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DOLCE BELGIAN PASSION FOR WORLDWIDE GASTRONOMY

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DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

AMUSE GUEULE THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE

As we make our way through these dark days we are already looking forward to the returning light. For our planet, 2012 was a year full of challenges, but then, the Maya predicted this. The news from Ford Genk hit us like a bomb but many in the hospitality sector also felt the heat. There were even some top restaurants that were forced to close their doors for good. Fortunately there are also what we in the editorial office like to call DOLCE moments. Examples of genuine hospitality that is so good for all of us, allowing us to relax, re-energise and grow. There were plenty of DOLCE moments during DOLCE11. We began with a lively breakfast where our partners debated and jammed with superb ingredients. Outgoing mayor of Bruges, Patrick Moenaert, taught us how someone with a busy schedule in politics stays friends with his mates. We visited top restaurants in the Zwin region, the area with the most stars in the world, and provided game recipes from Waasland Chefs with a Heart. And chef Bart Tastenhoye of the Kelderman restaurant got to work with a new type of game, the muntjak. To celebrate the year of the snake, the Chinese zodiac animal for 2013, we invited the artisanal butchers Peter & Sabine from Woluwe-SaintPierre to create dishes on this theme. To drive some heat into our numb bones, we tasted the culinary delights of the colourful Curaรงao and pulled up chairs by the roaring fires of Walloon gastronomic bed & breakfasts. Even in cold Belgium there is plenty of warmth to be found.

very much enjoyed and our downloadable English version means we can play the Belgian trump card all over the world. The snake is a cool, enigmatic animal that is gifted with a little wisdom and a lot of secrets. In 2013 DOLCE will be revealing some of those wise and interesting secrets. The DOLCE team wishes you an exciting year of the snake!

With DOLCE11 we are entering our third year of publication. We are pleased that so many readers and businesses share our passion for gastronomy. The DOLCE Community is going strong, the magazine is

Ilse Duponcheel

A LA CARTE 6

Breakfast with energy boost Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper. This saying is powerfully built upon by a team

‘Cocktail’ workshops with impact Looking for an original addition to a company party, meeting, team-building session, incentive or public

of experts who have put together a complete energetic

gathering? Bartenders-on-the-road distils a fine

breakfast buffet. This will whet your appetite for all the

selection of creative workshops.

other tasty treats in this DOLCE number.

Zwin region as a gastronomic top brand Knokke-Heist is an ultimate culinary destination. But even

Exclusive gastronomic enjoyment, also on holiday ‘Exclusive enjoyment’: that is the holiday promise which VIP Selection, TUI Belgium/Jetair’s luxury brand,

with five twinkling Michelin stars on its home ground the

has been fulfilling for more than 20 years. But what

luxury resort has not succumbed to any form of navel-

really makes VIP Selection so unique is its predilection

gazing: with the new brochure ‘Top restaurants in the

for top gastronomy.

Zwin region 2013’Knokke-Heist is placing the gastronomic riches of the whole Zwin region in the spotlight.

Customers are well-looked after at Peter & Sabine

Waasland’s culinary delights for a good cause Around 20 years ago a number of chefs from Waasland worked together to put on a range of collective culinary

Butcher’s couple Peter & Sabine have a great little shop

events and this is how Lekker Waasland was born. In

in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. Peter even debones the carcasses

the meantime the association has expanded into a real

himself and a lot of preparation is done in house. The

service club which organises fund-raising banquets.

tasty Delino sauces are a great accompaniment.

Vlaamse Visveiling points the way to local specialities

The best way to discover the secrets of the Ardennes kitchen is to go along to a table d’hôte. Some

With the Fish2Know project the Vlaamse Visveiling

guesthouses also offer cookery workshops. DOLCE put

wants to familiarise final year students from catering

on its apron and went looking for authentic cuisine in

and food schools with one of our most characteristic

the depths of the Ardennes.

local products: fresh, wild-caught North Sea fish. Demissionary mayor Patrick Moenaert invited his old mates for an evening of fish filleting and preparation.

Bed and kitchen secrets from the Ardennes

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

COLOPHON Responsible editor Ilse Duponcheel Uitgever@dolcemagazine.be Editorial office Abelendreef 11, 8300 Knokke-Heist redactie@dolcemagazine.be www.dolcemagazine.be Publicities Tel. 0498/97 39 73 dolce.advertenties@skynet.be

Barking deer, a new kind of venison Restaurant Kelderman in Aalst is first and foremost a fish restaurant and chef Bart Tastenhoye had no problem turning his attention to an exquisite cut of meat in the kitchen. And when the fish and fine foods company De Troyer showed up with a barking deer, also known as muntjac, his creativity was immediately awakened.

