Let those corks pop!

Another 15 hours or so and 2009 will be no more than a memory. All in all, it has been a good year, with lots of little trips to France and the Belgian Ardennes, meeting up with old and new friends, cooking and eating great meals … and starting up this blog last May.


Tonight and tomorrow we will be toasting to the New Year with Champagne. When we buy our Champagne we take into account three criteria: the brand, the price and … the colour or design of the small metal cap on top of the cork. This last criterion may seem a bit unusual, but there is a very specific reason for it. I’ll tell you all about it in the New Year.

In the meantime, I wish you a very pleasant New Year’s Eve and a fabulous 2010! Let those corks pop!

See you in January!

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Mingling with the stars – 2

In spite of the young housekeeper’s genuine smile and relentless efforts, our stay at the ‘Auberge’ “La Lucarne aux Chouettes” in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, in Burgundy, in 1998, was a huge disappointment.

The food wasn’t bad, but that’s about all that can be said about it. Before writing this post, I had a look at the website of the ‘Auberge' – which is currently for sale – and I would be very surprised if today’s chef is the same as in 1998.

The basilica of Vézelay - Burgundy.
Photo: www.wandelpaden.com

As for the excursions, the cold grey weather spoiled most of the fun. We saw a lot of vineyards and did some wine tasting. We tried to visit the picturesque town of Auxerre, but never found a place to park the car. We did see Vézelay, though, where we walked up the steep hill leading to the 11th century basilica. Like Candes Saint-Martin in the Loire Valley, Vézelay is visited by pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostella. Some of them ascend the hill on their knees to do penitence for their sins. The road up is lined with alluring shops and boutiques selling religious as well as mundane objects.

We also drove to the city of Sens, where we did some shopping and had a peek inside the cathedral. Montargis, another town, was also on our sightseeing list, but apart from the weekly market there was not a lot worthwhile visiting. Or maybe there was, but we just didn’t know about it!

We had a pleasant luncheon experience at ‘La Petite Auberge’ in a little village of which I can’t recall the name. The restaurant had been recommended to me by a colleague who frequently visits the area. For the first time in my life I had a ‘confit de canard’, and I really liked it. I am a big fan ever since.

And that about sums up our stay in Burgundy in the late nineties!

By now you’ve probably guessed that we didn’t get to meet Leslie Caron nor any of her Hollywood friends. Some years later, though, we did meet and shake hands with a famous French movie star. When staying at the Château de Belmont in Tours in 2003 – or was it 2004? - the proprietor, introduced us to one of his close friends, the actor Claude Brasseur. If you’re familiar with French cinema, you’ll know him from ‘Signes extérieures de richesse’, ‘Un Eléphant sa trompe énormément (the French version of the comedy ‘The Woman in Red’ with Gene Wilder), and many other, mainly police movies.

One afternoon we were sitting on the terrace of the hotel in Tours sipping a cool beer after another day of castle hopping, when J.B., the owner of the hotel, and his wife S. walked out followed by a man who looked vaguely familiar. When J.B. saw us, he pulled his friend by the arm and said “I would like you to meet some Belgian friends of mine”. The man obediently followed him and walked over to where we were sitting. He reached out his hand, and said “Claude Brasseur, enchanté” (I’m Claude Brasseur. Glad to meet you). His grip was firm and warm. Before turning away he added “Passez une agréable fin d’après-midi” (Enjoy the rest of the afternoon). Even my friend, who is not easily lost for words, was impressed!

This is the closest we ever got to a film star. Have you ever been eye to eye with a hero of the silver screen?

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Mingling with the stars - 1

One of the great things about the Holiday Season is the films on TV. A lot of channels do reruns of 40 & 50-thies Hollywood classics with stars like Clark Gable, Spencer Tracey, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, Grace Kelly and Gary Grant, … Last week BBC 2 broadcasted "An American in Paris" featuring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.

Leslie Caron and Gene Kelly in "An American in Paris"
(Photo Wikipedia).

Watching this movie brought back memories of our 1998 holiday in Burgundy. Did you know that Leslie Caron owns a hotel there, more precisely in the town of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne? 1998 was still the pre-internet era and planning a holiday wasn’t as easy as it is nowadays. I knew very little about the region and had bought a bulky hotel guide called: “Hôtels et Auberges de Charme”.

Browsing through the Burgundy pages, I had found an ‘Auberge’ called “La Lucarne aux Chouettes*”. The photos showed a very attractive, nicely done up old building situated on the banks of the Yonne River. The terrace with large white parasols and multi-couloured flowers looked very inviting. There were four elegantly decorated bedrooms and the ‘cuisine’ was described as ‘gastronomic’.

But it was the last sentence of the description accompanying the photos that caught my eye: The ‘Auberge’ was the property of former actress and dancer Leslie Caron, who often spent time there, welcoming and entertaining the guests. And apparently some of her former Hollywood colleagues dropped in from time to time.

Like most little girls I had often dreamt of becoming a ballet dancer and Leslie Caron was once one of my idols. Staying at her ‘Auberge’ would be a great opportunity to meet her. And then of course, there was the wine … Before getting acquainted with the Loire Wines – which in the meanwhile have become our favourite – we were rather fond of the ‘Bourgogne’ wines. This seemed like the perfect holiday destination. So we booked a room at the ‘Auberge’ and already imagined ourselves mingling with the stars!

However, the whole holiday turned out to be a big disappointment, only partly due to the weather, which was more autumn-like than June-like. The ‘Auberge’ was kept by an extremely young, yet very competent housekeeper. She was the only person we got to see during the whole week, as there were no other guests and the ‘chef’ never left his kitchen.

The terrace furniture was stocked - or should I say ‘stacked’ - in a room that was labelled as the ‘lounge’. The ‘Chambre Bleue’ that we had initially booked, was so tiny that it was physically impossible to walk around the bed when another person was standing in the room. When looking out of the small window, all you saw was a blank wall on the other side of a narrow back alley. What had happened to the River?

After ten minutes we had decided that we didn’t want to spend a whole week in that tiny room. So we asked the housekeeper whether it was possible to have the large room with a River view, located just across the landing. As we were the only guests, this was no problem as long as we paid the price difference.

So we moved our things and set out for a walk. The town of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne was pretty enough but had very little to offer except perhaps the nice medieval gateway that led to the main road. There were no other restaurants and a small café seemed to be the only place offering some entertainment.

