Try French-style beef stew, decorative bundt cake this Valentine's Day

My children are grown now and live far away: one in Los Angeles and the other in Washington, D.C. But no matter — thanks to technology, we still text or video chat each other Valentine’s greetings. They even text me pictures of special Valentine’s meals they are making for their significant persons. Maybe they learned from watching me.

Naturally, I love to cook up special fare for my heart of hearts, my husband Dirk. He loves my culinary efforts, so that makes cooking a pleasure.

In other years, I might have looked for a menu that takes me days to prepare. But an exceptional meal doesn’t have to be fussy. The recent snow and Dirk’s love of beef have inspired me to take a look at cooking something homey and comforting. So, this year, I'm making my husband a really fine French-style beef stew for Valentine’s Day.

Beef stew can be humble or complex, but because it’s Valentine’s Day, I want to elevate this common dish to something akin to the French version: boeuf bourguignon, which may arguably be the penultimate interpretation of beef stew. The French secret is good red wine and cognac in the sauce. It’s amazing how much difference they make. As for the alcohol itself, no worries — it cooks off in minutes, leaving behind its essence.

I like to use beef eye of round to make this beef stew, which is a lean yet flavorful cut. The nice thing is eye of round cooks much faster than a tougher cut of meat. (And for those who don’t eat meat, you could make this entire meal with big thick slices of portobello mushrooms standing in for the beef.)

Other components for the stew are ubiquitous, like onions, garlic, celery and carrots. I find most recipes include mushrooms, and I usually use small button mushrooms. But for this version, I opted to reconstitute a mixed selection of dried wild mushrooms. Their delightful, woodsy flavor are a perfect companion to the earthy beef. Finally, beef stew is often served with mashed potatoes, which I highly recommend.

Begin by trimming off the small cap of fat on one side of the eye of round and discarding it. Then cut the meat into large cubes for browning — 1 to 2 inches or so. Browning the meat before adding the other ingredients keeps it from becoming dry by sealing in the juices. This isn’t hard to do, but is a little time-consuming. Next, season the flour and place in a plastic or paper bag, add the beef cubes in the bag and shake. Heat oil in a Dutch oven until sizzling, then add the beef cubes in batches in a single layer. Don’t crowd the meat in the pan, or it will release all its moisture and steam instead of browning — edible, but far from ideal. Remove the browned meat to a dish or bowl, and repeat with remaining beef cubes.

Then add the chopped onions, garlic and celery to the pot. As they release their juices, you’ll be able to scrape up the delicious brown bits on the bottom of the pan and incorporate them. Carrots are added next, along with the reconstituted drained wild mushrooms. Stir in the herbs, spices and a bit of the remaining seasoned flour. Then deglaze the pan with the cognac, mixing well. Add the wine, and stir until the mixture is thickened and glossy. Return the beef to the pot and add the stock. Mix well, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer.

At this point, you can cook it on top of the stove, but I prefer to place the Dutch oven into a preheated oven and forget about it for a couple of hours as it slowly braises to tender perfection. End result? Good enough to serve to company, yet easy enough to serve often — a good choice to make ahead, but a snap to make the day you want to eat it, too. Plus, if there are any leftovers, they can be frozen to enjoy another day when you are too busy to cook.

For dessert, a little planning ahead pays off. I have to confess, I’m a sucker for bundt pans. A decorative bundt makes almost any cake into a work of art. So I thought this year I’d complete my Valentine menu with a strawberry-lemon cake — using my new heart-shaped bundt pan, of course.

Fresh strawberries are the stars here, distributed through the batter. Strawberries are also mashed and added to the glaze, giving the cake its signature pink color. You can bake the cake in the morning, so it is completely cool by serving time. Add the glaze an hour before serving, and decorate with more fresh strawberries.

Allow enough time to set the table with candles and flowers, make the mashed potatoes and a good salad, and select a nice bottle of wine. At least, that’s what I’m going to do. And needless to say, I am grateful to have my loved ones help out in the kitchen. No, really, I am. Slicing vegetables, washing bowls, or just visiting with me — that makes the whole process of cooking this heart-warming meal an act of love.

I hope you’ll give this menu a try for a warm and cozy Valentine’s Day supper.

Bon appetit!

Lucy Herrman is a writer, artist and gourmet cook. She has been writing her cooking column, “In the Kitchen,” for the Taos News for over 10 years. Her love affair with food began at age 11 when as a latchkey kid in Chicago she started preparing dinners for her hard-working parents and younger sister. She has written about food for more than 30 years, including as a restaurant reviewer for Chicago Magazine and as a freelance food columnist for numerous other publications. Her memoir, “Take Another Piece of My Heart” is available from Nighthawk Press.