Happy New Year !!!!! See you in 2007!!!

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Lentils and celeriac soup

(Photo@TheFoodTraveller.com - Canon PowerShot G2)

2007 is coming and it is an italian tradition to eat first thing in a new year lentils and (at least in my family) cotechino. There are multiple ways of preparing lentils, one of my favourite is a variation on a classic lentil and farro soup originally from Tuscany. I have here replaced the vegetable stock simply with water and added little cubes of celeriac to make the taste lighter and less rustic.


Serves: 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish
FlexiPoints: 4.5 or 2

Suggested wine: If you put it next to a cotechino, my first pick would probably be a good barolo. Otherwise, you could try a Pinot Noir ... I have recently tried a nice Belgian one ...

Ingredients:
- 100g mixed dried (green, orange, brown and broken) lentils
- 1 big garlic clove
- 5 fresh sage leaves
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 130g celeriac
- 1 liter of cold water
- Salt, pepper and oil as needed

How-to:
1. Rinse the lentils in cold water.
2. Chop finely the garlic. Dice the celeriac in small cubes. Slice the sage leaves in large pieces.
3. Put all the ingredients in a soup pot. Season with only some oil and let it simmer until all the water has evaporated. You will need to stir occasionally and reduce the heat to keep the simmering low.
4. Remove from the heat. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Stir well and let it cool down.
5. Warm it up before serving in lukewarm cups.

Hutsepot: the belgian way for brussels sprouts

(Photo@TheFoodTraveller.com - Nikon D200)

A very traditional and winter dish ... from Belgium! It is the best way of using Brussels sprouts and I could eat kilos of it. The recipe proposed here is based on my fiancee family recipe, where we have replaced the meat with a smoked sausage as typically done in the Netherlands. It is a bit of a west-meet-east (of Belgium) version (as she is from the west and we live in the east of the country). Lovely .... especially with a Belgian beer next to it!!!

Serves: 4 as a main course or 10 as a side dish
FlexiPoints: 3 or 1.5

Suggested wine: Beer ...possibly Belgian!

Ingredients:
- 1 kg potatoes
- 1 smoked sausage (300g)
- 1 kg Brussels sprouts
- 3 medium/large carrots
- 2 medium leeks
- 2 white onions
- 3 celery stalks
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 2 l vegetable stock (maximum)
- Oil, salt and pepper as needed

How-to:
1. Slice the onions in thin half moons. Remove the green part of the leeks and chop the rest. Chop the carrots and the celery stalks. Clean the sprouts and remove the base of each.
2. Saute the onion in some oil Add the sausage chopped. Stir fry for 1’ and add enough stock to cover. Simmer until most of the stock has evaporated.
3. Add all the chopped vegetables, the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cook with the lid on on medium/low heat stirring every 5’ or 10’ until the sprout are fully cook and tender. Add some stock when needed.
4. In the mean time, boil the potatoes for 5’. Peel them and chop them in single bite pieces.
5. Add the potatoes to the pot and cook until the potatoes are fully cooked and the dish looks like a mesh of potatoes and vegetables. You might need to add some stock in the process.
6. Serve immediately on large flat dishes.

Hof van Cleve***

(Photo@hofvancleve.com)

Yes, I have gone nuts! Three weeks ago we were at Oud Sluis*** and last Saturday I gave as main Christmas present to my to-be wife a lunch at Hof van Cleve***, the Belgian nemesis of Oud Sluis (3 stars, number 21 in the world, 19.5/20 in GM, etc etc). What can I say? I was worried it would not have been even comparable, instead we got a fantastic meal. Different in everything: style, atmosphere, ambiance, ingredients, cooking philosophy ... yet, fantastic. All three stars well deserved.

Very shortly, this was the only meal where everything was perfect. There was nothing to complain in any dish. I loved everything and the menu worked together really nicely. The tempo and the sequence of the dishes as well as the consistency was impressive. Presentations ... perfect, clean, elegant. Superior to Oud Sluis.

