Belgium... a look back and forward

So we booked our flight to Belgium for this summer, which cannot come soon enough. Get us out of this never-ending winter. Even more important, get us back to our beloved land of all things that are tasty! Just over four months and counting...

In honor of our trip, we recently had a taste of Belgium dinner combining two of our favorites: carbonnade à la Flammande (belgian beer stew) and pommes frites (fries). OK, so we cheated a bit and bought frozen fries, but they were of the Yukon gold persuasion- the closest you can probably get stateside. Even if we made our own they just couldn't compare to those from our favorite friterie (which will be merely a block away from our friends' house!), Maison Antoine. We did splurge, though, for a bottle of Belgian style ale for the stew- worth it! 

I used this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/beef-carbonnade-with-vegetables-belgian-beef-stew-recipe.html (I did not add the potatoes as we served it over the fries.)

While it may not have been 100% authentic, it certainly brought back memories of our favorite little under appreciated European country. It got us thinking of of all the chocolate, waffles, waterzooi, vol au vent, and frites we've savored during our previous visits; it also gave us inspiration for July: chocolate crawl, Liège meatballs and stoemp (which have both somehow eluded us for three visits), seeking out the ultimate Liège waffle... oh, and about a dozen more sauces chez Antoine! Not to mention bringing a spare suitcase for all those jars and bottles of sauces we'll be bringing back!! (That's in addition to the spare suitcase for our chocolate haul, of course.)

À bientôt, chère Belgique!

Trader Joe's

Oh my... how have I just recently discovered this foodie heaven? (Well, actually, there isn't one within an hour of me, so that's probably the reason.) Anyway, I sought some advice on what are some "must buys" from TJ's and now I'm seriously addicted. Not having a cooler made it a bit difficult as I had to pass up many delicious looking refrigerated and frozen goodies, but I managed to find some new addictions: reduced-guilt guacamole, dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, curry and masala simmer sauces, to name but a few.

What does this have to do with food memories? Here you go: I am now able to relive delicious memories of some of the places I've been by enjoying foods I can't normally find in a regular store.

• Cookie Butter: I got a "lead" on this product, so I just set out around the store looking for something I knew nothing about. I assumed it was some kind of special butter used to make cookies. Was I wrong! I bought the cookie/cocoa swirl version. Think Nutella (minus the hazelnut flavor) swirled with speculoos cookie flavored peanut butter (minus the peanut flavor). You have to try it to really understand it... it is divine. And I've only ever eaten it as a dip for pretzels (or my finger). Speculoos, I think, is the national cookie of Belgium. It's a spicy little biscuit that is basically in, on, or on top of almost anything there. You can't swing a waffle in Belgium without hitting something to do with speculoos. Now I need to go back to Brussels...

 

•  Fleur de Sel Caramels: Having just traveled briefly to Normandy, France this past summer, I was already seeking the deliciousness of the caramel lifestyle they live in Honfleur. (Think speculoos as above, but the caramel version.) Since Trader "Jacques" harvests their "Fleur de Sel" (flower of salt) from the French coast, I felt I had to give these caramels a try. While they are made with a few more ingredients (like corn syrup and coconut oil, for example) than their French cousins, they are a decent stand-in. Now I need to go back to Honfleur...

• Cheddar & Horseradish Potato Chips: If you've been following me, you know my obsessive addiction with odd potato chip flavors. Well, add this really spicy one to my list. I could just see this on the shelves at the Tesco in London or at the local pub. Add a nice pint and you've got yourself a cozy (or "cosy") evening, English-style. Now I need to go back to London...

As you can see, I'm obviously going to be busy traveling a lot in the near future! With so many places yet to visit and many delicious ones to revisit, choosing where to go will be extremely challenging. But it's a challenge I'm willing to taste, er, take!

Frites!

