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I recently spent a week in Belgium on vacation with two friends. We stayed in Gent and also visited Brugge, Antwerpen, Brussels, and Damme (to go to the Siphon).

I did a lot of good eating and drinking while there and I have a lot to share…so please bear with me as I decided it was too much for a single post. This post will be devoted to Belgian beer (and assorted other beverages).

I think our friend Ward said it best: “Water’s too expensive…if you want to rehydrate, drink 6% beer instead of 12%.”

The beer menu at Dulle Griet, and Old Spice Fiji

These are all of the beers I tried:

• Brugse Zot at Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (Gent) and De Halve Maan brewery (Brugge)
• Gulden Draak at Dulle Griet, which has pig bladders hanging from the ceiling (Gent)
• Tripel Karmeliet at Aba-Jour (Gent) and Kulminator (Antwerpen)
• Straffe Hendrick tripel at Craenenburg (Brugge)
• Straffe Hendrick quadrupel at Craenenburg (Brugge)
• Westmalle Dubbel at Cafe ‘t Galgenhuis (Gent), though I ordered the Westmalle tripel
• Leffe Bruin at ‘T Braboke (Antwerpen)
• Leffe Blond at K. Zeppos (Antwerpen)
• Mort Subit Lambic Blonde at A la Mort Subite (Bruxelles)
• Grimbergen Blonde at Plattesteen (Bruxelles)
• Brugs Witbier at Le Paon Royal (Bruxelles)
• Peche Lambic at La Fin de Siecle (Bruxelles)
• Augustjin at De Scheve Zeven (Zomergem)
• Gentse Tripel at Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (Gent)
• Brugse Tripel at Brasserie Borluut (Gent)

One of my favorites was Tripel Karmeliet, which I tried the first night we were there. The menu at Aba-Jour said it was “the beer for the ladies” (or at least that’s what I was told it said). I managed to bring a bottle of that back to Boston with me, as well as a bottle of Brugse zot dubbel.

When we were in Brugge, we were able to take a tour of De Halve Maan brewery. They brew Brugse zot, Brugse zot dubbel, Straffe Hendrick tripel, and Straffe Hendrick quadrupel.

Straffe Hendrick tripel and quadrupel

We tried to go to De Garre (also in Brugge), but it was closed (under construction) and wasn’t re-opening until the weekend. I got a peek on the inside and I’m not sure how they were planning to be ready to open by then.

In Antwerpen we went to Kulminator, which is a bar with supposedly more than 500 beers. This was written up in my travel book as one of the top 10 beer places to go in Belgium. It felt like we were in someone’s living room, complete with a cat wandering around. We drank Tripel Karmeliet again.

Triple of Tripel Karmeliet

I loved the Mort Subite lambic blonde, which I tried at A la Mort Subite in Brussels…I think that was a two beer lunch that day.

Mort subite lambic blonde on the left and right

While I did heed Ward’s advice to not waste money on water, some other notable beverages included:

• Coffee: I’m not a coffee drinker, but man they make some good coffee
• Irish coffee: apparently this is standard procedure at Gentse Feesten as you are watching the sun come up
• Paradis at the Siphon: I have no idea what this was, but it came in a champagne glass, and it was orange and tasty

Paradis

Believe it or not, there are a few things we didn’t get to do that were on our list, but that gives us a reason to go back!

• Delirium tremens brewery (Geraardsbergsesteenweg 4/B
  , 9090 Melle)
• Genever
• Kwak

The rundown (or at least some highlights):
Waterhuis aan de Bierkant
Groentenmarkt 9, 9000 Gent

Dulle Griet
Vrijdagmarkt 50, 9000 Gent

Jigger’s
Oudburg 16, 9000 Gent

De Halve Maan
Walplein 26, 8000 Brugge
De Garre
De Garre 1, 8000 Brugge

Kulminator
Vleminckveld 32, 2000 Antwerpen

A la Mort Subite
Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères 7, 1000 City of Bruxelles

Siphon
Damse Vaart-Oost 1, 8340 Damme

Gentse Feesten

Happy birthday America! I’ll cheers to that, so I thought I’d share a recipe my friend Paetra sent my way.