Service ... the Belgian way that is barely felt. I prefer the younger and more modern approach of Oud Sluis. Still, service was differently perfect. My fiancee does not eat coconut and we got two identically looking dishes ... one with and one without it! Amazing! Plus, they were invisible but very competent and very friendly.

We took a nice menu composed of quite some amuse (memorable the one served in an empty egg shell), a little started based on lobetsr and foie gras, another little started based on a raw oyster with hajji sorbet (very very nice), a medium sized starter of sole with crab & mussels sauce (fantastic!!), a main dish for me based on hare and wild mushrooms (simply sublime), a dessert based on marinated orange and tea (I wish I had it here now) and a trio of dessert based on chocolate (to rave about).

Everything perfect and the dessert fantastic. Even the little sweet things (chocolate, baba', etc) served with the coffee were simply gorgeous. We probably were served the best maddeleine ever. Warm, tasty, light.

What about the wine? I picked a Chablis 1998 as wine, but the sommelier suggested a 1999 since fresher and more suited for the menu. Nice discussion over it and correct suggestion. Pity we did not fisih it ... it was only lunch.

A memorable lunch. Yet, I missed a touch of genius. A dish to remember for its personality. Oud Sluis was almost perfect (one part of a dish and the dessert less memorable), but it has a few dishes with great personality. Therefore, Hof van Cleve is not the best, but second best in my ranking ... for how much? Well, scorewise the difference is 1% !!! Insignificant.

If you can, go there. Mr. Gossens is chef parfeit!

Merry Christmas !!!

Monkfish & salmon roe salad

(Photo@TheFoodTraveller.com - Nikon D200)

Sometimes recipes come out of nowehere. I wanted to have some fish and, depressed by the news on banning Beluga caviar (so I will never taste it in my lifetime), I took some salmon roe. Well, I know it is a cheap replacement, but I still like it. Once home ... I saw the horseradish ... and this dish came out. I like it since the monkfish gives some consistency in the taste below the flavor game of horseradish and the roe. I would expect not everybody to like it, though.

Serves: 4 as a main dish or 8 as a starter
FlexiPoints: 2 or 1

Suggested wine: Sharp flavors in this dish, which makes it not really easy to combine to a wine ... at least for an amateur like me. Something white, light and a little bit sweet ... maybe prosecco?! mmmm

Ingredients:
- 100g salmon caviar
- 300g monkfish filet
- 30ml single cream
- 1 tbsp grated horseradish
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt and pepper as needed

How-to:
1. Whip the cream with the horseradish until foamy. Add the salmon caviar and let marinate for 20’.
2. Slice the monkfish in thin slices with possibly uniform thickness. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Pre-heat a non-stick pan with the oil and quickly cook the fish slices. It will take less than a minute per side.
4. Lay the fish slices on warm serving dishes. Distribute the cream and salmon caviar mix on top. Add some pepper and serve immediately.

A simple apple tart

(Photo@TheFoodTraveller.com - Canon PowerShot G2)

I love apple cakes and tarts. The world is full of recipes and I would like to share the simplest recipe I ever came across ... extremely tasty and compatible with a diet! Most of the work goes in peeling and slicing the apples. If you can, use renette apples. Otherwise, use any other variety which has a sour and dry bite (when not cooked).

Serves: 8
FlexiPoints: 5

Ingredients:
- 1 kg renette apples
- 100g butter
- 100g flour
- 100g sugar
- 5g baking powder
- 8g vanilla sugar
- 1 egg
- 100ml milk
- Salt, flour and margarine as needed

How-to:
1. Quarter, peel and slice the apples.
2. Melt the butter in the milk and set aside.
3. Work together the egg and sugar with a pinch of salt. Add the vanilla sugar and the baking powder. Whisk in the buttermilk. Once homogeneous, add also the flour one spoon at a time through a sieve. Work until a bubbly batter is formed.
4. Mix the batter with the sliced apples.
5. Grease a round baking tin for quiches and dust it with flour. Pour the cake batter in and bake at 170C for about 60’.

