Beef bourguignon and white chocolate parfait
They say staying in is the new going out, as more and more of us are choosing to entertain in our own homes rather than shell out for expensive restaurants.
Someone who's an expert in rustling up top-notch dinners is our chef Jimmy Garcia, and in he's going to show us how to cook up a storm for family, loved ones and friends.
Today he shows us how to please our toughest critics - the family. But never fear, Jimmy's philosophy, as always, is that cooking to entertain doesn't have to be tricky!
Beef Bourguignon & Mustard Mash
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Salt and freshly ground black pepperSplash oila knob of butter1.2kg Beef Shin, diceda handful plain flour2 onions sliced200g bacon lardons1 stick celery3 cloves garlic50cl red cooking wine400g tinned tomatoes800ml beef stock1 tbsp tomato puree3 sprigs thyme leaves1 bunch rosemarya dash of Worcester sauce2 handfuls button mushrooms
For the Mustard Mash
1kg Desiree potatoes250g buttera splash milk2 tbsp wholegrain mustardSalt and pepper
Method
Season the meat with salt and pepper then place the oil and butter in non stick pan, on a high heat. Seal the beef by turning it so it gets brown all over, remove and put to one side.
Sprinkle some plain flour over the meat and keep to one side. Add a little more oil to the same pan and fry the onions, bacon lardons, celery and a couple of cloves of fresh garlic fry until softened.
Once soft, add the meat back to the pan, and deglaze the pan with the red wine, followed by the tinned tomatoes, stock, herbs and tomato puree and a little Worcester sauce
Bring to the boil, and allow to simmer for 1.5 hours, before adding the button mushrooms, and simmering on the hob for a further hour. After about 2.5hours, you should be left with a lovely, thick boeuf bourguignon!
For the mash, boil the potatoes for about 30 mins, or until tender (timing depends on their size). Put the potatoes back in the pan, cover and gently heat for a min or two. Remove from the heat and mash the potatoes with the butter until no lumps are left, then stir through the milk. Finally beat in the mustard in and season to taste.
Ice Cream Factory: Vanilla parfait and pick your own topping
Serves: 8 portions - with some left over for seconds!
Ingredients
200g good white chocolate100ml/ 3½fl oz water150g caster sugar8 eggs yolks600ml double cream
Method
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a bain marie - a bowl sat over a pan of simmering water, make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water
Meanwhile bring the water and sugar to the boil in a small pan to create a stock syrup
Whip the cream to soft peaks and then set to one aside
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale and thick before adding the sugar syrup slowly and continue to whisk the mixture whilst adding in the melted chocolate, then quickly fold in the whipped cream
Pour the mixture in to a large terrine tray and transfer to the freezer until frozen (at least 4 hours)
6 .Then serve the parfait with lots of toppings– a few suggestions: Brownie chunks, meringue bits, cookie pieces, fruit jelly, hundreds and thousands, marshmallows be as inventive as you like
With thanks to