Carbonnade Flamande
A simple, tasty and easy beef and beer stew.
Servings
4
Ready In:
2 hours and 30min
Good For:
Mains
Inroduction
About this Recipe
Carbonnade flamande is a beef stew which is made using beer instead of wine. Belgium is famous for its beer, so it seemed only right to include it in a recipe. I am also trying to wipe the memory of the beer and cheese soup from my mind and this seemed a good way to do it.
It isn’t the quickest of recipes, but it is simple, tasty and an easy one for the kids to eat. There are many recipes to choose from, this one is from Olivia’s Cuisine. Her recipe is easy to follow with plenty of photographs to help.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chuck roast, trimmed and cut into stew cubes
- 2 11.2oz bottles Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale
- 4 slices bacon
- 3 medium onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 1.5 cups beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 cup fresh parsley
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Marinate the beef with the beer, garlic, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt for 2 hours or overnight.
Step 2
Drain the beef and reserve the marinade. Pat dry the beef with paper towels.
Step 3
In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil until piping hot. Fry the beef in batches, until golden brown on all sides. Reserve.
Step 4
In the same dutch oven, fry the bacon until golden and crisp. Reserve with the beef.
Step 5
Add the onions, a pinch of salt and fry in the bacon fat until caramelized (about ten minutes.)
Step 6
Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until the flour is cooked and the onions are coated.
Step 7
Add the beef broth and scrape the bits stuck in the bottom. Add the reserved marinade, the beef, the bacon and the thyme. Cook for 1.5 hours.
Step 8
Add the brown sugar, parsley, fresh pepper and the mustard. Cook for 30 minutes.
Step 9
Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top and serve with fries.
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Waffles
Waffles
The ultimate fast food dessert.
Servings
4
Ready In:
5min
Good For:
Dessert
Inroduction
About this Recipe
This weekend’s trip to Belgium coincides with my daughter’s birthday so what better way to celebrate than with waffles. These went down an absolute storm in our house with demands for them again.
To be honest what isn’t there to like about waffles? We topped ours with fruit and melted chocolate but you can put almost anything on them from cream to bananas or simply icing sugar.
If you are lucky enough to have your own waffle maker then you get the fun of making your own, alternatively most supermarkets sell packs of pre-made waffles, making waffles one of the ultimate fast food puddings you can create.
Enjoy! We did – all 8 mini waffles disappeared in one birthday sitting.
Ingredients
- 1 packet waffles
- 200g mixed berries
- 10g dark chocolate
- for dusting icing sugar
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Warm the chocolate in the microwave until it has melted.
Step 2
Place a waffle on a plate, top with a handful of mixed berries and drizzle some melted chocolate over the top. Dust with icing sugar if desired.
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Ardenne Pate
Ardenne Pate
The perfect quick lunchs.
Servings
4
Ready In:
5min
Good For:
Starter
Inroduction
About this Recipe
Having just moved house, this weekend’s recipes were always going to be challenging, however we have selected a duo of super quick meals. There may be a little cheating involved, but I think that it is fair.
We are starting with Ardenne Pate, given time you can make your own however we opted to buy ours. We served it with some toast sour dough and a side salad.
Delicious and quick, my motto this weekend. Sorry Belgium, will try harder for Italy!
Ingredients
- 1 packet Ardenne pate
- 1 loaf sour dough
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Slice the sour dough loaf and lightly toast under the grill.
Step 2
Serve the pate with slices of the sour dough toast and some salad on the side.
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Frites
Frites
Frites with mayonnaise – simple and delicious.
Servings
4
Ready In:
20min
Good For:
Mains
Inroduction
About this Recipe
Now I know what you are thinking – Frites! That’s not a recipe that is just putting some chips in the oven. She’s not trying is she? Well let me explain.
Friteries are everywhere in Brussels, they are a national staple. Some stands also sell ‘moules et frites’ – another Belgian favourite, but I’m not quite ready for the battle of getting a toddler to eat a moule! And I’m not sure I could do it myself either.
Also making Frites is not a simple as it sounds. They have to be thick cut – not those thin French fries. You also have to find a paper container to serve them in – well you don’t actually but hey it’s fun. Lastly the sauce is not ketchup but mayonnaise instead which is very popular in this house.
I think I might start a series on chip recipes from around the world, we have Belgian Frites and Canadian Poutine, I’ll look for more.
Lastly I’ll confess, it was my little girl’s birthday party yesterday and I needed an easy recipe. Sorry, but don’t let that detract from the taste. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- thick cut chips
- paper container
- to serve mayonnaise
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Cook the chips according to the instructions on the packet.
Step 2
Fill up a paper container with chips and top with some mayonnaise.
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Chocolate Mendiants
Chocolate Mendiants
Thin chocolate circles that melt in the mouth.
Servings
30
Ready In:
1 hour 20 minutes
Good For:
Dessert
Inroduction
About this Recipe
The last recipe in my trio is my reward for surviving this weekend. Chocolate mendiants are so simple to make, three simple steps and voila! beautiful chocolates.
I found the chocolate mendiant recipe on Belgium chef Emmanuel Stroobant’s website. It has a delicious chocolate truffle recipe with it too – definitely worth a try.
The weather has been ridiculously hot (for London) this week, so we had to make these in the morning and put them in the fridge to get them to set. The nuts were not to everyone’s taste but you can decorate them however you want on top, so we all made our own ones.
I hope my photograph does them justice. Tuck in, they won’t hang around.
Ingredients
- 300g dark chocolate
- 50g pistachio nuts
- 50g almond flakes
- 50g California raisins
- 20g chopped hazelnuts
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Melt the dark chocolate in a Bain-Marie or over a hot water bath.
Step 2
On waxed parchment paper, drop small spoonfuls of melted chocolate and use the back of the spoon to ease to make a circle. Set two or three toppings on the chocolate circles.
Step 3
Put the sheet in a cool place for the chocolate to harden and then remove carefully once it is set.