Loopy blackberry lemonade
Source: Three Olives vodka

Ingredients
1.5 ounces Three Olives Loopy
5 blackberries
3 ounces lemonade (try Simply Lemonade!)

Directions
Muddle 4 blackberries in the bottom of a tumbler. Add ice, vodka and lemonade. Garnish with a blackberry and enjoy!

Bermudians call themselves “60,000 drunks clinging to a rock.” They are friendly people…there is a man who stands on a street corner every morning for two hours and waves to people. He is now in his 80’s.

The ms Veendam
I spent seven days on the ms Veendam (Holland America Line). If you’ve never cruised before, think 3- and 4-course breakfasts and lunches, and 5- and 6-course dinners. It would be quite possible to be eating at all times on the ship, if your stomach could handle it. Since my return to shore, my stomach has been in revolt since I don’t normally eat that many courses throughout a day, as I’m sure you’re surprised to find out. While the courses are plentiful, the portion sizes are refreshingly un-American. If you order the filet mignon, don’t expect a 10-ounce piece of beef. It was actually about the size of a deck of cards, that standard measure we dietitians love to use.

Two of my favorite (foodie) surprises on the ship were the guest chefs on board, Sirio and Egidiana (Egi) Maccioni and Hugh Acheson. The Maccionis own Le Cirque (multiple locations) as well as Circo and Sirio.

Making Le Cirque’s lobster salad

The Maccionis

Hugh Acheson is a chef/partner of three restaurants in Georgia (Five and Ten and The National in Athens and Empire State South in Atlanta). He is a James Beard award winner for his cookbook, A New Turn in the South. He is also a Top Chef Master and currently a Top Chef judge. We tried to get some dirt on the new season of Top Chef, but the only thing he could tell us was that they just started filming. Hugh brought two sous chefs with him, his adorable daughters Beatrice and Clementine.

Hugh, Beatrice, and Clementine

They each did two cooking demonstrations…Hugh made me realize that I like duck, and Egi inspired me to want to make my own pasta, specifically spinach and ricotta ravioli. Hopefully I’ll be sharing those recipes in the future as I try them.

Dark and stormy and the rum swizzle
As I mentioned, it seems Bermudians drink a lot, and that usually involves Gosling’s rum. We went on a Gosling’s rum cruise and got to try their signature black seal rum, gold rum, olde rum, and gold liqueur as well as the dark and stormy (Bermuda’s national drink) and the famous rum swizzle (has both black and gold rum). We were told that the more dark and stormy’s you drink, the better the weather gets…and we had some great weather. We were also told that one woman in the Gosling family bought a washing machine just to make rum swizzles…like I said, they like to drink.

Swizzle Inn…swagger out

Bermuda fish chowder and salt cod fish cakes
Bermuda fish chowder is also made with Gosling’s black seal rum (surprise surprise) and served with a side of black seal rum and sherry pepper sauce to garnish your soup. I tried it on the ship and at the White Horse Pub in St. George’s. The restaurant is right on the water, and instead of throwing your food scraps in the garbage, they throw them in the water alongside the restaurang. I think there are some very happy fish living right there.



Fish chowder from White Horse Pub

We were told that salt cod fish cakes are also a traditional Bermudian food, even though cod is not native to the area. Apparently they used to trade rum for salt cod from New Englanders. It all comes back to the rum.

Veendam’s version of salt cod fish cakes

The rundown:
Swizzle Inn
3 Blue Hole Hill, Baileys Bay
87 South Road, Warwick

White Horse Pub and Restaurant
8 Kings Square, St. George

Last weekend, I made my way back to the “Southern Part of Heaven”, aka Chapel Hill, NC…my college stomping grounds. There is much about Franklin Street that is new since I was in school oh so many years ago, but some of the old favorites are hanging in there.


