Mission accompished

I made this weekend clafoutis with eggplants and chorizo for breakfast, and for lunch: garlic soup, potatoes with parsley, beef and onions braised in beer (Carbonnades à la flamande) and a mini cake with orange filling.

Clafoutis came into the picture last September. When i was in France. I bought a book called: Flans, fars et clafoutis by Isabel Brancq-Lepage. The most admirable about this book (just as well as Julia Child's book), that you can buy the ingredients anywhere. You don't have to search for anything special.
I have to tell you, that i'm in love with France. I think that french people know how to live. I love the little Patisserie-s, the preparation at the restaurants before noon, the crêpe, and the tolerance of the different lifestyles. They just don't care. I love it. (But i have to admit that the love of my life always will be Switzerland. It's a love story that started almost 10 years ago, and i doubt that it's ever gonna end.) But back to cooking.
So i already wrote the recipe of the clafoutis. Let's just start the lunch. It takes at least 3 hours to make whole thing from start to finish.
I started with the beef as it takes 2.5 hours or more to cook. The Book says for 6 people you should have 3 lb. lean beef (chuck roast), i used nearly 0.5 kg, and it will serve me in the next 3 days. :D
I had to preheat the oven to 165 °C, while i cut the meat in to medium size cubes. I heated pork fat until it almost smoked. And here i saw i forgot something. Last time i should have to learn that pork fat or any kind of fat when that hot is, it splutters. I should buy something to prevent it, or not to forget to use the 20 cm high casserole. I browned the beef slices, a few at a time, and set aside. Then i browned sliced onions in the fat (it takes about 10 minutes), then removed from heat, seasoned with salt and pepper, and stirred in mashed garlic.
I arranged half the browned beef in a casserole, seasoned it with salt and pepper, then spread half the onions over it. I made 2 layers of each. I heated beef stock in the browning skillet to have all the juices, then poured over the meat. I added enough beer (Pilsner type) to barely cover the meet. One thing what Germans know is how to make beer. You have more types than you can imagine, and costs less then water. :D I added a large herb bouquet (parsley strings, bay leaf, thyme tied in cheesecloth), then stirred in a Tb brown sugar, then brought to simmer. I covered my casserole, placed it in the lower third of the oven, and left it there for 2 and a half hour.
When the meat is fork-tender, it's done. Remove the herb bouquet, poured out the liquid out. (Fat would have come off, if there was too much.) I mixed cornstarch and wine vinegar and added to the liquid. Cooked for a few minutes and poured back over the meat. It's done. I can preheat it any time. :)
Garlic soup and mini cake recipes come later as i'm too tired. Sorry!