* If you click on the link, you’ll notice that the Auberge still exists but is currently for sale.

(to be continued)

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Gone with the wind

No post today, as I'm glued to my tv screen watching my all-time favourite film ... for the next three hours or so! Gone With the Wind.

Scarlett O'Hara ! I wish I had her guts and courage! Not to mention Rhett Butler, of course!

Mind you, I don't always approuve of Scarlett's methods, but she certainly showed a lot of drive in the worst circumstances. As Rhett Butler said in one scene: "What a woman!"

What's your favourite movie or film character?

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Worth queuing for !

This will be my last post … about Christmas dinner !

If you remember the recap of our menu, you’ll know that dessert was a traditional ‘Bûche de Noël’. It’s very popular in Belgium and France, and I’ve never had a Christmas meal without the traditional ‘bûche’ as dessert.

The log in its typical box.

Like most European traditions, the log-shaped cake is a relic of a pagan tradition. The original ‘bûche’ wasn’t meant to be eaten; in fact it wasn’t even edible! Before sun dawn a sizeable log of up to two or three metres (depending on the size of your fire place) was cut out of the trunk of a fruit tree. Wine, honey and later, when Christianity had reached Europe, holy water were poured over the log. On Christmas Eve or Day the log was burned. The ashes were said to contain special powers and virtues. In spring these ashes were scattered on the fields, where they were supposed to increase next year’s harvest.

Coal burners and central heating meant the end of the real ‘bûche’, but people are inventive and good traditions never die. And therefore, the old wooden log was replaced by a succulent airy cake covered in butter or Chantilly cream. In the sixties and seventies the logs were half cylinder shaped airy cakes made with flower, fresh eggs, butter and sugar. They were decorated with cream shaped to imitate the rough surface of a real log. On it, miniature figurines made of sugar and later plastic depicted a wintery landscape. Often there would be a tiny plastic Christmas crib, a snowman made of egg meringue and little chocolate stars … items that we kids would fight over. Who would get the piece with the crib or the snowman? Later, when Santa Claus had found his way to Europe, a little plastic Santa of reindeer would be adorning the log.

But the bûche has once again evolved with its time. Heavy butter cream has made room for fruitier, bavarois-like textures. The plastic men have gone and all decorative items are made of edible ingredients, such as ‘speculoos’, ‘marzipan’, ‘macarrons’ and ‘meringue’. The latest ‘patisserie’ trends have taken over the traditional ‘bûche’.

Last Thursday, when I did my Christmas dinner shopping, I queued for more than half an hour at our local bakery to get a Christmas Log – Tiramisu style. Here it is. But it was well worthwhile queuing for as it was absolutely delicious!!

The Tiramisu-style 'Bûche' - the photo doesn't do it justice.

Care for a piece? Then jump on the first train or plane and I will be happy to share with you what is left!

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This is it !

Over the last few days I have been carefully watching the progress of one of my orchid plants. This particular specimen – one of the eight that I have collected since February 2008 – was given to me by my friend on this year’s Valentine’s Day. At the time, it flowered for well over two months. In fact it shed its last flower one week before my birthday in April … just in time to receive a new plant to replace it.

Since then it has been living, with its little friends, on the sill of my kitchen window. Every week the whole orchid family receives a drop of special Brita water (tap water that has been ‘demineralised’ with the help of a special carafe and capsule) at room temperature. Once a month, the water is ‘spiced’ up with an orchid adapted ‘compost’ mixture. Each and every leaf is sprayed with a special liquid to protect it against dust and dehydration. Once a plant stops flowering, I transplant it using a specific soil mixture.

Every Saturday, all this keeps me quite happy for more than an hour or so. Therefore, I’m always anxiously awaiting the results. Sometimes nothing happens for months. Right now, I have one plant that is barely hanging on, and I wonder whether it is going to make it through winter. However, since a few weeks, three plants are showing definite signs of new life …

And then, yesterday morning, overnight while I was sleeping, this happened.

Bright white orchids to celebrate Christmas.

Merry Christmas and – for those of you who life in the UK: Happy Boxing Day tomorrow. Here in Belgium, Boxing Day is an ordinary working day. However, this year it falls on a Saturday, so everybody is off from work till Monday!

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Christmas tribute

Christmas Eve: Could I have picked a better day to publish my 200th post since I’ve started blogging last May? Who would have thought that I would get this far! But I couldn’t have done it without your help.

Your regular visits and comments have been very motivating and inspiring. Thanks to you, I’ve started taking an interest in my own country. Whilst visiting Waterloo, Brussels, Crupet, Bastogne, Bouillon and La Roche, I’ve started seeing things through your eyes, trying to imagine what you would like to see and know. I hope I haven’t disappointed you.

During my little trips to France, I’ve paid more attention to ‘insolite’ things that you wouldn’t find in the regular tourist guides. And guess what … I’ve enjoyed my travels so much better for it! Thank you.

Sunrise December 24th, 2009: the morning sun is trying to burn its way through the tenacious winter clouds.
Without the electric wires spoiling the view - thanks to chm!

Later this morning, we’re off to our favourite Gourmet market to buy Christmas Dinner. Although I love cooking, I’ve decided to give myself a little treat this year and get everything ready-made from Rob’s Gourmet Market. On the menu:

Assortment of little appetizers:
sushi and warm zakouskis

*

Scallops
in a Champagne cream sauce

*

‘Coquelets’
(young chickens) with mushroom sauce and ‘pommes dauphines’

*

Bûche the Noël
(Christmas log: airy cake coated with butter or Chantilly cream).

While everything is warming up in the oven, I can enjoy the aperitif and appetizers with my guests. We’ll only be a small group, but then I only have a small apartment.

Wherever you are: Have yourself a Merry little Christmas!

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Silent Wednesday

December 2008: snow-capped security poles guarding the
window display of a hardware store.

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The cradle of crystal Christmas decorations

Getting out the Christmas decorations, I came across this crystal grape. I bought three of these some years ago when visiting the village of Meisenthal in the Vosges region in the north east of France. It was in this village that glass and crystal Christmas decorations were originally developed.

Authentic Meisenthal Christmas decoration.

