Jeanette & Julia

You remember the part in "Julie and Julia" where Julie burns and then correctly makes beef bourguignon? Well that is not my challenge tonight. Not quite. A couple of months ago, when the husband and I were on our official honeymoon in Paris, I sampled seitan bourguignon. I was desperately hoping, as a vegetarian and former lover of beef bourguignon, that Paris would deliver a delicious, meat-free alternative. Sadly, the version I tried was as bland as meat eaters might expect (no scoffing, please).
See, truth be told, I miss certain meat dishes. But it's not the meat I miss. It's sauces and spices that I crave. Preparations like fried chicken breading and scampi sauce are hard to imagine veggie friendly, even on the beans and soy products that I've come to savor. And, bourguignon, I miss that lovely wine sauce poured over egg noodles.
Hopefully, tonight will end that longing because my favorite recipe blog, Smitten Kitchen, has already conquer Portobello mushroom bourguignon!
So this challenge comes in two parts:
1. Cook for my husband and a guest. May not seem like much, but the husband is the cook in this household and I'm only trying my measuring spoons at it lately because he's been working a lot of late nights.
2. Attempt to take a French classic, reinvented for our vegetarian pallets, and make Julia Child proud...or at least make everyone at the table say yum. Here are some pics from this culinary adventure.