Behive Food: A webmagazine featuring Belgian food

Best beer in the world

2007-11-12T16:40:32Z

Belgium is known for being small and boring. Even a razor sharp rift along language lines that threatens to permanently shatter this country fails to make international news. Hell, even Belgians have trouble getting interested in it.

However, Belgium does have good things going for it. Mussels, waffles, frites, chocolate, and most importantly: beer. Belgium has, depending on who you talk to, between 300 and 4 trillion different types of beers. They all have their own glasses and history, which can be up to 1,000 years old. And if you've been doing something for 1,000 years, you're bound to learn a couple things.

OK, they're not all good, in fact some I've tried are too bitter, too gasoliney, or too sickly sweet. But for the most part they are fiercely delicious.

One of my favorite places to go in Brussels to quaff some unique Belgian brews is "Moeder Lambic." Located behind St. Gilles' city hall, and about fifteen minutes walk from my place they have a menu thicker than any restaurant I've been to. It lists the strange and delightful brews attainable within. The staggering variety of dusty bottles that cram the high shelves testify to the fact. As a truly Belgian perk you can help yourself to a selection of Belgian comics ('strips' to you) in the window bays.

But even the beer-passionate Moeder Lambic can't get ahold of Belgium's best beer.

That honour goes to my fellow Canadian, and Belgian hockey legend Corey Cornish, who was given three bottles of Westvleteren last week.

On the occasion of a visit from the legendary DFS and Mighty Jo Briggs we sampled the beverages. They were good. Really good. My sluggish palate doesn't equip me to describe the experience in flowering, adjective-strewn prose, so I'll just break it down as follows:

Blonde: 5.8% light, bright, and clear

The 8: 8% dark and rich

The 10: 10.2% the grandaddy

Though my tastes are not that refined, I was able to identify each one as delicious as all anything. With the 10 being my favorite. They are all Trappist beers. Because Westvleteren Brewery is in an honest-to-God Abbey, The Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren. And the beer is universally acclaimed to be the best in the world. I could probably qualify that statement, but I won't bother, because God is on my side.

Seriously, unlike some other 'Trappist' beers, which are brewed according to the methods of the monks of times past, these monks brew this world-class beer themselves. And they don't make alot of it, because they got other things to do. Like serve God, to name the most critical example. So even though demand for the beer is intense they only output 4750 hL a year, an amount they refuse to increase despite commercial demands.

And you can't buy it anywhere but the Abbey, which is nowhere near where I live. Or any population or distribution centre. And, even if you do make the trek out there, which you would only do for the express purpose of getting some of their beer, you can only get one crate. If they happen to have any, that is. And then, only if you've preordered. If not: tough luck and may God have mercy on your thirst.

MuseumBrasserie

2007-05-31T14:25:20Z

The Museumbrasserie. A restaurant everyone has been mentioning since it opened as the 'new' thing: TV, media, guides. Which can only mean one thing - we had to go.

The story so far
Behind the Museumbrasserie, is culinary star and one of the two 3 Michelin starred chef in Belgium, Peter Goossens. High expectations then for a museum brasserie, located in the Musee Royal des Beaux Arts and promising Belgium specialties and casual dining. Given that we probably won't be going to Hof van Cleve anytime soon, this is as close as it gets to a three star Michelin chef.

First impressions
Cool (steel) design, some art on the walls, and indeed casual diners. Reservations are recommended, so we made ours online, in we went. Given that the restaurant insists on reservations, I was expecting the restaurant to be fully booked. It wasn't, so I assume going in spur of the moment can work out just as well.

We were shown to our table, at the mezzanine, great view on the open kitchen down stairs. Only down side? The size of the tables. Small is an understatement. The tables are more than small and sitting comfortably without breaking anything is a challenge. Thus if going there, I would suggest asking for a table with the armchairs/ couches which did seem just a little bigger.

Our 'giant' menus arrived. Imagine hard covered A3 menus, which again are difficult to master in combination with the tiny tables. But we were there for the food ...

]]> The food
The menu offers a wide range of Belgian dishes which amazingly, is not that common in Brussels. There are traditional dishes, Belgian dishes with a twist and some classics I didn't know about. Overall though a very well conceived menu. There is of course the option of a Menu Terroir Belge (Belgian Menu) at 32,00euro including Belgian classics such as shrimp croquettes, Flemish stew, or flan caramel. For anyone not familiar with Belgian food, a very good start.

We decided though to go deeper into the menu. Starters are from 8,00euro with langoustines at 24,00euro. Mains are from 16,00 to 28,00euro. We also asked for the wine menu, which again was a very pleasant surprise. Wines start at a very reasonable 17,00euro and are conveniently divided into whites, fruity reds, medium reds and powerful reds. The choice of wines (and prices!) is though incredible and there is something to suit every budget and taste. Again not common for Brussels restaurants which tend to put the wine prices through the roof. There is also a decent choice of Belgian beers on offer.

The choice being so varied, I stayed away from old favorites such as mussels soup or goose liver terrine, and ordered the pigs trotters with a gribiche sauce. Mr. O (as he would like to be known as) ordered the oxtail with poached duck egg.