The story goes that in the old days, people used to decorate their tree with items and objects they found in the woods, the garden and the orchards. Those would include pine apples, apples, moss, mistletoe, colourful stones and even shells. The apples and pine apples were the most popular though.

And then one year, famine struck the country and anything slightly edible ended up in the kitchen. Using apples and pine apples for purely decorative purposes would have been a complete waste of good food.

The people of Meisenthal, who had been making glass objects since the 15th century, decided to put their usual trade to good use to create new Christmas decorations. This gave birth to the glass Christmas balls we see nowadays. At first the glass spheres were transparent white, until the master glass blowers started adding colour and shape to the Christmas balls. Or their wives decorated the original white objects with miniature painted scenes.

Today the old factory is closed and some of the former glass blowers now work as tour guides, explaining the production of crystal, the ingredients and techniques that are used, etc. Knowing their business very well, the tour is very interesting. It kept us captivated for almost two hours. It ends in a museum where some of the factory's most prestigious pieces are on display. Amongst them are many vases and bowls created by the great Art Déco artist Emile Gallé who was attached to the Meisenthal factory from 1867 to 1870. Here he developed his famous ‘pâte de verre’ (glass paste) technique.

However, the last part of the visit is the most surprising. There is the mandatory souvenir shop, of course, but in this case it looks more like a glass display case filled with the most exquisite and delicate glass objects. No kitschy or tacky tourist souvenirs here ... I promise you!

Whilst you’re walking through the semi-darkness of the shop – the only light is in the display cases, making the glass and crystal object sparkle like genuine diamonds – you can feel the temperature in the room going up. The closer you get to the large glass wall in the back of the room, the hotter it gets. A door in the said wall leads unto a landing overlooking a workshop. Here the heat strikes you in the face and cuts your breath as soon as you step onto the landing.

In the workshop below a furnace is burning at full power. In front of it are two young men modelling the burning hot glass paste that sits at the end of a two meter long blowing pole. Every now and then they put it back in the furnace to make sure that the glass remains mouldable. Next they roll in through some coloured powder, before blowing more air through the pole, in order to make the glass expand. Finally they put it in a metal mould and continue blowing until the glass object has reached the required shape and volume. Fascinating!

We stayed for about 10 minutes on the landing watching the young men going about their business. Back in the shop we were hot and flushed ... We learned that the temperature near the furnace was somewhere between 50 and 60° C. No wonder those young men looked so skinny!

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The dark days before Christmas

One more day to go and the days will be getting longer again … That’s me, the eternal optimist! But in the meanwhile, we have to struggle through more snow, traffic jams and Season’s dinners.

Yesterday I had a quiet day, cooking traditional Sunday lunch for my mother, writing Greeting cards, watching ‘It’s a Good Life’ with Gary Cooper (Oh yes, that movie is still around, especially this time of year) and seeing the never ending snow clogging up the roads. I’m lucky to have the coming week off from work, so the weather won’t be bothering me too much.

Here’s a selection of photos illustrating my Sunday afternoon!

The decorated tree (China-made): simple yet classy?

or at least, that's what I like to think.

More snow-clogged roads. This is a National road, remember!
And the paradox: in the foreground, my orchids
with the flowers just ready to burst open!.
I'm so proud to have achieved this little miracle in unlikely conditions.

Stamps, envelopes and Christmas cards waiting to be written.

Dinner plans and reservations for Christmas and New Year have been made. So, now it's just a question of making some last minute arrangements. And then we'll be ready to 'attack' 2010! A New Year... a New Challenge! But I'll be back before that!

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DIY Christmas Tree

Some weeks ago I heard on the radio that this year the giant Christmas tree on Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Rome, was cut down in the forests around Spa in the southeast of Belgium. Yesterday, when I got out my artificial tree I noticed that the label read that it was ‘Made in China’. So the Pope gets a tree from Belgium and I get one from … China?!

Mind you, I’m not complaining, as buying this tree three years ago was my own free decision. When I moved into my current ground floor apartment with a tiled floor in 2001– after living for 20 years in a flat on the fourth floor with wall-to-wall fitted carpet, I was really looking forward to putting up a real Christmas tree. It would be so much easier to clean everything up once Christmas and New Year celebrations were over. But I underestimated the tenacity of pine needles!

When in August four years ago, in spite of my weekly cleaning efforts, I still found pine needles in my bedroom – the door window of my bedroom leads to the back yard and I evacuated the tree by that door in January – I knew that the little buggers would be haunting me year after year after year. I therefore decided to buy this artificial tree of Chinese making! At the time, it cost 36 euro. According to statistics, artificial trees have a lifetime of about 10 years. So I won’t need to invest in a new tree in the near future.

 DIY Christmas tree - straight from the box

This tree comes in three parts: the base, the lower part (which is the biggest and heaviest) and the top. You just build up it from the ground and then pull the branches into place. The branches of the bottom part are attached to the central trunk by little hinges. They fold out nicely and fall into place easily. The top part is slightly trickier, as there are no hinges here. Finally, you pull the side branches into place. This requires some artistic insight and a lot of walking backwards and forwards, in order to judge the aesthetic aspect of the whole matter. Et voilà! Once you’re happy with the result, the tree is ready to be decorated.

This is the point we got to last night. We put in the two sets of lights: in the top a string of white LED lights with decorative pearls attached to them. And in the bottom part a ‘guirlande’ of little red hearts … Can you think of anything more romantic?

I’ll finish the rest of the decorating today, so that I can show you the finished result tomorrow. How are your Christmas decorations coming along? Is the tree up yet?

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Civet de Marcassin – the recipe

During our yearly early December outing to the Gaume region, I usually buy some wild boar meat to make a ‘civet de marcassin’. This year was no different, and I bought a kilogram of extremely nice lean meat at a little butcher’s shop in Habay-la-Neuve. It cost just over 10 euro, which is very good value, considering that 1 kilogram will serve four.

These are the ingredients you need:

1 kg of lean wild boar meat cut into 5 to 7 cm diameter chunks
150 grams of ‘lardons’, strips of lean salted bacon
150 grams of mushrooms
2 medium-sized onions
2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
½ litre of game stock (you can also use red wine or a dark abbey beer), but I prefer the game stock
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of red currant jelly or any other sweet-sour jelly
2 small tablespoons of flower
3 to 4 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
3 bay leaves

This is what you do:

Put a generous portion of butter in a frying pan; let it meld until it is sizzling golden brown. Sear the chunks of boar meat in the hot butter. It’s best to do this in small batches. Add a little more butter before putting in the following batch. Before putting in the meat, make sure that it is nice and dry. Best is to wipe it with a paper kitchen towel before throwing it in the hot butter. That way, you avoid that the meat starts boiling in its own juices.

