Love this. Great sear.
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Carbonades flamandes - flemish stew, beef stew with beer and mustard, a dish from the north, similar to beef bourguignon but replaced by a dark beer. I used a Belgium beer Chimay red cap with a fruity aroma. The recipe I used requested a spoonful of brown sugar, red wine vinegar and 2 spoonful of strong mustard. Cooking was pretty straight forward, beef chuck was browned with butter and olive oil in a big cast iron pot, set aside. Onion was cooked in the same pot until soft. Some recipes added smoky bacon as well. Put the beef back, added 2 cloves, bay leaves, and thyme with beer, mustard and sugar. Season with salt and black pepper. Cooked for 2 hours with lid closed. We had some stomach problems and wanted lighter meal, ate the dish a day after it was cooked, the flavours fused wonderfully together and was more equilibrium, “tamer” compared to the first night, which had a stronger bitterness from the beer and the acidity of mustard. Depending which way you like it.
Ate with pommes sautées, roasted potatoes with rosemary. Good and hearty winter meal.
Similar recipe:
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Thanks. After the festivals, the supermarket has sales on the boudins (and also salmons and also foie gras). It wasn’t my intention to start COTQ with the north region, I was thinking of starting with Île-de-France, the Parisien region first, where I live…well, I guess sometimes it is the ingredients who decide!
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IMHO, the way it should be. Keep it up! I want it all!
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I have never tasted this but i certainly want your plate! Thanks for pushing me into a new recipe.
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Me too, first time! Made Provençal daube and bœuf bourguignon (even the Bocuse’s version) several times, a nice change with beer.
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I prefer veal, but since it’s not readily available here, I have to settle for pork. In the style of Normandy. Made this the other night.
Sautéed bone-in thick cut pork chops until done. Remove. Add chopped shallots and apple slices to pan. Cook a bit and flame with Calvados. Add more heavy cream than you think you’ll need and reduce. Add chops back to pan to heat up and coat with sauce.
A simple French classic that never goes out of style. One of our favorites.
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@ Miss_belle Oh, yes, pork works well with your dish. And one, yes, of our favorites also.
A mild protein, shallot, apple, Calvados and cream…heaven.
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re your carbonade, please tell us about that gorgeous marrow bone. Not sure we have that way of cutting chuck in the US. The national differences in butchering are interesting and frustrating.
When I bought it, it was labelled as paleron, which is no. 18 in the diagram. Since the piece came with a marrow, I think it was jarret (see below), probably no. 23. It could be also no. 20 or 21, the parts for pot-au-feu.
image: papillesetpupilles.fr
The piece looked more like this, probably gite or jarret de bœuf - is it beef shin for you?
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I have bought cuts labeled “beef shin” that look like that before - excellent cut for stewing.
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@naf It does indeed look like shin, Thanks much for this excellent chart. I may print it out to use while discussing cuts with my butcher. I occasionally want them to break down a bigger cut in a way that is totally incomprehensible to them. US and French “cuts” are so very different.
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I’ve a look on US cuts, you are right, very different.
This link is useful for cuts of beef in many countries, including several European countries and South American etc. Interesting for anybody who is interested.
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Little party for francophile friends.
Boudin noir with pairs
Accompanied by pear cider
Roasted snapper with caper sauce, recipe from Les Papilles, Paris
braised fennel, riz noir from Camargue. Chinon Blanc
Washed rind cheese, prune walnut “cake”
A lot of wine, so photo shoot got waylaid
Chocolate sherbet with creme chantilly and crushed dried oranges.
Late harvest zin
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Very useful Naf. Thank you for posting. Have a lovely weekend.
Looks good the meal. Thanks for sharing. Love poiré as a change from apple cider.
Don’t understand this dish very well. I saw the shred fish with a sauce with tomato, shallot and capers? Am I right?
@naf That’s about it. The fish were roasted whole and plated in the kitchen. Husband had a “bit of an issue” on the boning so sides were not served whole. He is usually an ace, but is used to trout. These were 2.5 pound snappers with minds of their own. Also, I was trying not to photograph in front of guests, so this was the last plate and probably the most ersatz, mine.
Ah ok! I thought the shred part was intentional and was curious about this cooking method. 
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One of my “must eat” dishes whenever I’m in Belgium where, in the Dutch speaking part that I usually visit, it’s known as Vlaamse rundsstoverij. Always served with chips (pommes frites)
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Exploring the Parisien region: Croque monsieur, grilled cheese ham sandwich. I saw some versions use mustard instead of béchamel sauce, the white sauce. This one I used béchamel and grated Emmental cheese. Chez Mr. n, he loves it gratin way, meaning the bread soaked with the white sauce and slightly crispy on the top. I’m less hot with his version, but like this traditional way more than his family version.
Grated cheese over béchamel sauce.
Juicy ham on top.
Another layer of béchamel sauce and cheese on top of the second layer of bread
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