My beef bourguignon is not thick enough although I added extra flour/butter. I am serving it tomorrow. Help!

Take out some of the vegetables and puree them.

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you can make a big batch of dark roux if youve still got the butter and flour left and add some of your broth into that until its smooth and homogenous and gradually add the roux into your stew as you stir until your happy. Alot of chefs these days simply blitz xanthan gum into their sauces and soups to adjust consistency. It works really well if you've got some of that handy. Just dont use too much. Last resort is always a cornstarch slurry.

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LucyS added 5 months ago

I usually cook it in the oven, covered, and then if it's too thin I just switch to the stovetop and simmer it uncovered until it thickens to my liking. Do you think that might work? I'd be careful about adding extra flour without first cooking it with the butter in a roux as you might not be able to cook off the flour taste if you add it directly to the sauce.

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pierino is a trusted source on General Cooking and Tough Love.

added 5 months ago

Really though, Bouef bourguignon doesn't actually need to be that "thick". Americans seem to obsess about "runny". I don't.

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Chris is a trusted source on General Cooking

added 5 months ago

I sometimes scoop out a lot of the broth, cook it down, and add it back. I'd do that before I'd consider adding more flour, even in the form of a roux. Xanthum gum isn't in my pantry yet.

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I agree with the cornstarch slurry -a tablespoon or so of cornstarch mixed with cold stock or a bit of water and stirred in would help, without making the sauce too opaque. I've used xantham gum successfully to thicken up tomato sauces when I didn't want the additional sweetness from tomato sauce; if you have some try a teaspoon of that, also mixing it with cold liquid first. Having typed all of that, Pierino has a point -- it comes down to a preference and whether you want the sauce as an accent (think 'au jus') or part of the main event.

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pierino is a trusted source on General Cooking and Tough Love.

added 5 months ago

Picking up again from Melusine, I'm down with a slurry when needed. But sometimes I think that American tastes for "sauce" have been conditioned by the jarred stuff, which is full of thickening agents. Jus is good on its ownself. Maybe have a towel handy to wipe splashes off of the plate before presenting.

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Thank you everyone - so many great answers!!!

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