Set the pan with the meat aside and start preparing the other ingredients. Roughly slice the onions, clean the mushrooms and cut them into slices.

Next, put a tablespoon of butter in a 'Le Creuset' type pot and add the sliced onion. Stir well until the onion becomes transparent. Add the strips of bacon and let them fry gently with the onions. Add a generous tablespoon of Dijon mustard and stir in well. I admit that at this point the mixture doesn’t look very attractive… but persevere… the result will be worth your while!

Add the chunks of fried meat to the pot and stir well. At this point add pepper and salt to taste. Next gently shake two small tablespoons of flower over the meat and the other ingredients. In French this is called ‘singer’. Use a wooden spatula to stir the flower into the pot’s content.

Add enough game stock (or wine or beer) to cover 80% of the pot’s content. Stir again. Put in the bay leaves, the thyme, the sugar and the red currant jelly. Stir one last time, for now … Put the lid on the pot, turn down the heat to a slow simmer, and let gently bubble away for at least 2.5 hours. Check every 30 minutes or so to control the heat and to stir all the ingredients so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. After 2.5 hours, add the raw sliced mushrooms and rectify the taste by adding some more sugar, pepper or salt, if necessary. Let simmer for another 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, but let the pot sit on the stove to cool down.

'Civet de marcassin’ can be eaten straight away with mashed potatoes or ‘croquettes’, half a oven cooked apple filled with cranberry sauce, or a pear stewed in red wine or braised endives. But like most stews … it’s even better the next day. Just heat it up gently for half an hour and serve the same way!

I bet you’ll like it. Bon appétit!

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First snow

I know I promised you a post with the recipe of the 'civet de marcassin' (wild boar stew).  But I suppose it will hold till tomorrow. So therefore, and just to share this year's first snow in Belgium with you ... Here's a picture of the view from my kitchen window yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m.

After taking the photo, I walked over to my mother's house and the snow had that nice 'crunch-crunch' feel and sound to it; like good and authentic snow should have.

Of course, there is always the reverse side of the medal ... over 500 km of traffic jams in a country that only mesures 308 km from one end to the other. Can you believe that? I pity the poor people who were stuck in those traffic jams.

I could have been one of them, but luckily I'm on holiday till December 28th! Having no children, I always volunteer to work between Christmas and the New Year. It's great, because there is no traffic and, although there is a lot to be done - especially in our line of business -, the atmosphere is relaxed. I'm not going as far as saying  "I can't wait to be there", but it's not unpleasant at all!

Are you working during the Holiday Season?

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Wild boar running free

Twenty to thirty years ago eating wild boar was considered as a luxury. The meat was rare and rather expensive. It was only available during the hunting season, from the beginning of October till the end of January. And you only had it on very special occasions. But times have changed and today you can get the meat all year round. That’s mainly due to the fact that the hunt is no longer limited to the above mentioned months. And for once the environmentalist and animal protection organizations don’t protest. Over the last years the number of wild boar has rapidly increased and in some regions the animals even disturb the ecological balance and become a menace to the population.

Photo : www.lavalleesauvage.com

Some years ago we were having lunch on the terrace of a restaurant in the tiny village of Willers, in France just across the border with Belgium. Suddenly we heard a rustle in the nearby undergrowth, followed by a snorting noise. Luckily the undergrowth was fenced in because to our surprise the snout of a fierce wild board appeared from between the branches. The animal stared at us with nasty eyes and stamped with one of his short forepaws. When my friend ticked with his knife against his glass, thus producing a sharp, high-pitched noise, the wild boar snorted again, turned around and disappeared in the bushes.

When the waitress came to serve our meal we told her what had happened and asked whether the boar was the restaurant’s pet. She looked slightly alarmed. “No, of course not. Was he back?” she enquired. It turned out that the boar which was a wild one, had been terrorizing the village for weeks. One day it had walked into the village square where it had chased after a little Yorkshire terrier belonging to one of the villagers. The little dog had made a narrow escape and the boar had been back regularly looking for a new victim. Hunters had tried to track it down, but the animal had always managed to disappear in the woods before someone could take a shot at it.

To reduce the overpopulation organized hunting is authorized all year round. The ‘civet de marcassin’ is the most common type of boar meat available. The low fat meat is cut in chunks with a diameter of 5 to 7 cm. It’s stewed on a low heat for two to three hours until it is nice and tender. The name ‘marcassin’ is in fact wrongly used as a ‘marcassin’ is a baby boar, a piglet, while the ‘civet’ is from an adult animal. The little piglets look particularly cute with their striped coat, which makes it looks as if they were wearing pajamas

In an earlier post – When Miss Piggy goes walkabout – I’ve written about an old practice that consists of breeding piglets with a wild boar and a domestic pig, thus creating a ‘sanglochon’, a half-breed swine with an extremely tender and slightly gamy tasting meat. The ‘sanglochon’ piglets are the cutest, with either a striped bottom and pink top, or the other way round.

Last week we had ‘civet de marcassin’ twice: the first time at La Bleue Maison and the second time, on Sunday, my home made version. Although they tasted slightly different, they were both delicious. I’ll post the recipe of my home made version tomorrow, in case you’re interested.

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Silent Wednesday

December 2009 - Les Plats Canailles de la Bleue Maison
Habay-la-Neuve
The perfect restaurant to enjoy dinner on a cold winter evening.
Looks like something out of a fairy tale, doesn't it?

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Treasure hunt ?

Last Thursday we decided to drive to Bouillon near the French border. In summer the town is an extremely popular tourist destination, as it located in very attractive settings. Hikers like the hilly surrounding countryside and the shallow yet sometimes rough Semois River is perfect for people who want to row downstream in a kayak.

The Semois River: perfect to get out your kayak!

In autumn gourmets from all over Belgium come to Bouillon to feast on the local ‘cuisine’. October and November are ‘game season’ and the forests and fields in the area make ideal hunting grounds to supply the local restaurants with wild boar, deer, hare, pheasants, partridges, wood pigeon, etc. Like La Roche, Bouillon has numerous restaurants serving the local specialties.

