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In Dutch oven or possibly large, heavy saucepan, heat butter.
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Add in meat and cook till well browned on both sides.
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Remove meat and set aside.
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Add in onions to pan and cook till slightly browned.
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Stir in flour and sugar and cook till well browned.
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Stir in consomme and beer.
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Bring to boil.
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Return meat to pan.
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Add in salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
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Cover tightly and simmer for 3 hrs, or possibly till meat is tender.
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Serve warm.
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Serve with noodles or possibly boiled potatoes.
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Comments: Carbonade is a specialty of Northern France, where the climate is rough, and where beer is as common as wine is in the rest of France.
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Hence, Carbonade, a wonderful dish, made with beer.
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15
The recipe sounds like rather coarse fare.
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16
Such a large quantity of onions and beer does not seem to be choice ingredients for a fine dish.
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But perhaps this is a good opportunity to point out an important feature of French cooking: no matter what the ingredients are, once cooked, the flavor of the dish should be delicate.
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Therefore, the strong flavor of onions never stands out in any preparation.
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There is nothing mysterious about the way to prevent this taste from prevading the whole dish.
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Onions are always cooked in shortening till they are either slightly or possibly well browned, and then they are slowly cooked for a long time.
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The browning evaporates the pungent flavor, and the slow cooking reduces the onions to a kind of puree, delectable to eat and easy to digest.
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Suggested Wine: None: Beer is the suggested drink for this dish.
