Posted by: Ginger-St. Thomas on Sun, Dec 12, 99 at 16:44

This one got rave reviews. It's not as difficult as it looks but it's time-consuming & well worth it.
BOEUF BOURGUIGNONNE (serves 12 easily)
5 lbs chuck beef, cut into large cubes
Flour
1/4 cup olive oil (may need more)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup cognac, warmed but not boiled
1/2 lb bacon, diced
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 cups coarsely chopped onions
2 TBL chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 bottle Burgundy (by mistake I bought Bordeaux & used that)
5 TBL butter
36 whole small onions (I used canned small onions, rinsed)
Dash of sugar
36 mushroom caps
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Roll the beef cubes in flour & brown on all sides in askillet over hight heat in the olive oil. Transfer meat to ovenproof 3 qt casserole. Sprinkle meat w/salt & pepper, pour the cognac over it & ignite. Add a little water to the skillet & deglaze over hight heat, scraping up brown particles clinging to the pan. Pour over meat.
Preheat oven to 350°. To the skillet add the bacon, garlic, carrots, leeks, chopped onions & 2 TBL chopped parsley. Cook, stirring until the bacon is crisp & vegetables are light brown. Transfer to the casserole w/the meat & add the bay leaf, thyme, Burgundy & enough water to barely cover the meat. Cover & bake 1 1/2 hours.
Blend 1 TBL butter & 1 TBL flour & stir, bit by bit into the casserole. Return casserole to the over & continue cooking 2-3 hours longer.
Brown the small onions in 2 TBL butter w/a dash of sugar. Add a little water, cover & cook until onions are almost tender. Saute mushrooms in 2 TBL butter until light brown on 1 side. Sprinkle w/lemon juice & turn to brown the other side.
To serve, add the onions to the casserole & garnish w/the mushrooms & additional chopped parsley. Serve w/noodles.