine. Simmer 5 minutes and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
