flipPot-au-feu de La Boisserie
Pot-au-feu de La Boisserie
Why this dish? Pot-au-feu embodies the General's simple tastes: traditional French bourgeois cuisine, unpretentious. At Colombey, Yvonne de Gaulle oversaw a family table without ostentation where these slow-cooked dishes held pride of place, faithful to a man who distrusted luxury and excess at the table.
A large dish of beef and vegetables long-simmered in a clear broth. First the broth is served, then the sliced meat and vegetables, accompanied by coarse salt, mustard, and pickles. The quintessential family dish, complete in itself.
You see, I never asked for anything at my table other than simplicity and restraint. At La Boisserie, Yvonne would serve a pot-au-feu like they do in all good French homes: honest beef, vegetables from the garden, a broth that took its time on the corner of the stove. We served the broth first, steaming, then the meat, without fuss. A dish like that, sir, anchors a man in his country better than any speech.
- •Beef short ribs and chuck — a nice piece (lean and gelatinous meat for a rich broth)
- •Marrow bones — a few pieces (marrow and fat for the broth)
- •Leeks, carrots, turnips — from the garden (pot vegetables)
- •Onion studded with cloves — 1 (aromatic)
- •Bouquet garni — 1 (flavoring the broth)
- •Coarse salt, peppercorns — to taste (seasoning)
Pot-au-feu de La Boisserie
A large dish of beef and vegetables long-simmered in a clear broth. First the broth is served, then the sliced meat and vegetables, accompanied by coarse salt, mustard, and pickles. The quintessential family dish, complete in itself.
Why this dish? Pot-au-feu embodies the General's simple tastes: traditional French bourgeois cuisine, unpretentious. At Colombey, Yvonne de Gaulle oversaw a family table without ostentation where these slow-cooked dishes held pride of place, faithful to a man who distrusted luxury and excess at the table.
You see, I never asked for anything at my table other than simplicity and restraint. At La Boisserie, Yvonne would serve a pot-au-feu like they do in all good French homes: honest beef, vegetables from the garden, a broth that took its time on the corner of the stove. We served the broth first, steaming, then the meat, without fuss. A dish like that, sir, anchors a man in his country better than any speech.
Ingredients (period version)
- Beef short ribs and chuck — a nice piece (lean and gelatinous meat for a rich broth)
- Marrow bones — a few pieces (marrow and fat for the broth)
- Leeks, carrots, turnips — from the garden (pot vegetables)
- Onion studded with cloves — 1 (aromatic)
- Bouquet garni — 1 (flavoring the broth)
- Coarse salt, peppercorns — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Chuck and beef short ribs — 1.2 kg total (mixed meats for texture)
- Marrow bones — 4 pieces (richness of broth)
- Carrots — 4 (vegetable)
- Leeks — 3 (vegetable)
- Turnips — 3 (vegetable)
- Potatoes — 6 (cooked separately to avoid clouding the broth)
- Onion + 3 cloves — 1 (aromatic)
- Bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley) — 1 (flavor)
- Coarse salt, peppercorns — 1 tbsp / 6 grains (seasoning)
Method
- Put the meats in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring slowly to a simmer. Skim off the gray foam that rises.
- Add the onion studded with cloves, the bouquet garni, coarse salt and peppercorns. Simmer gently for 2.5 to 3 hours.
- Add carrots, leeks and turnips tied together, as well as the marrow bones, and continue for 45 minutes. Cook the potatoes separately in a little broth.
- Serve the defatted broth first, piping hot, then the sliced meat and vegetables, with coarse salt, strong mustard and pickles.
How it was made : In bourgeois homes of the first half of the 20th century, pot-au-feu simmered for hours on the wood or coal stove. It was often prepared on Sunday, and the broth served all week: base for soups, vermicelli soup, or drunk as is in the evening. Nothing was wasted.
The contemporary twist : Serve the marrow on grilled toasts rubbed with garlic and sprinkled with fleur de sel, as an amuse-bouche before the broth — a bistro nod to a Republic dish.
Charles de Gaulle · Charactorium
