Beef and Onions Braised in Beer by Julia Child

The Julia Child beef and onions braised in beer recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking turned out very well. It reminds me of something you would serve for guests when you aren't worried about appearing sophisticated or worldly, but rather want something that is intensely satisfying and enjoyable. The recipe serves six people and cost us approximately $40 when you count all of the side dishes and ingredients. That's only $6.67 per person plus the preparation time.

Tonight, we decided to try the recipe immediately following the Julia Child Beef Bourguignon recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (I wrote about our experience with that recipe a few months ago).  The entree is called Carbonnades a la Flamande, which translates into Beef and Onions Braised in Beer.  This followed the Chicken Simmered in Cream from yesterday, which has become our favorite Julia Child recipe (I haven’t yet discussed it here but plan to add it sometime in the future).  Over the past year, it has become part of our routine to focus on not just being successful in business but living well.  Much of the credit goes to Aaron, who I find toying with new ice cream flavors or espresso blends, while I’m reading either annual reports, 10Ks, or books.  Of course, the fact that Ashly and Ian made their wonderful eggs benedict with a hollandaise sauce yesterday morning for breakfast means that I’m going to have to get back to the gym sometime soon.

Basically, you take lean beef, which you would often see in a roast, fresh pork fat, sliced onion, salt and pepper, cloves of mashed garlic, some brown sugar, a pilesner beer, and wine vinegar plus a few other small items.  The instructions for preparing the recipe are found on page 317 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (if you have a different edition, again, just look for Carbonnades a la Flamande).  Julie recommends serving the dinner with parsley potatoes, buttered noodles, a green salad, and beer.

The verdict: I give it a 9.2 out of 10.  It’s the type of food that leaves an aftertaste for several minutes, making you want to enjoy more.  I can see how one would wake up on a certain day craving it because it is certainly something that is unique in flavor and texture.  It also has far fewer calories than some of the other Julia Child recipes we’ve prepared, mostly due to the lack of a lot of butter or heavy cream!

It’s also one of the more affordable recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  For everything, including the ingredients, side dishes, and beer, the total cost came to roughly $40.  The recipe serves approximately six people, making each dinner serving roughly $6.67, a bargain when one considers that the same food at a nicer restaurant would cost anywhere from $20 to $40.  It’s certainly not high brow, which impressed me because it showed Mrs. Child’s range and talent.

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