The main attraction, however, is the Château. The origin of the first buildings goes all the way back to the 8th century. It was expanded by its successive owners until it reached its actual impressive size. It’s a huge place towering over the little town of Bouillon and the Semois River. Until 1830 – the year in which Belgium became independent – the castle was occupied by troops of the different nations that, at some time in history, ruled over Belgium. In chronological order and starting in the 14th century that would be: Burgundy, Austria, Spain, Austria (again), France and the Netherlands.

Just a small part of the Château de Bouillon.
You need a panoramic lense to get the whole place in one single shot.

The castle’s history is closely linked to Godefroid de Bouillon, one of the knights who led the first crusade to Jerusalem in 1096. To sponsor this trip, he sold all his belongings, including the castle and its grounds. He set out with an army of 40.000 men. On the way down to the Holy Country, more noblemen and knights joined the travelling army which grew into a gigantic battle force of over 100.000 soldiers. Unfortunately not all the men who joined the group had noble intentions. Many of them were ordinary adventurers only interested in enriching themselves. Arriving in Jerusalem, they showed their true colours. After recapturing the city in 1099, they started pillaging, raping and mistreating the local population in the most brutal way. This explains the ill reputation the crusaders got in later years.

Another part of the castle. Notice the two bridges!

Unlike La Roche, the Château of Bouillon isn’t haunted. However, I personally know of a treasure that must still be lying around there. How do I know? Well, in the eighties, the company I was working for at the time invited a group of clients to Bouillon to spend a gastronomic weekend in one of the many hotels. The stay included a guided tour of the castle. After the visit and back at the hotel, the wife of one of the clients shrieked: “I’ve lost my diamond in the Château.” My boss was of course very annoyed with the whole affaire, until he discovered that the lady had only lost one itsy bitsy little diamond that was set in an impressive ring containing some forty or fifty similar miniature stones. Considering the size of the château and that of the diamond, we knew that it was useless to go back as it would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack.

So, unless someone has found it since, the diamond must still be there. Care to go and look for it? And in case you want to know, the lady didn’t sue our company for the loss of the precious miniature stone!

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Unexpected lunch

Last Wednesday, after our visit to La Roche we drove to the town of Arlon, which is the capital of Belgian’s most southern Province, Luxemburg, not to be confounded with the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, which is an independent country in its own right.

We intended to have a light lunch at a Brazilian restaurant, called the Bossa Nova. The Chef is Belgian, but his wife is of Brazilian origin, and they do the greatest ‘Mojito’s’ and ‘Moqueta Mista’. But for reasons unknown, our usual luck seemed to have run out. The restaurant was closed for renovation works. No worry, we thought, there is a nice place just around the corner where they do a superb ‘confit the canard’ … Guess what! Since July, the last time we were in Arlon, the restaurant had changed hands and was now called ‘El Riad’; serving Moroccan type dishes such as Tajines and Couscous. Although they can be delicious, they are not really my cup of tea. What were we to do?

After concerting for a little while, we decided to drive straight to Habay-la-Neuve and have lunch at the restaurant of our hotel. They were doing a great lunch (appetizers, main course and dessert) at 19 euros per person, which is a bargain considering the rates they apply for dinner.

When we arrived, our favourite table by the fireplace was taken – we hadn’t booked in advance – but the wine waiter promised us that it would be ours later that evening when we came back to have dinner (which turned into a light supper as we had too much to eat during lunch!). From our little table by the window we had a nice view of the garden and the giant open air chess board.

Habay-la Neuve: view of the garden, the chess board and - in the background - part of the hotel.

Lunch consisted of three appetizers: a ‘moule à la ficelle’ (Spanish mussel stuffed with a meat pâté), a ‘portion of garlic fried shell-less cockles’ and a slice of smoked fish on toast. The main course was a ‘civet the marcassin’ (wild boar stew) with Spätzels from the Alsace and a ‘mache’ salad. Finally, dessert was a mango soup with vanilla ice cream and vanilla ‘espuma’ (foam).

With it we had a glass of red Anjou and some sparkling water. After our meal, we went for a short walk around the lake, before returning to our room for a nap. Although, the day hadn’t really turned out as we had initially planned it, the Brazilian restaurant being closed, we really had a nice and relaxing time.

By the way does anybody know how to prepare a ‘Moqueta mista’? I know it has fish, shrimps, mussels, vegetables and rice in it. The light tomato sauce is made with coconut milk and peanut oil. But that’s about all I know. Your suggestions and recipes are more than welcome.

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Haunted ?

It was cold and drizzly when we set out last Wednesday morning for a mini-vacation in the Belgian Gaume region. I have written about this atypical part of Belgium in an earlier post here (and following posts).

But first we wanted to visit the Château de La Roche. As a two-three year old I used to spend some summer holidays in the nearby village of Erezée and the Château de La Roche-en-Ardenne used to be a standard day excursion. I was too young at the time to remember much of these daytrips, but La Roche has always had a touch of ‘grandeur’ to me.

The best I could do, considering the weather conditions!

The Château sits on the bluff of Deister overlooking a meander in the Ourthe River. It’s a medieval castle of which the first parts date from the 9th century. These were built on Celtic vestiges. New buildings and ramparts were added in the 11th and 12th century. Over the centuries a lot of building and rebuilding was done, as show the remains from the 15th century. Recent excavations led to the discovery of a 16th century clock, which is now on display in the local town hall.

In the 17th century the French king Louis XIV discovered the strategic position of the castle and built a ‘Royal Logis’ within the fortress' walls. He also asked one of Vauban’s pupils to reinforce the ramparts and donjons. From 1681 till 1688 the castle of La Roche lived his high days.

The Château’s decline started in 1720 when a fire destroyed large parts of the castle. When Belgium came under Austrian rule, the Austrian king Joseph II lost interest in La Roche, abandoning the caste in 1780. In the 19th century it was ravaged by vandals.

In the 20th century is was heavily bombed during the Battle of the Ardennes in December 1944, during the Second World War. Today local associations try to give new life to the ruined castle by organizing guided tours and medieval-like events. However, all activities come to a halt when it starts snowing and freezing as the steep and winding road leading up to the castle becomes too dangerous.

The Ourthe River and the village of La Roche seen from the hill opposite the castle.

