Beef Carbonade
I haven't tried this one yet, but it looks really good. I had to add the "stars" as part of the posting procedure, not because I know at this point whether this dish tastes as good as it sounds.
I haven't tried this one yet, but it looks really good. I had to add the "stars" as part of the posting procedure, not because I know at this point whether this dish tastes as good as it sounds.
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- for the topping
- 45 ml/ 3 tbsp vegetable oil or beef dripping
- 3 onions sliced
- 45 ml/ 3 tbsp plain flour (all - purpose)
- 2 1/2 ml/ 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 kg/ 2 1/4 lb stewing beef (shin, shank or chuck) cut into large cubes
- 2 -3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 300 ml/1/2 pint/1 1/4 cu dark beer or ale
- 150 ml/1/4pint/2/3 cup water
- 5 ml/ 1tsp dark brown sugar
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 1 celery stick
- salt and ground black pepper
- 50 g/ 2 oz/ 1/4 cup butter
- 15 ml/ 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 45 ml/3 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 6 -12 french baguette slices
- Carbohydrate 26.6582453521026 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.335268796925999 g
- Fiber 4.98791719838038 g
- Protein 3.19634694061053 g
- Saturated Fat 0.131219989296765 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (63g)
- Sodium 68.3251689698264 mg
- Sugar 21.6703281537222 g
- Trans Fat 0.091848881327202 g
- Calories 114 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/325 degrees F/ Gas 3. Heat 30 ml/2 Tbsp of the oil or dripping in a pan and cook the onions over a low heat until softened. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Meanwhile, mix together the flour and mustard and season. Toss the beef in the flour. Add the remaining oil or dripping to the pan and heat over a high heat. Brown the beef all over, then transfer it to a deep, earthenware baking dish.
- Reduce the heat and return the onions to the pan. Add the garlic, cook briefly, then add the beer or ale, water and sugar. Tie the thyme and bay leaf together and add to the boil, stirring, then season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the beef and mix well. Cover tightly, then place in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 hours. Check the beef once or twice to make sure that it is not too dry. Adding a little extra water if necessary. Test for tenderness, allowing an extra 30-40 minutes cooking time if necessary.
- To make the topping beat together the butter, crushed garlic, dijon mustard and 30 ml/2 Tbsp of the chopped fresh parsley. Spread the flavoured butter thickly over the bread. Increase the oven temperature to 190 degrees C/375 degrees F/ Gas 5. Taste and season the stew, then arrange the prepared bread slices, buttered side uppermost, on top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bread is browned and crisp sprinkle the remaining chopped fresh parsley over the top to garnish and serve immediately.
Undercooking the onions before building the braising liquid leaves harsh allium textures that fail to dissolve during the two-and-a-half-hour oven phase. Slicing onions uniformly ensures they soften evenly in fat over low heat without burning, creating the necessary sweet base to balance the bitterness of the dark beer. When choosing cuts for this dish, opt for heavily marbled chuck, shin, or shank because leaner muscles dry out during prolonged exposure to dry oven heat.
Tossing the beef cubes in seasoned flour prior to searing achieves two distinct culinary goals simultaneously: it encourages a deep Maillard reaction on the meat exterior and provides the starch needed to thicken the sauce as it simmers. Dark ales containing roasted malts work best here, though non-alcoholic dark malt beverages can replace fermented beer if alcohol must be omitted entirely, keeping in mind that substitution alters the final acidity balance.
Submerging the aromatics like fresh thyme and bay leaves in a tied bundle prevents loose herbal stems from scattering throughout the stew and sticking to the meat during the long braise. Maintaining a tight seal on the earthenware baking dish traps steam effectively at 160 degrees C, preventing the liquid from evaporating too rapidly before the collagen in the connective tissue breaks down completely into gelatin.
Finishing the dish requires raising the oven temperature to 190 degrees C for twenty minutes after topping the stew with mustard-buttered French baguette slices. Spreading the butter-garlic-Dijon mixture edge-to-edge on the bread prevents the crusts from burning while the underlying stew bubbles and thickens just beneath the crust.