Black pudding & gray shrimps burgers

(Photo@TheFoodTraveller.com - Canon PowerShot G2)

What a surprising combination! I would not be fair if I would not say that the inspiring idea of combining dutch shrimps (the gray and little ones) and black pudding came from a visit to Richard Corrighan restaurant in Soho (London) last spring. He uses oysters instead of shrimps. It is a very delicate but yet rich dish. Can be served in mini portions as here done or large burgers as main dish. Try to get black pudding with some cinnamon as this will give the dish a nice extra. Otherwise, add a pinch to it yourself.

Serves: 2 as main course and 8 as a starter
FlexiPoints: 8 or 2

Suggested wines: the wine depends on how spicy the black pudding it. May I dare to suggest a german Riesling from the mosel? I would go for a Dr. Losen due to its minerality.

Ingredients:
- 120g black pudding
- 150g cooked and peeled Dutch shrimps
- 2 brown bread slices
- Butter as needed

How-to:
1. Save 2 tbsp of shrimp for later and mix the rest with the black pudding (skin removed) in a kitchen robot till a good mince is obtained. Refrigerate for 30’.
2. Toast the bread slices till slightly golden on both sides.
3. Use a decoration ring of 2.5 cm diameter to cut out 8 discs from the toasted bread.
4. Take the mix out and make 8 little burgers with the help of the decoration ring so as they can be perfectly placed on the toasted bread.
4. Melt some butter in a hot pan. Add the burgers and the remaining shrimps. Cook well until the burgers are black and the shrimps very crunchy.
5. Serve the burger on top of the little toast with the fried shrimps on the side.

Bitter chocolate cakes

(Photo@TheFoodTraveller.com - Canon PowerShot G2)

I used to bake these very often for breakfast. Alas, no longer due to lack of time. I love the taste of a simple chocolate cake loaded with a bitter chocolate flavour. I personally use very bitter chocolate (85%) and sometimes I add some extra chocolate in little pieces with slightly less bitterness (70%). Fabulous and rich; a real treat! I wish I had time for baking them more often.

Serves: 12
FlexiPoints: 5

Suggested wines: none

Ingredients:
- 180g dark chocolate (>70%)
- 120g fine sugar
- 100g self-rising flour
- 150ml single cream
- 80ml half-fat UHT milk
- 4 separated eggs
- 1 entire egg
- Margarine and salt as needed

How-to:
1. Whisk the 4 egg whites to soft peak and set aside.
2. Melt the chocolate in either a pot with a thick base or in a bowl on simmering water. Stir in the cream and the milk so as to obtain a uniform cream.
3. Work together the 4 yolks and the sugar. Add the chocolate and the flour (through a sieve). One uniform stir in the entire egg till it is fully absorbed.
4. Fold the egg whites in with a spatula and bottom-up movement.
5. Grease a 12-muffin tray with abundant margarine. Distribute the batter among the muffin cavities.
6. Bake at 190C on the second lowest slot of the oven for about 35’. Let cool down outside of the oven before eating.

Oud Sluis ***

(Photo@ulteriorepicture)

I am here on the belgian coast typing ... still a bit confused ... my aim: to catch my feeling about this restaurant before it is only memory ... no internet right now.

Oud Sluis or better restaurant number 19 in the Top50 list, 3 Michelin stars, named best restaurant of the Netherlands by Lekker for a few years in a row, best restaurant in the Benelux and realm of Sergio Herman. What did I think about? Let’s say it was not perfect, but very close. It was the best experience ever, something that gives a real meaning to all these awards. We noticed what 2 stars mean, now we know the difference between two and three (when properly given).