Last night, Don and I were out for dinner and one appetizer on the menu caught our eyes- truffled Parmesan frites. How could we say no? They arrived in a little basket lined with paper and a cup of garlic aioli with a drizzle of balsamic. Tossed with herbs, salty Parmesan, and LOTS of garlic these were scrumptious. (By the way, no vampires last night so I guess they did their job.) 

My apologies for not posting a photo. By the time I thought of it, they almost 1/2 gone! A little depressing note was that we only had one order and one sauce... On our most recent trip to Brussels, we ordered at least 8 cones and about a dozen sauces. I don't think anything can top our frite-fest, but this NY version certainly tasted good as it brought back fond memories. Speaking of which, we need more pickel [sic] sauce!!!

My foodographic memory in action

Don went to the bakery grand opening on his birthday to get something for breakfast. Pain au chocolat (chocolate filled croissant) is always a good choice! As we were enjoying our warmed goodies, he recalled having them when we arrived at Heathrow airport in London two years ago. Enter my curse/blessing of a memory... I knew exactly what we had at Heathrow- baguettes with bacon- AND where we had the pain au chocolat that he recalled- at the train station in Brussels. Not bad, though... at least he remembered it had something to do with transportation!

Another trip back to Brussels...

... in my mind, anyway. Well, and stomach.

Go figure that even though I've been sick this whole week, my appetite never skipped a beat. I guess that's a good thing, right? I noticed a banana on the counter. It was one of those bananas on the verge of going beyond edible- more brown speckles than yellow. Probably better than scarfing down a pile of chips. Hmm... chips. There's a bag of chips... chocolate chips. Chocolate chips + banana = frozen chocolate covered banana! 

So I sliced that banana up and popped the slices in the freezer. I felt guilty about opening a new bag of chocolate chips just to melt enough to coat banana slices, but only for a mere second. I melted the chocolate, coated the banana slices and stuck them back in the freezer to set. Here's what I got:

Not the prettiest things, but really tasty!

Immediately I thought of being in Brussels this past Christmas. Jeff and Melissa have this pretty big refrigerator/freezer (by European standards) and, oddly enough, all that was in the freezer was a box of Oufti frozen banana slices. Though now that I think about it, knowing Melissa, it's really not that odd. One night we stayed in, watched movies and scarfed down Oufti bananas and strawberries for dessert. Not one complaint from any of us!

I had to post my inspiration for Melissa to see. This, in turn, inspired her breakfast of banana pancakes. (And a trip to the store for more Oufti!) 

The power of food...

Waffles, Part Deux

Back to Brussels for Christmas this year. Man, I love this place! First of all, we had amazing hosts and a gorgeous place to stay. Aside from that, Belgium may be a small country, but they're huge on tasty things. 

We arrived on Christmas Day and in an effort to keep jet lag from getting the best of us, we headed out in Brussels in search of the perfect Christmas waffle. (That should be a tradition, no?) Well, we ended up at the same stand we encountered six years ago. Though they had a little different set-up, the waffles were still lovely works of culinary art and tasted absolutely scrumptious. 

Choices, choices!

What have we learned since our last encounter with these delicacies?

1. Stay away from powdered sugar! Upon first bite, your tendency is to be so excited that you inhale in anticipation, thus resulting in a coughing fit during which you end up blowing powdered sugar all over yourself and your companion(s).
2. Avoid going for "the works." There's only so much space on a waffle. Sure, who doesn't love bananas AND strawberries AND chocolate AND whipped cream? There is physically no way to get that all in your mouth at one time. Order a couple different waffles and share.
3. Waffles are best enjoyed in close proximity to Manneken Pis. (Yes, the peeing boy statue.) Who knows why the combination works, but it seems to be the thing to do. When in Rome, er, Brussels!

Live and learn. Then eat more waffles!

Belgian Waffles

Every time we go shopping, we are reminded of these delectable treats. The following picture adorns one of our credit cards*: 

How many different ways can you top your waffle?