During the summer months, La Roche is packed with, mainly Dutch tourists. There are numerous camping grounds in the area and the town itself has too many restaurants, snacks and bars to mention. However, the main attraction from July 11th till August 22nd, is the the Ghost of La Roche appearing on the ramparts of the Château. In the dark, the brightly lit castle stands out against the black night sky and then it happens … A ghostly feetless creature, clad in a white flowing sheet, wanders along the top of the ramparts looking for ... What? Down in the town, children start to scream and adults feel cold shivers going down their spine in spite of the warm evening air.

Mind you, the ghost is somewhat capricious, as it refuses to come out when it’s raining or when there are too strong winds. Maybe it’s afraid that its pristine white sheet will get dirty and wet, or even worse, that it’ll be blown away by the wind revealing the well-kept secret of the Ghost's identity.

Last Wednesday being a cold an drizzly winter's day, we didn't get to see the Ghost, of course. I guess it's tightly tucked away till next summer ...

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Stonemanor

After this little intermission, I propose to pick up the story where we left off last Tuesday. I believe I was about to tell you all about our visit to the Stonemanor store in our village and our British lunch. Telling about my week off is lot easier when I’m proceeding in a chronological order. The Châteaux of La Roche-en-Ardenne and Bouillon will come next.

Now Stonemar, remember, is a kind of grocery store catering for the many British and American Expats living in and around Brussels. It carries a vast assortment of dry and fresh food of the main overseas brands. To us Belgians, it looks all very exotic and unusual. Having spent some time in England as a teenager, I do know a few of them and seeing their familiar labels and packaging brings back a lot of happy memories. Click here to learn more about Stonemar and the assortment that they carry.

Impressive assortment of British cheeses. Never knew there were so many!

I usually shop there once a year for Christmas Cards, ‘bangers’ and steak and kidney pie. Although I love steak and kidney pie, I’ve never managed to make one that tasted as good as the ones from Marks and Spencer’s, not to mention the excellent pies my ‘second mum’ in Deal used to prepare. If you have a recipe you would like to share with me and other readers, please to so.

After our first visit on Monday, when I bought some Christmas cards, we returned there on Tuesday to get some fresh produce. We arrived somewhere around 10.30 a.m., just in time to see a gigantic supply lorry pulling out. It crosses the Channel several times per week bringing in fresh produce from the UK.

We immediately walked over to cheese and meat counter and were greeted by the delightful smell of freshly baked steak and kidney pies. We bought two + a roasted chicken pie, which looked delicious too. We also bought a bottle of Babychamp, a most ghastly sweet bubbly that reminds me of my childhood when it came in cute one portion size bottles. Right now, it’s still sitting in the fridge waiting for a special occasion, when we are ready to take a trip down memory lane. Winter evenings always make a sentimental!

Next we returned to the second floor to get some more Christmas cards and a pair of fluffy slippers/home socks that had caught my eye the day before. As I couldn’t decide on which colour to take, I solved my dilemma by buying two pairs; one pink and one lilac. They look very kitschy but are great to slip into when watching TV on a cold winter evening.

The store was very busy, with people buying shiny Christmas crackers, typical Christmas pudding, eggnog and various ingredients that they will be using to prepare a typical British or American Christmas dinner. The staff is very helpful, and unlike cashiers in Belgian supermarkets, helps you putting your stuff in boxes and plastic bags. Although you have to pay for these flimsy bags nowadays (and that goes for all supermarkets in Belgium), a lot of people don’t mind and still don’t bring their own shopping bag. The trend is changing though … slowly but surely.

Anyone interested in a baggle?

Driving home, the tantalizing aroma of the freshly baked pies filled the car. Yet, it was too early to eat, so we stopped at our favourite local bar for a pre-luncheon drink. Half an hour later, our pies were warming up in the oven, while my friend set the table and opened a bottle of Saumur Champigny.

Steak and kidney pies and a roasted chicken pie
all crispy and warm from the oven.

We had some ‘mache’ and cold finely sliced Belgian endives with our pies. It was an unusual, internationally tinted meal, full of flavour and utterly delightful. Is this post making you hungry?

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Black Death

We're hardly back from our little trip to the Belgian Gaume region, and already disaster has struck. My desktop computer has caught the 'Black Death'. You may have heard about it! It's a 'leak' in a recent Windows update that installs itself automatically. All of a sudden, while you're typing or Photoshopping your monitor turns black and the PC switches itself off ... leaving you with a lot of unsaved material. Apparently, there isn't much you can do about it ... just turn your PC on again and hope it won't happen again before you've saved your work.

Unless YOU have found a solution you would like to share with the other victims!

Luckily I have my new laptop which is still functioning as it should. (Let's keep our fingers crossed!)

A photo that has strictly nothing to do with today's subject,
but brings back great memories. Champagne vineyards in 2007, or was it 2008?

By the way our little getaway was fun. We visited some more Belgian castles. The company and excellent food made up for the endless rain and dark clouds. NO snow though! Full report tomorrow ...

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Little time

Yesterday I promised you a post about our 'Stonemanor', the place-to-do-your-shopping when you are an English or American Expat living in Belgium. For the first time in my short blogging history, I won't be able to live up to my promise as I still have a multitude of things to do before we leave for our little midweek trip.

To make up for it, here's a photo of the side road leading to our favourite hotel as it was last year at the same periode.

If we are to believe the weather people, we won't run into this again in the coming days. Pity ... as I wouldn't mind being snowed in there ... It's such a lovely place!
I'll be back in a couple of days!

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Unusual Christmas shopping

I’m having the week off from work, so my friend and I did some early Christmas shopping. It turned out to be a very unusual expedition. I drive past this shopping mall every morning when going to work. The Christmas decorations are just fabulous, but unfortunately I can’t stop to shoot a picture as the road is very busy and there is no place to park safely. Daytime photos just don’t look so good.

Looks fabulous in the dark when the lights are turned on!

Although it’s early days, we decided to drive over there and have a look at what was on offer. I already have some vague ideas about what to buy for my family, but I wanted a quiet look around before the large shopping crowds arrive. The place wasn’t too busy, so we got a chance to look around quietly. However, we found nothing to our liking. Even the Christmas cards looked lousy. So we quickly moved on until we saw this Champagne stand.

Moët and Chandon Rosé and Brut!