The outside is very deceptive. A simple traditional house. The inside ... very nicely decorated. Modern in look, feel and background music. Refreshing from the stiffness of France, the oldness of Italy, the show-off or excessive modesty of Belgium. The food is simply divine despite a couple of extremely minor things. The ambiance and the staff are what really stand out. They make the visit a real experience. From the asking “how was our trip” to explaining the dishes but only when interest was felt. We felt they knew what they were talking about, we felt cared. The pace was perfect: from the immediate amuse to bring us in the mood to the pauses.

What about the food and wine. Fantastic menu, impressive wine list ... prices were not taking advantage of the 3 stars. Wine wasn’t cheap, but not more expensive than any other restaurant. Let’s see what we got. As soon as we arrived, we were asked if we wanted something to drink (champagne for us, Gosset was served this night). Two minutes passes by and we get presented two frozen balls of a kind of wasabi sorbet. Sharp. I suspect it was meant to wake up our taste buddies and give it a cleanse. Couple of minutes after a warm little saffron and mussels soup. Tasty and good at warming us up given the chill outside.

We receive the menu and we had all the time we wanted to look at it. No pressure from the staff. Actually, the staff tries to help in composing the dinner in order to have not an overly large or unbalanced meal (including wine). Difficult to choose ... but in the end we went for the large ‘pere et fils’ ... difficult not to. Sooo attractive. I can’t really put in words the amazing flavors of every dish. One thing was clear, Sergio has a very strong personality, which reflects on the place, his staff and his kitchen. No middle terms in his food: great ingredients, sharp flavors, techniques and innovation. If you like mild flavors, do not go there. If you like purity of ingredients, go there at once.

This is what we got. As amuse, a sugar cone with gorgonzola icecream and apple, marinated haring with soy foam and a soy gelee, a mousse of cucumber with gray shrimps, marinated salmon with a olive tapenade. Apart from the last one, this was simply fantastic. First starter, three structure of scallops (tartar, grilled, sashimi) with citrus ricotta, fois gras and on-the-table grated (in generous portion) truffle .... this one was tricky. We had to eat a frozen emulsion of fois gras first (which gave an intense shocking amazing flavor) and, then, the rest. Reason is that such a strong flavor was there while we were enjoying the scallops. So, intense and fantastic ... Elke simply stated “the best dish I ever ate”! True ... but not for long. The second starter was actually divided into two servings as it was two preparations of oysters. The first was marinated oyster in shiso with frozen oyster emulsion. The latter was a poached oyster with gold!! I loved both and still crave for the former. Elke exactly the opposite. The frozen oyster emulsion was the most intense and pure way of taste oysters. The flavor stayed so long in my mouth despite having drunk water and wine. Simply the best dish of the evening .... so far. Third starter, two preparation of crab (tempura of soft-shell crab and tartar of spider crab) and roasted Dorade. The Dorade was ... well, nice fish but the preparation was something to forget. The crab was simply divine. Were the Dorade on par ... I would have called this the perfect meal. Main course ... this was the climax of the dinner. Deer filet prepared with Alpacho (66%) chocolate, coffee and parsley root pure. I wish I could eat it again. Served with a dry and really well matched wine. I find no words to express how perfect the coffee and chocolate were at bringing out the gamely flavor of the deer. Simply the best game dish I have ever tasted, if not simply the best dish. Surely the best of the evening.

The dinner was closed by three small desserts. Again very intense flavors, but in a very harmonious way. We, then, got coffee ... with again very tasty little things closing with a little icecream and a lollipop of eucalyptus, which cleansed our mouth. What else can I say ... we paid a lot ... we ate a lot ... I drunk a lot (luckily I was not the one driving tonite) ... we do not regret even a little bit.

If you are in the area and manage to get in (there is a long waiting time) ... this will be just the best meal and meal experience. Worth every cent!! Wasn’t for Elke putting some sense into me, I would have booked for next year already.