But first, please, a moment of silence for Franklin Street Pizza and Pasta   …   …   I was hoping to have one last slice of penne and eggplant stuffed pizza (with a side of marinara sauce), but it had already switched over to a Tomato Jake’s.


I had dinner at Lantern on Friday evening, which I recently read about in Food & Wine magazine. We didn’t get seated until almost an hour after our 8:30 reservation, but they made up for it with free appetizers. We tried the salt and pepper shrimp, asparagus and mushroom spring rolls, and pork and chive dumplings. I’ve never seen salt and pepper shrimp on a menu except for the one and only Peach Farm in Chinatown, so I had to try it, but Peach Farm sets a very high bar. 
 For entrees, we split the steamed arctic char (I can’t resist arctic char when I see it on a menu) and the wok-seared rice noodles. The Junebug cocktail was also delicious.

Salt and pepper shrimp…no heads!



 

Arctic char

The next day we made our way to Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe for breakfast, a place I should have frequented more often in my college days. I love when breakfast places have a pancake/waffle and egg combination, and that was a pretty delicious waffle. After heading to Student Stores and the Carolina Basketball Museum, we hit up Top of the Hill for lunch, Yogurt Pump, and Four Corners to do some serious catching up.


It seemed impossible that we could be hungry for dinner, but turns out we were. We decided to go to 411 West, which was a pretty “fancy” place to go when we were in school (aka a place you got your parents to take you when they were visiting). I had a grilled pear salad with walnuts and gorgonzola. Then we split the Luigi pizza and the hazelnut pesto pasta. 

Luigi pizza



Hazelnut pesto pasta

And since there is always room for a cupcake…we headed to Sugarland bakery for dessert.


Vanilla bean

It was so great to reminisce and catch up with some truly fantastic people, whose friendships have withstood the tests of time and distance. I am thankful they were willing to drive in from all over North Carolina to make this weekend happen. We decided this needs to be an annual trip, and I’m already looking forward to next year!


The rundown:
Lantern
423 West Franklin Street


Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe
173 East Franklin Street


Top of the Hill
100 East Franklin Street, third floor


Four Corners Grille
175 East Franklin Street


411 West
411 West Franklin Street


Sugarland
140 East Franklin Street


Carolina Crossroads at the Carolina Inn
211 Pittsboro Street

Today was cold, dreary, and rainy in Boston…not the weather one hopes for on the first day of May. It made me want to make something warm and hearty, so I turned to an old favorite. This recipe was given to me by a friend’s brother (though my guess is that it actually comes from their mom). I like to serve it with pasta or an Italian roll and a salad.


Sausage and peppers
Source: The Confortis
Serves: 4+


Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage, sweet or hot (I like to mix sweet and hot)
pepper to taste


Directions
1. In a large pot, saute onion, garlic, and mix of peppers.
2. Cook sausage (grill or pan fry). Cut cooked sausage into bite-size pieces.
3. Add tomato sauce, paste, and cooked sausage to mix of peppers, onions, and garlic.
4. Mix and let simmer. Add pepper to taste and enjoy!


Hopefully my little babies will continue to grow big and strong so I can make this with homegrown tomatoes and peppers later this year!

Tomatoes and peppers…oh my!

This week was not a good week for KCaE (Kara Cooks and Eats). I attempted two new recipes from the May issue of Everyday Food, and both were pretty disappointing.


I attempted to omit the bacon from this recipe, mostly because I think it’s a pain to have to buy a pound of bacon for a recipe that only calls for 4 slices. However comma, I think it came out pretty blah and could have used the bacon, especially the fat. I did end up draining some of the potato cooking water and adding about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I think I will put this on top of some lettuce as a salad for lunches.