Both starters arrived on time, unfortunately our wine didn't. Finally though we managed to fit plates and wine on the tiny table, and dinner started. Delicious. There are some very talented people in the kitchen and that shows. Starters were flawless. The oxtail (on the left) as well as the pigs trotters (right) were melt in your mouth delicious. So was the sauce, up to the point were we even considered the salad to be useless. But a nice green touch.

Mains. Again, off the beaten track orders: O. ordered anguilles aux herbes vertes (eel in green herb sauce) which is an ultimate Belgian dish. Having had a really bad anguilles aux vertes recently, I had my doubts about this dish.

Personally, I ordered the pig cheeks in kriek sauce. The dishes arrived in small little pots, with Belgian frites on the side. We tried both dishes and besides going just a little easier on the herbs for the eel, again this was flawless cooking. Absolutely amazingly soft, tender meat, a great sauce, the eel was delicious (so I am glad to re-discover this dish!) and the frites were pure Belgian perfection.

Sounds like a lot? The portions are well designed, and there is very little to keep one away from the desserts. Have I not been living in Belgium, I know I would order the Fromages Belges, a very tempting offer of 4 cheeses and their respective chutneys/ jams. Divine. Instead we ordered the creme brulee with raspberries, and the selection of fruit with whipped cream.

A small incident: my first bowl of fruit came, a disappointingly small bowl for 10,00euro. However it seems this was a mistake, so the real deal arrived - probably too much fruit now :). Great seasonal fruit, whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. A perfect end to a true culinary delightful dinner.

Service with a smile
Well, yes, smile was there. A little less efficient service though. At times the service was very slow or non-existent (the wine incident at the beginning), then just a little too fast (mains came immediately after starters). Overall though an attentive service and a very efficient (although non-smiling) maitre d'. And I'm sure he has it in him.

The verdict
Flawless cooking and real Belgian food. You rarely come across this well cooked food (and not Michelin starred!), and such an interesting choice of Belgian food. A must for Belgian food lovers, a must for tourists wanting to discover more about Belgian food. Probably not the cheapest place in town - our bill came to 125 euro, including 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 desserts, 2 glasses of white wine, 1 bottle of red wine, 1 bottle of water - but a winner. Definitely a restaurant I will recommend further, and probably go back to myself. The lunch could always be a cheaper option at 22,00euro.

Cross posted on Glorious Food and Wine

Pierre Marcolini

2007-05-28T15:08:06Z

Pierre Marcolini is a flavor virtuoso and magician of senses, passionate for creating these unique and exquisite chocolates.

Pierre Marcolini, Belgian but of Italian decent, is now giving chocolate a new dimension and returning to the essence of chocolate, with the highest respect for the authenticity of the products. Pierre is one of only two Belgian chocolatiers, and one of four in all of Europe , the title of chocolatier being bestowed solely upon those who select their beans, roast them and make their own basic ingredient, couverture. He uses only the finest cocoa beans from Venezuela, Madagascar, Ecuador and Mexico.
This extraordinary artisan has received the most prestigious awards and was named World Champion Pastry Chef in 1995. The secret to his astounding success - a pursuit of perfection and a total discipline in his recipes. Natural ingredients give all of his creations their authentic flavor. One could compare them to the most excellent vintages of the fines wines, always different, original and often daring.

Recently Pierre has gained the exclusive rights to Porcelana bean production in Mexico, a subset of the Criollo family. This is an exceptionally rare and high quality bean, accounting for only 1% of all Criollo beans grown due to the limited climates that it can prosper in, and the fact that it can only be harvested every seven years. It is from this bean that Pierre has made his Limited Edition chocolate bar, an exquisite and rare delight available in the Park Avenue Boutique.
Once he has assembled the ingredients he is able to fashion what The Times call 'the most perfect pralines and tantalizing truffles' by building up layers of textures and tastes. The same care and attention that goes into making the finest wine is applied to making the finest chocolate, and from bean to bar Pierre is wholly responsible for the product.

Once harvested and dried, the cacao is shipped to Pierre's atelier in Brussels, where Pierre works with a 35-strong team of artisans who are each talented in their own right. It is here that the lengthy process of cleaning, roasting, conching and tempering gets underway; taking up to a week the end result is the couverture. Pierre's philosophy is "to aim to be the best, and always improve."

Chocolate Mousse

2007-05-16T20:20:36Z

Ingredients * 5 eggs * 140g of dark chocolate * 1 teaspoon of instant coffee * 1 table spoon of rhum, Grand Marnier, or Amaretto * 3 table spoons of sugar Preparation * Very slowly melt the chocolate with the instant coffee. Be careful not to burn it. * Separate the eggs into egg white and egg yolk. Make sure to keep the egg whites free of yolk, in a clean bowl. * Beat the egg white, with one table spoon of sugar. * Mix the egg yolk with two table spoons of sugar and one table spoon of rhum. * Mix the egg yolk into the molten chocolate. * Very carefully mix the beaten egg white and the chocolate. * Pour into small bowls or glasses and store in a cool place. The chocolate mousse is at its best after one or two days.

