flipFlemish Carbonnade with Beer
Flemish Carbonnade with Beer
Why this dish? Pétain was born in Cauchy-à-la-Tour, in Pas-de-Calais, at the heart of the land of Flanders and Artois. Carbonnade — beef braised in brown beer and brown sugar — is THE Sunday dish of this terroir, the one from the large family tables he knew since childhood.
Melt-in-the-mouth beef braised for hours in brown beer, thickened with mustard-spiced gingerbread, with a touch of brown sugar that balances the malt's bitterness. The festive dish of the North, both rustic and profound.
There, you touch upon my country, that of Artois where I was born into a family of peasants. At home on Sundays, we braised beef for hours in brown beer, and we spread a slice of gingerbread with mustard and laid it on the meat to thicken the sauce — a housewife's trick my mother would not have disowned. A lick of brown sugar, and the beer's bitterness rounds off. This is a cuisine of people of the earth, no fuss needed: time, patience, and respect for the product.
- •Beef for braising (cheek, chuck) — a fine piece (meat)
- •Brown beer from Flanders — one bottle (braising liquid)
- •Onions — several (sweetness of the base)
- •Gingerbread — 2 slices (thickener and flavor)
- •Mustard — enough to spread (tangy lift)
- •Brown sugar (vergeoise) — a spoonful (balance bitterness)
- •Lard, salt, pepper, bay leaf — to taste (cooking and seasoning)
Flemish Carbonnade with Beer
Melt-in-the-mouth beef braised for hours in brown beer, thickened with mustard-spiced gingerbread, with a touch of brown sugar that balances the malt's bitterness. The festive dish of the North, both rustic and profound.
Why this dish? Pétain was born in Cauchy-à-la-Tour, in Pas-de-Calais, at the heart of the land of Flanders and Artois. Carbonnade — beef braised in brown beer and brown sugar — is THE Sunday dish of this terroir, the one from the large family tables he knew since childhood.
There, you touch upon my country, that of Artois where I was born into a family of peasants. At home on Sundays, we braised beef for hours in brown beer, and we spread a slice of gingerbread with mustard and laid it on the meat to thicken the sauce — a housewife's trick my mother would not have disowned. A lick of brown sugar, and the beer's bitterness rounds off. This is a cuisine of people of the earth, no fuss needed: time, patience, and respect for the product.
Ingredients (period version)
- Beef for braising (cheek, chuck) — a fine piece (meat)
- Brown beer from Flanders — one bottle (braising liquid)
- Onions — several (sweetness of the base)
- Gingerbread — 2 slices (thickener and flavor)
- Mustard — enough to spread (tangy lift)
- Brown sugar (vergeoise) — a spoonful (balance bitterness)
- Lard, salt, pepper, bay leaf — to taste (cooking and seasoning)
Ingredients
- Beef cheek or chuck — 1 kg (braising meat)
- Brown beer (e.g., Ch'ti or abbey beer) — 50 cl (braising)
- Onions — 4 large (base)
- Gingerbread — 2 slices (binder)
- Mustard — 2 tbsp (lift)
- Brown sugar (vergeoise) — 1 tbsp (balance)
- Lard or butter — 30 g (cooking)
- Bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Cut the beef into large pieces and brown them in the lard. Set aside.
- Gently cook the sliced onions in the same pot until they turn golden.
- Return the meat, sprinkle with brown sugar, pour in the beer, add bay leaf and thyme, salt and pepper.
- Spread the gingerbread slices with mustard and place them on top; cover.
- Braise over very low heat for 2.5 to 3 hours. The gingerbread dissolves and thickens the sauce. Serve with fries or steamed potatoes.
How it was made : On Northern farms, carbonnade simmered on the corner of the stove all Sunday afternoon. They used local beer and vergeoise from sugar beets, the region's queen crop. Gingerbread replaced flour as a thickener while adding flavor.
The contemporary twist : Served in a small individual cast-iron cocotte, crowned with a few upright fries: the modern bistro Sunday version.
Philippe Pétain · Charactorium
