“They’d taken Benedict home then. To the Gamache home.
Now, all showered and in warm clothes, they’d joined the others in a meal of beef stew and warm apple crisp with thick cream. Comfort foods that rarely failed in their one great task.”
Beef Stew
Serves 6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: Approximately 1 1/2 hours
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) beef stew, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) cubes
- 1 onion, cut into thin rings
- 15 g (1 tbsp.) butter
- 15 mL (1 tbsp.) olive oil
- 30 g (4 tbsp.) flour
- 250 mL (1 cup) red wine
- 125 mL (1/2 cup) veal stock or meat broth
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 large carrots, sliced
- ½ kale, core removed, thinly sliced
- 10 medium potatoes, cut into cubes
- salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1) In a casserole dish, over medium heat, brown the meat and onion in the butter and oil for 5 minutes.
2) Sprinkle with flour and mix. Pour in the red wine and veal stock.
Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
3) Then add celery, carrot and cabbage on top. Cover again and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
Apple Crisp with Thick Cream
Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 675 g (1 1/2 lbs) Cortland or McIntosh apples, peeled, seeded and diced
- 150g (3/4 cup) brown sugar
- 90g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter, tempered
- 55g (1/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 250 g (1 cup) rolled oats
- A pinch of salt
- 250ml (1 cup) heavy cream
DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a square pan of about 17 cm (7″).
2) In a bowl, mix the apples with half the brown sugar. Place in pan.
3) In the same bowl, mix remaining brown sugar with butter, flour, oats and salt. Cover the apples with the crisp.
4) Bake for 35 minutes or until crisp is golden and apples are cooked.
5) Serve warm, pouring heavy cream over the crisp.
2 replies on “Kingdom of the Blind: Beef Stew and Warm Apple Crisp with Thick Cream”
Hello. The stew ingredients call for kale, but the stew directions (and photo?) refer to cabbage. I’m guessing it should be cabbage?
Beef Stew — The ingredients say “1/2 kale, core removed” but in the directions, it refers to “cabbage.” I think it’s obvious that the ingredients should say 1/2 cabbage, core removed, thinly sliced.” If that’s so, how big (or small) is that cabbage head? What is the weight for the amount of cabbage?
PS — LOVE the Three Pines series. I’ve asked Santa (my husband) for “Curiousities.” Thanks so much for letting us live temporarily in Three Pines — seemingly sweet but terribly full of crime. =-^;^-=