Asperges a la Flamande

2007-05-15T14:04:55Z

Such a Belgian dish you'd think I would have tried it during the past 10 years. Well ... no! I ignore why I haven't eaten Belgian asparagus before, given the absolute love (obsession?) of Belgians with this vegetable.

We are spot on in the middle of the 'folie' (craziness) which comes with the first Belgian asparagus. Belgians rarely get overly excited so it is quite funny to see restaurants are fully booked when advertising the 'asperges en folie' and that asparagus flies off the supermarket shelves. Which is why we joined in as well. Sort of if in Belgium, do like the Belgians.

What better way to try the Belgian asparagus than in a dish, cleverly called 'Asperges a la Flamande', Flemish style asparagus. The recipe came from our one and only Belgian oriented cookbook, Everybody Eats Well in Belgium. Oh boy, and do they eat well.

The recipe? So easy it makes me wonder why we don't eat asparagus at least 3 times a week. Basically the steps are boil, mash, serve. Let me explain: after you bought the asparagus (ideally avoiding any unnecessary air miles, so local asparagus is the best option) the following leads to Asperges a la Flamande (serves 2).
Boil the asparagus till tender. We has 6 stalks a person.
At the same time, boil 2 eggs (hard).
Mash the eggs with finely chopped parsley and season well with salt, pepper and lemon juice of 1 lemon. Serve.

Cross posted on Glorious Food and Wine

Brussels Sprouts

2007-04-27T10:28:41Z

Ingredients: 1 lb fresh brussels sprouts 4-6 Tbsp butter 1/2 onion, chopped Salt and Pepper 1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice, fresh squeezed 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds Howto: 1 Boil in water or steam brussels sprouts for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Split one open to see if it has cooked to the middle. Strain and place in a bowl of ice water to keep the color bright green. Cut into halves. 2 Sauté onions in 2-3 Tbsp of butter in a wide sauté pan until the onions are translucent. Add the brussels sprout halves and 2-3 Tbsp more of butter and cook on medium high heat for several more minutes, until the sprouts have reached your desired level of doneness. Add salt and pepper to taste while the sprouts are cooking. Whatever you do, do not over-cook, as the sprouts will be bitter. 3 Remove from heat, toss in half of the toasted slivered almonds and the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper if needed. Put into serving dish and garnish with the rest of the toasted almonds. Serves 6-8.

Belgian Endive, Ham, and Cheese au Gratin

2007-04-27T10:16:41Z

Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil 8 whole heads Belgian Endives, cored 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 cup grated mild cheese 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste 8 slices Black Forest ham chopped parsley Howto: In a frying pan, lightly saute the endives, remove them from the pan, and set aside. Add the red and green peppers to the oil, lightly saute them, remove them from the pan, and set aside. Add the flour to the oil and stir until lightly browned. Add the salt and pepper and blend in with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the cheeses and blend until the cheese melts. Stir in the sauteed red and ham3.jpg - 2.00 K green peppers. Place the sauteed Belgian Endives in an ovenproof casserole. Wrap each endive in a slice of Black Forest ham. Cover with cheese sauce and place in a 350° F oven for about 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and brown. You may brown it under the broiler for a minute or two if you wish. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot.

Sugar Waffles with Berries and Whipped Cream

2007-04-27T10:09:04Z

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons melted butter Belgian style waffle mix, prepared to package directions for 2 large waffles, 8 quarters 3/4 cup sugar cubes 1/2 pint ripe strawberries, sliced Whipped cream in canister, from dairy aisle of market Howto: Heat waffle iron. Prepare waffle mix for 2 large waffles, 4 quarters each. Add sugar to a large food storage bag and crush cubes with a small heavy-bottomed skillet or meat mallet. Add crushed cubes to prepared batter. Brush iron with melted butter. Add waffle mix and cook to waffle iron directions. Serve 1/2 a large waffle or 2 sections from your iron per person, topping with sliced berries and a rosette of whipped cream.

Waterzooi de Poulet

2007-04-27T10:03:26Z

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 2 carrots, peeled and diced 2 leeks, chopped, rinsed and dried 2 all-purpose potatoes, peeled and diced Salt and white pepper 6 cups chicken stock or broth 1 fresh bay leaf or 2 leaves dried 4 sprigs fresh parsley, plus a handful chopped for garnish 4 sprigs fresh thyme 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 8 ounces 1 cup heavy cream 1 large egg yolk Crusty baguette, warmed, for passing Howto: In a deep pot over moderate heat melt butter and saute the vegetables for 5 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper. Tie together bay, parsley and thyme and add to the pot with stock or broth. Cover the pot and raise heat to bring liquid to a boil. Add chicken to the pot, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Poach the chicken 10 minutes. Uncover the pot. Remove chicken and slice. Whisk cream and egg together. Add a ladle of cooking broth to cream and egg to temper it. Stir cream and egg mixture into the waterzooi and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken. Add chicken back to the pot along with chopped parsley. Adjust seasoning. Ladle waterzooi into warm shallow bowls and serve with crusty baguette for dipping.