Day Two - Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume I and II

Today I decided to make Carbonnades A La Flamande (Beef and Onions Braised in Beer).  One of the main reasons I picked this dish was, I first heard about it on the show "As Time Goes By" with Judy Dench.  Her dish didn't turn out so well when she forgot to turn the oven on, so they ended up having take-out.  For some reason the dish stuck with me.  So, I wanted to know how it would turn out if the recipe were followed precisely.

I followed the recipe, which was very straightforward.  The recipe called for Pilsner Ale, I purchased a Czech Blond Pilsner Urquell.  I'm not much of a beer person.  But when I do indulge I usually go for a light Canadian beer.  So the Pilsner beer had a bit too much of a bitter after taste for me.  Julia indicates that this will be the case, so brown sugar and vinegar is added to the dish. 

The dish turned out great! The sugar, beer and vinegar pulled the sauce together.  I have to say I had my doubts.  With the butter noodles, and the butter braised broccoli (another Julia Child dish, Volume II).  The meal was to perfection.


The best things about this recipe is, I didn't spend all day in the kitchen, the beer aspect seemed to appeal to my husband, and my son actually ate all his broccoli.

The Cookbook Addict