Gee's French Vinter's Beef (Pressure Cooker)

Recipe Instructions *In South Louisiana, we always have a supply of dark brown roux ready to be added to a dish to thicken it. It is made by stirring equal amounts of peanut oil and flour together in a heavy black iron pot over a high fire until the flour takes on the color of a chocolate candy bar. The trick is to stir frantically so that the flour will not burn as it browns. When the roux is just the right color brown, remove from the heat and cool quickly. Store in the refrigerator indefinitely to use as needed. Add the peanut oil to a very hot pressure cooker pot. Brown the roast on both sides. (If your roast is too large to fit the bottom of your cooker pot, cut in half to brown.) Remove the meat from the pot to a platter and set aside. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and saute until they begin to take on a little brown color. Add the wine, broth or water, salt, pepper, and thyme leaves to the pot with the onions and garlic and stir well to blend into a smooth sauce. Add the meat back to the pot into the sauce. Place the lid on the pressure cooker securely and put the pressure regulator weight in place. Leave the heat on high until the regulator weight begins to jiggle, then lower the heat immediately to a level that allows the regulator weight to just barely jiggle. Cook the roast, from this point on, for 20-25 minutes (depending on how large the roast and on the grade of meat). Remove pot from heat and cool. Open the pressure cooker and place back on the burner. Turn the heat to high to bring the liquid back to a boil. Add the sliced mushrooms and the baby carrots. Simmer for just long enough for the vegetables to become crisp tender. Add some of the dark brown roux a spoon at a time to thicken the gravy to a velvety consistency. Serve over hot fluffy rice or creamy mashed potatoes or with loaves of home-baked French bread to "mop" up the delicious gravy.