Groot-Bijgaarden & Bluebells

Here 'tis, the end of June already. Summer has finally arrived here in Brussels...admittedly late, but welcome as ever. I have been so busy soaking up every possible ounce of warmth and sunshine, that I have not given much thought to the blog this week. But, as luck would have it, I started a post about a rare sunny, warm springtime weekend we enjoyed in late April, and somehow never got around to posting it. Since it's mostly pretty pictures of flowers, it seems the perfect way to wrap up this pretty month.

Since we're a trifle en retard, I won't write too much about our visit to the Groot-Bijgaarden -- a fortified residence about 7 km from Brussels that dates back to the 12th(!) century -- but instead will just offer a few lovely images of the grounds and the spectacular springtime flowers.


Troy is the lion, guarding the 14th century entrance to the castle


Sitting in a field of flowers


Gorgeous tulips!


Variegated tulips


A river of narcissus...


And a sea of tulips


Springtime happiness

The next day we went out to the Bois de Halle for a hike amidst the forest's fabled bluebell carpet. I visited the Bois de Halle with my friend Cornelle last year and, as she is a talented photographer, she knew the best time of day to capture the light. Under her direction, I captured some amazing shots, so good that we didn't bother trying to one-up ourselves this year. Instead we just strolled and talked and soaked in some forest peace.

Hope that you have had a sunny and peaceful June. Now it's on to high summer and July...

Groot-Bijgaarden Photo Album - Click Here

Houseguests, Birthdays, Friends, and Pie

June has been a crazy month for us. First, we sold our apartment in the US, which involved a 10 day trip to Colorado for Troy while I manned the fort here. We were really glad that we were able to sell it, but even so, what a relief it is to have that finished!

As it happens, Troy flew back from the States the same morning that my best friend Angie arrived here from Germany. Angie directs the international sales department of a high-end audio company, a position that brings her to Europe several times a year. She was able to tack on a few days at the end of her latest trip to come visit us in Brussels -- hooray! Whereas on her last visit she was hobbled with a broken foot and the weather was bitter cold, this time we were both sound of feet and the days were long and warm(ish). So, it was with a very light heart that I ran down to the Gare du Midi to pick them both up at the station. It was a little bit like something out of a movie!


At the Châtelain Market


At the always-packed Mamma Roma, our favorite pizza place here in Brussels


Underneath the Place Royale (on the now subterranean Rue Isabelle) at the Coudenberg Museum

Angie spent three days here, which provided us with perhaps the most uninterrupted stretch of time to just hang out and talk that we've had in years. We visited the Châtelain Market, checked out a show at the Music Village (coincidentally the KMGs again!), went shopping, visited a cool underground museum, ate lots of good food, and talked ourselves silly. Poor Troy said it was like listening to a couple of magpies!


Enjoying some fine Belgian beers at the Music Village


The KMGs squeezed nine players on that tiny stage!


Two of my very favorite people in the world!!!

We had such a nice visit, and I was very sorry to see Angie go. We're already looking forward to the next visit! Thankfully, though, I didn't have much time to get sad as I had to start planning for the next big event: Troy's birthday! The first project was cookie baking, though this year's output was slightly smaller at just 84 biscotti since we didn't have a class to worry about this time around. Since Troy has been traveling a lot recently and had an early train to England the morning after his birthday, we decided to keep his day-of celebration rather chill, and I made one of his favorite meals: fajitas and guacamole!


The birthday boy!


These peppers were SO gorgeous. The pic doesn't do the colors justice.


A colorful meal and a yummy one too!

While recently I have ventured into making cakes for Troy's birthday, this year we went in a different direction. We were shopping at the Flagey Market after we dropped Angie at the airport and spied a beautiful bunch of fresh rhubarb. With delectable strawberries now arriving daily from Wépion, I decided to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie, another of Troy's favs. (As an aside, I fashioned a make-shift pie guard out of aluminum foil and it worked perfectly! Evenly baked crust and edges!)


Strawberry Rhubarb Birthday Pie, hot from the oven

Troy and I don't really do presents anymore, but when I found an antique copy of some of O Henry's short stories at a second-hand bookshop in the neighborhood, I couldn't resist picking it up for him.


Troy with his vintage book



Since we celebrated seulement à deux on Troy's actual birthday, we decided to have our friends Josh and Maisie over for brunch on Saturday morning to celebrate once more. Using a French-language cookbook and an English-language cookbook written by a Parisian (just take a second, it will make sense), plus adding a healthy dose of my own ideas, I made what turned out to be a de-li-cious quiche as the main part of the meal. Troy, always charming, said it was the best quiche he had ever eaten in his life.