It was almost noon, so we decide to stop and have a little aperitif. At first we were the only clients, but we had hardly sat down, when other people decided that a glass of Champagne wasn't be such a bad idea!

After finishing our drinks, we did something we haven’t done in years … We went and got ourselves a hamburger meal at the mall’s Quick restaurant. Quick is Belgian’s equivalent to MacDonald’s and – at the risk of offending someone – we like the Quick hamburgers a lot better.

My friend had a Giant and I settled for a Supreme Cheese. We had some (French) fries with them and a genuine Coke!

Quick hamburgers, fries and Coke!

We returned home empty handed. And then my friend remembered Stonemanor, the English store in our village, catering for the large colony of Expats in the neighbourhood. Not only does the store carry a vast assortment of English and American food and specialties, they also offer a vast collection of unique Christmas cards. We stopped in there, and marvelled over the enormous Stilton cheeses, the frozen turkeys that came in three different sizes, Twining teas, unfamiliar kitchen utensils, …

We bought some cute, yet styleful Christmas cards and two birthday cards for my former mum-in-law and my cousin.

I’ll try and post some photos of our visit to the Stonemanor tomorrow. After that I will be abandoning you for a short while, as on Wednesday we’re off for yet another midweek break in the Belgian Gaume.

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Saint Nicolas Day

Yesterday, December 6th, was Saint Nicolas Day in Belgium. He is considered as the patron saint of the mariners and small children. The Bishop of Myra, as Saint Nicolas was originally called, was born in the year 270 A.C. in Pataras in Asia. He is said to have brought three unfortunate orphans back to life. During a storm they had sought refuge in a butcher shop. The cruel butcher looking for an easy profit, drugged the children, killed them and cut them into pieces, after which he then put them in a tank filled with brine.

The Bishop of Myra who happened to be passing by saw what had happened and brought the children back to life. The good man himself died on December 6th, 340.

Saint Nicolas in his typical outfit

For children in Belgium, Holland and France December 6th is the best day of the year, because on this particular day Saint Nicolas showers them with candy and toys.

The ‘Sint’, as he’s commonly called, arrives in November. He comes from Spain, where he lives and travels to Antwerp in a steamer. He’s accompanied by his white horse and several ‘Black Peters’. The head Peter has a large book in which he keeps an update of how children have behaved over the last year. Good children get gifts, bad children are punished. That is why so many very small children are afraid of the Black Peters.

On the eve of Saint Nicolas day, you put your shoe by the chimney. In it you put a carrot for the ‘Sint’s’ horse and next to it you leave a cup of coffee for Saint Nicolas and a glass of beer for Black Peter. The beer is a recent addition! Don’t forget to leave a letter with a list of the gifts you want to receive. You can also mail in advance … our Belgian post will make sure that your letter arrives! Make sure to give your parents a copy in case the letter gets lost. The next morning, and if you have been good, the carrot will be gone and the cup and glass will be empty. Next to them you’ll find chocolate, ‘speculoos’, tangerines and toys. Mind you, you don’t always get what you’ve asked for …

For years, for instance, I asked for a miniature electric train, but I never got one. My father explained to me that he had told the ‘Sint’ that little girls didn’t play with miniature trains. What a shame! However, being an only child, Saint Nicolas has always been very generous to me. I got Barbie dolls and clothes, a small record player, a cassette deck, …

By the time you turned twelve, the trick was let your parents think that you still believed in Saint Nicolas. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. Although I’m over fifty now, my mother still buys me a little something on Saint Nicolas Day.

Over the years Santa Claus has become a serious competitor to Saint Nicolas, but I have the impression that lately the good man is gaining some ground again. Good traditions don’t die, do they?

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Dilemma

I can’t decide what to post about today. On the one hand today, December 6th, is ‘Saint Nicolas’ day, a very special day in Belgium, especially for the children. And on the other hand, I have my pork roast in the oven … to be served presently ‘Maréchal style’. Yesterday I more or less promised to post the recipe.

June 2009 - somewhere near Loches

Any suggestions?

I’ll be back later today, as soon as I’ve made up my mind!

*****

Okay, I’ve made up my mind. I'm sticking to yesterday's promise. Saint Nick will drop in tomorrow!

Roasted pork Maréchal style is an old tradition in my family, although my mother and I only discovered its official name last Thursday. When my husband and father were still alive, my mother used to prepare it on a regular basis when my husband and I came over for Sunday lunch. Everybody loved it, and it was always a big success. Since my father died in 1997 the recipe somehow got into oblivion, although we've kept fond memories of it.

Sometime last week, when I was trying to come up with an original idea for Sunday lunch, the ‘Maréchal’ suddenly popped up in my mind. On Thursday I asked my mother about the recipe and she got out her old cookbook, trying to find it. It was there and then we discovered the dish's original name. Before that, we used to call it ‘pork, with mushrooms and pieces of ham and a cheese sauce’.

Preparing this classic dish today for the first time for my mother who used to make it almost blindfolded was quite a challenge. Would it live up to her expectations?

This is what you need (serves 4)

- A ‘carré’ the pork of about 1kg. The carré is the lean part attached to the pork chops.

- 250 grams of button mushrooms
- 4 slices of’ Jambon blanc’ (cooked or braised ham)
- A fistful of grated cheese (I used Comté but any grated cheese will do)
- Butter, milk and/or cream
- Salt, pepper, nutmeg and a tablespoon of flower
- The juice of one lemon

This is what you do.

Meld a generous piece of butter in a skillet. When the butter stops foaming, put in the piece of pork and sear it gently on both sides. Add pepper and salt to taste. When all the sides are nice and golden brown put in a little splash of water and turn down the heat. Let the roast simmer for maximum one hour.

In the meantime, finely chop the mushrooms. You probably know that you shouldn’t put mushrooms in water, as they will soak it up making them ‘mushy’ and soggy. Just clean them gently using a soft mushroom brush. Sauté them in some butter, adding the lemon juice, pepper and some salt. Next finely chop the slices of ham.

When the pork is done, take it out of the skillet and let it rest for about ten minutes wrapped in aluminum foil. In the meantime make the Maréchal sauce. Make a cheesy béchamel sauce using the butter, flower, millk/cream, nutmeg and grated cheese. Add the sliced and sautéed mushrooms and the ham. Stir well and add some extra lemon juice to give it a bit of ‘tang’.

