BobL, maybe it's the subtlety of my taste buds, but I can tell the difference between boeuf Flamande, a stew of beef and onions made with Belgian-style light ale, and a beef stew made with onions and Guinness. Boeuf Flamande has a sharp, winy flavour, and the Guinness-based dish is sweeter, with a distinctly caramel character. Evidently you are getting different mileage.

For Hogmanay, after I paid the bills and tidied the house, I made faisan à la Normande for the first time. Pheasant is available from our favourite farmer, Mrs McIntosh, and Himself took it into his head that it would be kinda nice. So there I was, looking for crème fraîche in the dairy case at Sobey's -- and I found it, tucked in beside the cottage cheese. I guess the foodies have completed their take-over.

The technique of braising the pheasant was rather messy, as it involved two birds that had to be rolled over every fifteen minutes in a snug-fitting casserole that also contained apple slices and diced shallot simmering in cider. Also, like many French recipes, it preoccupied me to the extent that I barely remembered the other items on the menu, such as veg. Fortunately, Himself's sister had given us a pie, so dessert was taken care of. When all was done and dished up, the pheasant was fine but the sauce was a bit bland; it could have done with a dash of cider vinegar. I'll know better next time.

The fun part was pouring 50 ml of flaming Calvados over the birdies in the casserole, and extinguishing the trussing string when it caught fire. What larks!