Tarte aux lardons et oignons

Troy's extended-birthday-weekend ended up being a super fun one! The evening after the brunch, we went off to a birthday party for one of Troy's colleagues. Then on Sunday, we met up with some friends to watch the Italy - New Zealand match at a local pub, followed by a fun apéro at one of my choir friend's houses. Whew! We're so grateful for all of our friends, and what a fun few weeks we've gotten to spend with everyone.

Culinaria, Trop Bon

My dear mother-in-law (no seriously, she's great) famously described me as "An Eater" at my first family dinner chez Raarup back when Troy and I were first dating. Though perhaps not the way one would love to be introduced to the family, it's a pretty apt description and one that Troy still uses. As I've said before, I grew up in a family where meals were eaten together and broad palates were encouraged from an early age. But, since moving to Europe, my interest in all things food, beer, and wine related has exploded, prompted by both the gift of time to pursue this passion and by immersion in a culture that embraces it. Food is not just utilitarian for me, nor are cooking and eating just tasks to be checked off the daily list (though it is important to note I am cognizant of and profoundly grateful for the luxury of my position in the world that affords me this view).

So you can imagine my excitement this past Friday when some of my girlfriends and I set out for a day at the ultimate fête gastronome - Culinaria. This epicurian event combines food and wine, cooking and product demonstrations, gourmet food vendors, and tasting menus assembled by 16 Michelin-starred Belgian chefs who hold among them 26 (yes 26) Michelin stars. And, as if all this wasn't enough, the event was held on a spectacular summery day and the venue was the super cool Tour & Taxis, an exemplary urban adaptive reuse project, having converted the enormous former Royal customs depot into a modern multi-use (eat, work, shop, play) facility. So what we have here is my perfect storm of bliss: food, wine, chocolate, historic architecture, sunshine, and friends.


Royal Depot, main hall

This is inside the Royal Depot, which is now the main hall at Tour & Taxis. The ground floor is restaurants and retail, while the upper floors contain offices. Windows in the floor show the old railroad tracks left in situe as part of the conversion--such a cool historical and design choice.


Arched entry-way, Royal Depot

Every detail was thoughtfully completed. The dramatic uplighting set off these already beautiful columns and arched ceiling.


My lovely foodie friends: Cat, Leah, Patty, Eléonore, and Ashley.

Our event 'passports' granted us our choice of 1 of 4 tasting menus, comprising two entrées (appetizers), one plat (main plate), and a dessert. Each course was paired with a dégustation de vin (tasting-sized glass of wine), plus water and Nepresso coffee to round it out. Between the six of us we managed to sample all four menus, and every bite I tried was delectable.



This is entrée 1 from my menu: Féra du Lac Léman pochée au beurre salé, quinoa aux algues et radis, et beurre d’érable, courtesy of Dôme. It was served with a glass of Domaines Ott Clos Mireille Blanc de Blanc (Roughly translated: Swiss lake fish poached in salted butter accompanied by quinoa, algae, and radishes, served with a glass of Provençal white.)



Menu 2 featured what might have been the single most hedonistic course of the day: Lard de ferme confit, souflé et laqué aux epices, courtesy of Chez Bru. (Roughly translated: Candied bacon lacquered in spices.)



This was my main plate, and though I am not normally a lamb person (for a variety of reasons), I have to confess that I love it on a special occasion, when it is prepared well. This was: Agneau rôti au cumin, safran, potimarron, et piment, courtesy of Sea Grill. It was served with a glass of Cantos de Valpiedra Rioja. (Roughly translated: Roasted lamb with cumin, saffron, pumpkin, and pimento, served with a Spanish red.)



The fine fellows at De Koopvaardij presented this ode-to-Magritte dessert, charmingly titled 'Ceci n'est pas une orange', which was as delicious as it was beautiful and clever. The cardamom infused ice cream was heavenly against the tart orange flavors.



These are "trees" made of CHOCOLATE. There were also chocolate "flowers", and buckets full of "blossoms". The chocolate fournisseur from whom we sampled was Callebaut, pronounced in the Flemish way "cal-ih-bough-tuh', a small but important distinction that I point out to you so that you don't repeat my error of pronouncing it with a French accent, and just backwards, as cabillaud "cah-bee-yo", which is cod fish.



After a couple of hours on our feet, wandering through the interior maze of vendors, demonstrations, and food, the sun's siren song was too strong to resist so we moved outdoors to "set a spell" (as my southern relatives would say) on the beautiful sunny terrace.



This is my new favorite aperitif: Martini Rosato and champagne spiked with blackberry and cinnamon. We struck up a conversation with our neighbors at the next table, some VIPs (or "veeps" as it sounds in French) from DHL, and rounded out the afternoon with some witty repartee and chilled Pommery while relaxing in the sun. An afternoon très belle to cap a truly lovely day. Chin chin...



Culinaria Photo Album - Click Here