PProvenance
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Pot-au-Feu
French · France

Pot-au-Feu

The boiling of beef, bone, and vegetables in water — an act of apparent simplicity that, over three to four hours, produces two preparations simultaneously: a clear, profoundly flavoured broth (the bouillon, served first as a soup) and the tender, yielding boiled meats and vegetables that follow as the main course, accompanied by coarse salt, gherkins, mustard, and horseradish. Pot-au-feu is the national dish of France — the preparation that every classical chef learns as the foundation of stock technique but serves as the height of honest cooking.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
Serves4–6
Total240 min
Sourced1of 13 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

800g
beef chuck
cut into 5cm cubes
Your own market
500g
beef marrowbones
cut into 3cm pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
carrots
peeled, cut into 5cm batons
Your own market
4
potatoes
Ratte or Yukon Gold, quartered
Origin · FranceLekker · Vancouver →
3
leeks
white and light green only, cut into 5cm lengths
Your own market
3
turnips
medium, quartered
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
onions
halved, skin left on for colour
Your own market
1
celery stalk
cut into 5cm pieces
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
bouquet garni
bay, thyme, parsley
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
6
juniper berries
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
6
black peppercorns
Tellicherry
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2.5 litres
cold water
Your own market
Salt
Guérande sea salt
Your own market

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Blanch beef and marrow bones in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain, rinse under cold water to remove scum, pat dry.
2
Bring 2.5 litres cold water to boil; submerge blanched beef, marrow bones, bouquet garni, juniper berries and peppercorns. Return to boil, immediately reduce to gentle simmer and skim foam for 5 minutes.
3
Simmer undisturbed for 90 minutes; broth should be clear and fragrant.
4
Add halved onions, carrot batons, celery and leeks; simmer 60 minutes more until beef is tender and vegetables are barely cooked through.
5
Increase heat to rolling boil; add potatoes and turnips, cook for 20 minutes until just tender but not falling apart.
6
Season broth carefully with Guérande salt tasting throughout; correct with additional salt or juniper if needed.
7
Serve beef, marrow bones and vegetables in warmed bowls with generous ladle of hot broth; accompany with cornichons, sea salt and crusty bread.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where pot-au-feu lives or dies is the temperature — the water must never boil. The surface should barely tremble, with an occasional bubble breaking through. At a full simmer, the collagen converts to gelatin and the broth becomes rich; at a boil, the agitation emulsifies the fat into the broth and produces a cloudy, greasy result. A pot-au-feu cooked at a constant, patient simmer for three hours produces a broth of extraordinary clarity and depth.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace Distillery · Kentucky Bourbon Country
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia

Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.

Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Lekker
Vancouver · potatoes
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