Daube Provençale: Provençal Beef Braise
Daube Provençale — the Provençal beef braise using red wine, olives, orange peel, herbes de Provence, and the specific technique of larding the beef with strips of fat — differs from bourguignon in its aromatic vocabulary (Provence's herbs and citrus rather than Burgundy's earthiness) and in the addition of black olives, which provide a savoury, slightly bitter note entirely absent from northern French braised preparations.
- **Larding:** Strips of salt pork or salt-packed fatback inserted through the raw beef with a larding needle — they self-baste the beef from within during the long braise. - **The orange peel:** Dried strips of orange peel added to the braise — the orange's limonene and hesperidin contribute a specific aromatic that is characteristic of Provençal braised meat. - **Herbes de Provence:** Thyme, rosemary, savory, oregano — the Mediterranean herb combination. - **Black olives:** Added in the final 30 minutes — their natural salt and bitter compounds integrate into the sauce without becoming overwhelmingly olive-tasting. - **The daube terrine:** The classic preparation — the finished daube is pressed cold in a terrine, sliced, and served cold. The gelatin from the collagen-rich braise sets the slices perfectly.
France: The Cookbook