What's not to love? And to make things even tastier, there are two types of Belgian waffles ("gaufres" in French): the Brussels waffle and the Liege waffle. The Brussels waffle is typically a lighter textured waffles with deep pockets to fill with various toppings, whereas the Liege waffle tends to be on the richer, denser and sweeter side. It's almost as if it has a subtle caramelized sugar coating. There are many other nuances to Belgian waffles, but those are the very basic distinguishing characteristics. I'll take either one right now. While we do have quite an awesome waffle maker, it's not quite the same. Only a true Belgian waffle is enjoyed on the streets of Brussels while jockeying for the best shot of the wee little Manneken Pis statue (pun intended), shopping for chocolate and Smurfs, and seeking out where you'll stop for a fine Belgian brew. Enjoy a gaufre while strolling through a Bruges flea market where you'll find a 5-Euro souvenir toaster. It could happen...

A few words of warning: While it is tempting to pile the toppings on your waffle, use caution and a little bit of common sense. Powdered sugar is very tempting, but as soon as something catches your eye you'll want to take a breath as you try to exclaim to your companions, thus bringing on a major coughing fit. Chocolate will also lure you in, but beware! It just might be molten chocolate lava that makes eating your waffle with any kind of tact seemingly impossible. Strawberries are good, but they're too darn healthy. If you must have them, slather them with a heaping pile of whipped cream!

*Yes, this is our photo, taken when we went to Belgium in 2005. Thanks to Capital One, we were able to customize our card! (What's in YOUR wallet?)

Chocolate: The Later Years

"It has been shown as proof positive that carefully prepared chocolate is as healthful a food as it is pleasant; that it is nourishing and easily digested... that it is above all helpful to people who must do a great deal of mental work." - Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

I used to think I knew a lot about chocolate. Well, I DID… that is, until our trip to Belgium- a country with its priorities in check: chocolate, fries, waffles and beer. Everywhere you look there is a chocolatier, sometimes one on every corner. Life is good in Belgium.

Chocolate is not just something used to fill Easter baskets, it is an art form. Chocolate is not sold in stores, it is sold in boutiques. It is treated with the utmost respect and given the white glove treatment (literally). Belgian chocolate is heaven on earth. While there are many purveyors of fine chocolates, our devotion lies with Pierre Marcolini. He is a chocolate god. What he can do with chocolate will astound your senses and make you forget you’re paying around $100 per pound. (Makes that sponge candy a bargain at $18 a pound, doesn’t it?) He scours the world for the best cacao beans and creates the most unique flavor combinations. How about a lavender-infused truffle? Or one laced with Earl Grey tea? Each delicacy is topped with a gold-leaf label. These are definitely not chocolates you scarf down one after the other. I liken the Pierre experience to wine tasting; take it slow, little bits at a time, and savor every smooth morsel. 

Chocolate display at Neuhaus for Easter

If my memory serves me correctly, we actually dined on a box of Pierre Marcolini chocolates on Easter while visiting our friends in Brussels. That’s what I’m talking about!

When Pierre (or the funding for it) is not available, we’ll opt for Neuhaus. Our first encounter with Neuhaus chocolate was when our friends came back to the States for Easter and brought with them a GIANT chocolate egg filled with various truffles. That only solidified our need to go visit them in Belgium. Neuhaus is a more mainstream chocolatier with a handful of stores in the US; it is also about half the cost of Pierre Marcolini! If you figured it out, that’s still not cheap but it is really good chocolate. It’s fun working your way through the box, or ballotin, of assorted pralines. Not to be confused with the southern candy, Belgian pralines are chocolates packed with various fillings (buttercream, nuts, marzipan, liquor or even more chocolate). Neuhaus includes a visual guide to your chocolates so you see what you’re getting yourself into before you commit. It’s hard to find a bad praline, though, so even if you indulge blindly you’re sure to enjoy each and every one.

After our trip to Belgium, we find it a challenge to eat anything but Belgian chocolate. Call us chocolate snobs; we'll admit that we are. It's our guilty pleasure, though there's usually very little guilt involved when we seek its pleasure!

Contents of our carry-on!