This extraordinarily deep-flavored stew is one for a day when there is frost on the ground. The inclusion of applesauce isn’t quite as daft as it sounds, and there is much magic to be found at the point where the sharp applesauce oozes into the onion gravy. Boiled potatoes as big as your fist, their edges bruised and floury, are the ideal accompaniment.

　　

Ingredients

enough for 4

　　butter – a thick slice

　　stewing beef in one piece – 1 1/2 pounds (750g)

　　large onions – 2

　　thyme – a few sprigs

　　all-purpose flour – 2 heaping tablespoons

　　Trappist beer – 2 small bottles

　　bay leaves – 2 or 3

　　red currant or apple jelly – a tablespoon

　　

For the Apple Sauce

apples – 5 or 6, the sharper the better

　　butter – a walnut-sized knob

　　sugar – a little to taste

　　ground cinnamon – a pinch

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven to which you have a lid. The heat should be quite sprightly. Cut the beef into four pieces, each nicely seasoned with salt and black pepper, then lower into the lightly sizzling butter. Let the meat color on one side, then turn it over. Peel, halve, and thinly slice the onions while the meat browns. Once colored, remove the meat to a plate and decrease the heat.

　　

Step 2

Add the onions to the pan, with the leaves from the thyme sprigs, and cook over low to medium heat until the onions are soft and pale gold.

　　

Step 3

Stir in the flour and cook until it is the palest gold color, then pour in the beer and add the bay leaves. Once the sizzling has subsided and it is approaching the boiling point, return the beef and its juices to the pan and decrease the heat. Season with salt and black pepper, cover with a lid, and place in the oven. Bake for a good hour to an hour and a half.

　　

Step 4

Peel the apples for the sauce, core them, and cut into coarse chunks. Put them into a pan with a little water and the butter and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat, cover with a lid, and let cook to a sloppy mass. Sweeten with a little sugar and the ground cinnamon, then beat with a fork or wooden spoon until smooth.

　　

Step 5

Lift the lid from the pot and stir in the jelly. Check the seasoning, adding salt, pepper, and jelly as you go. Serve with the applesauce.

　　Tender