A Little Daube’ll Do Ya.
What is a daube? It’s a slow-cooked beef stew served in Southern France, especially in Provence. When I look at daube recipes and compare them to other beef stew recipes or bœuf bourguignon, there are a lot of similarities, but daube has a lighter body, more like a soup. For me, the thing that sets daubes aside from the others is the addition orange zest and cloves.
Many of the recipes I find for daube are made with red wine. Today’s is adapted from Patricia Wells’ recipe for a white wine-based daube, and the wine choice makes it a bit lighter in flavor, less rich. Look for a dry, unoaked wine — a white Côtes du Rhône is perfect for this. I served the White Daube with both a white and red Châteauneuf-du-Pape — you can read about the wines on the Provence WineZine.
~ David
White Daube
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons brandy (or cognac)
- 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 3 ounce pieces, well-trimmed of fat
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 shallots, peeled and halved, root end trimmed but in tact
- 1 large onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced pole to pole
- 3 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
- 4 ounces brown mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and quartered
- zest of 1 orange, in long strips
- 3 plum tomatoes, peeled, cored, seeded, and cut in large dice
- 1 bottle un-oaked dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 cloves
- small bunch of fresh parsley
- sprig of fresh bay leaves (or 2 dried)
- French bread, for serving
Instructions
- In a large shallow bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the brandy (or cognac), beef, salt, and pepper. Toss well to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a large casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté until they begin to take on some color. Add onions, carrots, mushrooms, orange zest, and salt to taste (I used 1 teaspoon). Reduce the heat to low, and cook, partially covered, until the onions are soft but not browned — about 8 minutes.
- Add the beef and its marinade to the casserole, along with the tomatoes, white wine, peppercorns, and cloves. Tie together the parsley and bay and nestle down into the daube. Bring to a bare simmer. Cover and place in the center of the oven and cook until the meat is ultra tender, 3 to 4 hours. Check from time to time to make sure the liquid is at a very gentle simmer. Do not allow it to boil or the meat will become tough. At serving time, taste for seasoning. Remove and discard the parsley and bay.
- Serve in shallow bowls with a crusty French bread.
- Serves 4-6.
- Note: a daube is often best the next day. Once made, let it cool, then refrigerate until then next day. Skim the top of any excess fat, and reheat.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Ron
January 6, 2024 at 5:57 amAs always, a very classy, but easy-to-prepare meal. Eva made a similar dish for Boxing Day using white wine and it was lovely. Give me a good stew/soup, a glass of wine, and crusty bread and I’m in heaven.
I love the window photo. It draws me in, making me wonder what’s going on just past those curtains…
Cocoa & Lavender
January 6, 2024 at 9:13 amIt really was so easy — and so flavorful. And a great way to begin the new year!
Yes, I love the idea of “what’s behind the curtains” and wonder if different types of curtains signal different scenarios!
Mad Dog
January 6, 2024 at 7:21 amHow lovely and pefect for when the cold weather starts to bite!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 6, 2024 at 9:13 amYes, indeed! And the cold weather finally hit us this week!
angiesrecipes
January 6, 2024 at 7:28 amThis is such a perfect winter warmer. Beef stew made with wine is always great and so flavourful.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 6, 2024 at 9:14 amIt is really so comforting, Angie! I love it!
Mimi Rippee
January 6, 2024 at 7:33 amThis looks beautiful and tasty. Love that window pic. Love Provence.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 6, 2024 at 9:14 amThanks, Mimi! Yes, we love Provence, too — we need to go back!
Melissa
January 6, 2024 at 9:35 amThis looks great. It may take me a few weeks to get to it, but I will definitely give it a whirl.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 6, 2024 at 10:53 amOf course, I will be on tenterhooks awaiting your thoughts! 🙂
Jeff the Chef
January 6, 2024 at 9:53 amOh man, I love this! Although I do love red wine braises, I have a feeling that a white wine braise – which I’ve never had – would be so refreshing. And ANYTHING with orange peel, I’m into! What a way to start the new year, David!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 6, 2024 at 10:54 amI think it is a good start to the New Year, Jeff — since everyone is getting cold weather now!
Jeff the Chef
January 14, 2024 at 9:56 amUgh, it’s worse than cold! This morning it was -7 degrees, with a wind chill that’s make it supposed to feel something like -36 degrees! Now I want this dish more than ever!
Ronit
January 6, 2024 at 12:55 pmThis dish is the perfect comfort food for a cold day! I really like the addition of orange zest and cloves.
I often make Osso Buco with white wine, but use mostly red for my beef stews. I’ll keep this one in mind for my next beef stew. 🙂
David Scott Allen
January 6, 2024 at 2:04 pmI also make osso buco with whit wine (and a lemon gremolata) — and, until now, have only used red in stews. But I like the lightness from the white!
Eha Carr
January 6, 2024 at 3:43 pmI am not really a ‘stew’ person – I suppose partly because I am not fond of well-done pieces of meat, partly because I mostly eat Asian fusion. Butt have copied many a daube recipe – often used white wine and loved the orange and plentiful herbs. This is such a joyful dish I do not even think of the seasons . . . shall copy yours exactly soonest . . . oh, before I turned to Asian cooking osso bucco was my favourite party offering 😉 !