Cut the pork into thin slices, place them on a serving dish that you’ve put in the oven to pre-heat it, and pour the sauce over the slices of meat. Serve with ‘mach’ and real ‘potato croquettes’. Want to know what ‘croquettes’ are … just drop me a line.

Enjoy!

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Weekend chores

I spent the best part of the morning at the hairdresser salon having a haircut and styling. The owner Marc has studied in Paris and is a real wizard when it comes to cutting hair. He and his wife Nancy employ six trainees and the place is always full and busy, especially on a Saturday morning. I had an appointment at 9 a.m. and when I got there all the seats were already taken. The clients varied from a 1 year old baby who had its first haircut to a buxom eighty-something lady who was obviously having a perm. In spite of his high class training Marc is very versatile and knows how to cater for all ages.

The hairdesser salon on a windy December morning

I was kindly greeted by one of the trainees who took my coat and led me to the washing table. I don’t like going to the hairdresser’s but thoroughly enjoy getting a shampoo. You’re lying there totally relaxed; eyes closed, with the warm water flowing over your head while a young lady with gentle, yet firm fingers washes your hair and massages your scalp. It’s so much better than hanging with your head upside down in the bathtub and water trickling in your eyes while you’re desperately trying to rinse all the shampoo from your hair.

I hate the cutting bit, though. The tiny bits of hair get into your nose, making you sneeze, while the clipping scissors are brushing against your earlobes. I always fear I’m going to walk out with a bit of earlobe missing.

Finally there is the styling. This time I was taken in charge by a smiling young girl, who was obviously of East European origin. She had a very strong unidentifiable accent. When I looked at the other trainees, I noticed that at least three of them had foreign roots too. These girls had obviously come to Belgium with there parents some five, six years ago. They already spoke their native language before coming here and attending beauty school. Apparently hairdressing is a very popular profession among them. And I must say they are extremely good at it. After a training period in a salon like Marc’s, they usually open their own little salon where they often work alone.

I know that most people like going to the hairdresser to get an update on the latest village news and to gossip about other villagers. I prefer being left alone and rarely start a conversation. However, I must admit that I try to listen in on other people’s conversations, which is not always easy when five or six hairdryers are blowing a top speed.

Freshly trimmed and styled I left the salon at about 10.30. It was windy and raining and the girl’s hard work was almost blown away in an instance. Luckily I had taken the car as I had some more shopping to do. I went to the bakery to get some ‘pistolets’ (crispy buns). My favourite village butcher has his shop just next door to the bakery and I walked in to get a ‘carré de porc’ (pork roast) for Sunday lunch. I’ll be preparing it ‘maréchal’ style, with mushrooms and a ham and cheese sauce. I’ll try to post the recipe tomorrow.

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The other Joan of Arc

In 1871, a fresco representing two medallions with the portrait of a man and a woman were discovered on the 15th century mantle piece in the dining room of the Château de Jaulny. For centuries they had been hidden under the stucco. It was the mayor of the village who told the owners about their existence. Apparently they had been hidden by his great-great grandfather on the eve of the French Revolution, following the instructions of Monsieur des Armoises, the former owner of the castle.

A cosy, bright room in the 'Château de Jaulny'. Did Joan of Arc sleep here?

The portraits are said to represent Joan of Arc and her husband Robert des Armoises, an ancestor of the 19th ‘Monsieur’. At the time, the discovery didn’t really surprise the villagers as, since the end of the middle ages, the figure of Joan of Arc had always been closely linked to the history and the traditions of their village.

According to the official history books Joan of Arc was the daughter of Pierre d’Arc, a poor farmer who lived in Domrémy, in the southern Lorraine region. The house where she was supposedly born still exists and is open to the public. At a young age and being very religious, she claimed to have heard voices telling her that she had been chosen to liberate France from the English.

To make a long story short, when Joan went to see the French dauphin in Chinon he agreed to give her an army, which she led to victory by breaking the siege of Orléans in 1429. This turned out to be the turning point in the 100 year war between the French and the English. She also managed to liberate the city of Reims. Unfortunately, in an attempt to liberate Paris in 1430, Joan was captured by the soldiers of the Duke of Burgundy, who sold her to the English. She was charged with heresy and witchcraft, and burned on the stake in Rouen on May 30th, 1431.

So far the official story! But according to Monsieur des Armoises and the 19th century mayor of Jaulny, Joan was saved at the last moment and someone else was executed in her place. She fled to Jaulny, where she married Robert des Armoises. She took his name but never shared his bed. The marriage was only meant to prevent her enemies from finding her. She died of old age and was buried in the village of Pulligny sur Madon, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department. In the local church lies a 15th century tombstone of which the name and date have been clumsily removed in the 18th century. There is a very reasonable chance that it is Joan of Arc’s grave.

This seems too fantastic to be true, and yet there are many indications that Joan was not who the history books pretend. There is no doubt about her existence or her accomplishments. But it’s her ancestry that is put in doubt. As the daughter of a poor farmer she could never have acquired the military and fighting skills to successfully lead an army into battle. And she wouldn’t have had the means to buy a horse and armour. Only a woman of nobility with a rich father would have had access to this.

Then why Joan of Arc, a remarkable woman of noble birth who had done great things for France in the 15th century, was described as a deeply religious and poor farmer’s daughter? And who was responsible for this?

Today we would say that Joan of Arc was given a facelift and a complete ‘makeover’ by the powerful and well respected 18th century clergy. At that time, the French people were very poor and oppressed by the ever richer and demanding nobility. In order to unite them and provoke a Revolution, a national symbolic hero of humble origin with whom they could easily identify themselves, was needed. This gave birth to the myth of the ‘Maid of Orléans’. Inspired by her great deeds, the French peasants raised their shovels and pick axes against the oppressing nobility, sending many of them to the guillotine, where they underwent the same faith as their heroin: a violent and untimely death. Without this moral support, the peasants would have lacked the courage and motivation to revolt against the nobility. It certainly wouldn’t have helped if they had known that Joan was a noble woman herself!

You think this story is sacrilege? Then take a look at the website of the Château de Jaulny and the many books that have been written about the ‘Other Joan of Arc’. Or just drop in at the Château and ask your hostess to tell you all about it. Her story makes a lot of sense and is very convincing, believe me!

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