Magazine version



My version sans bacon

 

1 bunch scallions, white parts thinly sliced, green parts cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
10 ounces frozen shelled edamame, thawed
coarse salt and ground pepper


Directions
1. In a large nonstick skillet, combine potato, bacon, and 1 cup water; bring to a boil over medium-high. Cover and cook until potato is tender when pierced with a knife and water is almost evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until potato begins to turn golden and bacon begins to render fat, about 3 minutes.
2. Add scallion whites and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until scallion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add edamame and scallion greens and cook until warmed through, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.


The other recipe I tried was a skillet shrimp and orzo one-pot dish. I substituted frozen pre-cooked mussels for the shrimp, which was probably my first mistake. It was interesting to cook the pasta in the oven, but I thought the proportions were off. I prefer more “stuff” (tomatoes, vegetables, etc) and less pasta. So in the end it basically turned out to be an overcooked pasta with (not enough) tomatoes and basil.

Magazine version

My sad version

I’ve been eating a lot of salads and leftovers this week, so I thought I’d share some of the fun meals I had in NYC this past weekend.


We arrived in NYC just in time for lunch on Saturday, and headed to S’MAC for a big ol’ skillet of mac ‘n cheese. It did not disappoint.

S’MAC!

I ordered the 4 cheese with spinach, mushrooms, and bacon. A-mazing.


And we did not even need a pre-dinner snack, which was initially surprising, but then we realized we probably each ate about a pound of cheese and pasta!

Major munch size






















Since I’m a little obsessed with everything Top Chef, I made dinner reservations at North End Grill, which just opened in January with Floyd Cardoz as the Executive Chef. Floyd Cardoz was the winner of Top Chef Masters, Season three.

Oysters!

We started out with some oysters, one each from NY, MA and New Brunswick, and we all had a different favorite. My favorite was NY, with MA in the middle, and New Brunswick coming in last place.
















For dinner I had the seared diver scallops with cauliflower, and we got a bunch of sides to share: griddled ginger spinach, hashed brussel sprouts and lentils, and truffled mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. Someone at the table who is not a big fan of potatoes said that if all potatoes tasted like that, she would eat them more. I am a potato lover and those potatoes would definitely make the highlight reel, as would the brussel sprouts. Everything was delicious, and we were even too full for dessert.


The sides



Diver scallops

The next morning we had brunch reservations at Locando Verde, based on a recommendation from a friend of a friend. We actually planned to go there for dinner, but when I called to make a reservation (more than a month in advance), the only options were for 5:30 and 10 pm. So brunch it was. I had the soft scrambled farm egg crostino with leeks, mushrooms and speck, and lots of water to rehydrate.


Add in a couple of slices of pizza and some hot nuts and I think it was a pretty delicious weekend.


The rundown:
Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese
345 East 12th Street, between 1st and 2nd Ave


North End Grill
104 North End Avenue, Battery Park City


Locando Verde
377 Greenwich Street, TriBeCa
cross street N. Moore Street

My friends and I started a potluck tradition in 2005, and yesterday I hosted a St. Patty’s day themed dinner. As always, the menu came together quite nicely and we did some good eatin’!

No boiled potatoes on this table!

Menu
Irish nachos
Irish soda bread
Pork roast with cabbage and plum stout sauce
Shephard’s pie
Corned beef and cabbage
Roasted vegetables
Salad
Kimchi (a little Asian influence snuck in)
Guinness cupcakes with Bailey’s frosting

I made corned beef and cabbage for the first time ever, and my slow cooker continues to impress me!

Corned beef and cabbage
Source: Adapted from keyingredient

Ingredients
3-4 lbs corned beef brisket (I used about 2 lbs)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 medium head of cabbage, cut into wedges (I used about 2/3 of a 3 lb head of cabbage)
12 ounces dark beer

Directions
1. Place corned beef brisket and any seasonings included in slow cooker. Top with onion.

2. Whisk together the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, pepper, and cloves and pour over top.

3. Add the cabbage wedges and pour beer over top.

4. Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours or high for about 4-5 hours.

5. Embrace the Irish in ya and enjoy!