Cocoa & Lavender
January 6, 2024 at 4:13 pmI was very surprised that the meat was still quite pink inside, Eha — that made me quite happy, as (like you) I dislike meat well done. Oh, I love osso buco — but veal shanks are hard to come by these days!
Eha Carr
January 6, 2024 at 4:57 pmSame here! We have a much-used cut called ‘yearling beef’ (for obvious reasons) . . . it is not white like veal but, grass-fed as most of our beef still is, it has a lighter colour and taste. Our supermarkets these days pride in advertising > no feedlots, no antibiotics, no hormones . . . people are very much taking note!
Barb
January 6, 2024 at 6:43 pmIt’s been years since I made a daube, but I’m going to make your updated recipe in my new Staub Dutch Oven. I always made it with red wine, but I like the sound of your version with white wine, orange zest and cloves.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 8, 2024 at 2:29 pmThanks, Barb. I do think this is what Dutch ovens were created for! I’m sure you will like the white wine version as much as I do!
Marcelle
January 8, 2024 at 10:04 amThis beef daube looks so comforting and delicious, David! The orange zest and cloves have my interest piqued here, what a fragrant combination! Love the window picture, those blue shutters are so eye-catching 💙
Cocoa & Lavender
January 8, 2024 at 2:30 pmIt is amazing what a little zest and two cloves do for this stew! I hope you get to try it! Yes, I love the windows in Provence!
sherry
January 10, 2024 at 1:04 amI like to make my coq au vin with white wine too. Just that bit lighter! This looks great David; I like the sound of the orange zest for sure. Hope your 2024 is going well, my friend!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 10, 2024 at 8:41 amThanks, Sherry. The orange really is quite nice in this dish. You know, my mother also made a white coq au vin. I should probably post that, as it’s incredibly different from what you might expect. Lots of Asian influence!
velva
January 11, 2024 at 6:54 amDavid, this is another beautiful soulful dish. I like the lighter body of Daube and southern France makes me swoon. This is a perfect dish for the winter months.
Velva
David Scott Allen
January 12, 2024 at 7:44 amI agree — this is perfect for winter, Velva — but our Provence friends have it even in the summer, saying it cools down their body temps! I think you will love this particular daube, too. Several friends have now made it and think it’s the best.
Pauline McNee
January 11, 2024 at 3:59 pmOh David reading your post I am transported back to Provence, or Montpellier at least, and I love everything French as you know, except the bureaucracy ha, ha. Strangely I haven’t heard of the Daube, I will ask my French daughter in law about it, but I have to make this recipe. It looks simply delicious. It would also be perfect to eat during our wet season which is on right now, when it is slightly cooler. Your photo of the blue shutters sets the scene immediately. They are essential aren’t they to shut out the light at nighttime in summer when the sun sets late.
David Scott Allen
January 12, 2024 at 7:48 amIsn’t it wonderful to have something tick a memory and take us back to a beloved place? I haven’t been to Montpelier yet… but I feel I will get there. Daube is pretty much found in Provence so your daughter may not have been making them. But I will be curious to see what you find out.
Yes, the shutters are so important for holding out the sun, the same way we have large porches to shield the donors in summer, yet allow the low winter sun in to give us passive solar. I think (architecturally, many Australians do the same?
Christina Conte
January 14, 2024 at 5:43 pmWell, I just learned about a new dish! Never heard of a daube before, David. How unique with the orange and cloves, almost Sicilian in nature! Looks wonderful and cosy, just what we need right now in So Cal!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 15, 2024 at 9:55 amWell, it makes sense that the space trade routes that include North Africa and Sicily would also include Provence… just up the coast, as it were.
Raymund
January 16, 2024 at 2:00 pmThis recipe is symphony of aromas, textures, and tastes. It’s a testament to the magic of slow cooking and the unique character of Provencal cuisine. Yum
Cocoa & Lavender
January 17, 2024 at 1:52 pmSuch a beautiful way of putting it, Raymund!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
January 19, 2024 at 7:06 amSounds delightful, David! And I’m sure the orange peel lends a lovely flavor. I really do need to study Provençale cookery more deeply, it seems fascinating cross between Gallic and Mediterranean influences.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 19, 2024 at 9:08 amIt has so many similarities to Italian cuisine — just some shifts in the ingredients list. It really does differ from traditional French cuisine. I think you would enjoy it, Frank. And visiting the region, too,
Valentina
January 19, 2024 at 10:48 pmA perfect rich and cozy winter stew. Not only do the cloves and orange set it apart, but they put it over the top! 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
January 20, 2024 at 2:13 amAs we have been having days in the 70s, I’m hopeful we will get some more cold weather again soon so I can make this! Thanks, Valentina!
2pots2cook
February 7, 2024 at 6:48 amIt is still cold over here and this light version is just about perfect to enjoy before all the fresh veggies arrive……. soon….
Cocoa & Lavender
February 7, 2024 at 1:54 pmFriends who often make a red wine daube were thrilled with this version -p lighter, yet still very comforting. Stay warm, Davorka!