Dushi Curaçao, island for gourmets and epicureans Curaçao can proudly boast mother of pearl sandy beaches surrounded by strings of palm trees and turquoise water with some of the best diving spots in the world, but also with colonial country estates, nature reserves and a historic capital decked out in bright candy colours. Add to that the wide range of Creole cuisine and you will soon understand why the inhabitants of the island affectionately refer to their spot in the sun as Dushi Kòrsou (delicious Curaçao)!

Le Palais de la Gastronomie During hotel and catering fair Horecatel in Marcheen-Famenne there is also an exquisite gastronomic side show in Le Palais de la Gastronomie. Top chefs, demonstrations, workshops, competitions and top quality products all under one roof.

Partners Tel. 0473/70 90 54 advertentie@dolcemagazine.be Collaborators Jan Agten • Katia Belloy • Willem Bonneux • Michael De Lausnay • Anthony Florio • Stefanie Geerts • Eline Haesel • Christophe Lambert • Peyo Lissarrague • Henk Van Nieuwenhove • Sam Paret • Joëlle Rochette • Wouter Van Vooren • Ann Welvaert DOLCE Chefs Hugues Braekeleire Maarten du Bois Nicolas Rivière General or administrative question info@dolcemagazine.be administratie@dolcemagazine.be Lay-out and print Lowyck & Pluspoint www.lowyck.com Photos cover Stefanie Geerts en Wouter Van Vooren Follow DOLCE Magazine, DOLCE Club and DOLCE community on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe for DOLCE MAGAZINE DOLCE Magazine: 5 each year Subscription for one year 45 euro (for Belgium). More information on www.dolcemagazine.be. Each separate DOLCE Magazine costs 10 euro. Nothing from this edition can be copied without permission from the responsible editor. The editor is not responsible for any consequences from implementing the recipes.

ENERGETIC BREAKFAST,

CONVIVIAL, HEALTHY AND ABOVE ALL TASTY

Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper. Yes, intuitively we all know that that this conventional wisdom contains an important grain of truth: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But what is the ideal way to fill up such a regal breakfast basket in 2013? With an energetic breakfast! In collaboration with reception room Ten Dauwe, Vandemoortele, Bartenders-on-the-road, Viva Sara, Pinguin, Didess, Belberry and Spadel, DOLCE is putting together a sumptuous energetic breakfast buffet. Inspiring tasting location of choice: Adrem Keukens. Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Jan Agten

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

In the past breakfast was a synonym for the morning meal. That is gradually becoming a thing of the past, explains Ilse Duponcheel of DOLCE Magazine. “In 2013 breakfast is the meal which gets the metabolism going. And that can happen at any time of the day. Just look at the Asian hotel industry where the trend is to offer breakfast at any time of the day. A concept which is completely tailored to the (business) traveller arriving at the hotel from another time zone.” REHYDRATING, PURIFYING An important pillar of the energetic breakfast is rehydration. “During our night’s sleep we can easily lose around one and a half litres of liquid”, continues Ilse. “Breakfast needs to restore this fluid balance. A classic breakfast with an enormous mug of coffee and a small fruit juice – coffee draws even more fluid from the body – cannot do this job. This is why water fulfils a key role in the energetic breakfast. A cup of green tea is also recommended. Green tea does indeed contain theine, that works as a diuretic, but it also supplies 8,000 ORAC values (measure in which the amount of antioxidants in a particular product is expressed, ed.). That’s a huge amount, especially when you consider that our body needs around 13,000 ORAC values on a daily basis in order to neutralise the harmful effects of free radicals. Watercress, red fruit, dark chocolate and pomegranate are also rich in antioxidants. This doesn’t mean you have to banish a nice cup of coffee from the breakfast table. But first ensure that the fluid balance has been restored and then you can get on with enjoying your coffee.”

ENERGY BOOST The energetic breakfast is not just purifying and hydrating, it also gives a turbo boost to the metabolism, which increases energy levels and sets the fat burning mechanism in motion. “While a traditional breakfast often contains products which extract energy from the body, the energetic breakfast focuses on foodstuffs which give the body energy.” As a consequence, refined sugar, white flour and classic white table salt are resolutely banned from the energetic breakfast table. Good alternatives are, amongst others, maple syrup, honey and cane sugar, Himalaya salt and wholemeal products.

Ilse Duponcheel: ‘Where a traditional breakfast often contains products which extract energy from the body, the energetic breakfast focuses on foodstuffs which give energy to the body’ To conclude, the energetic breakfast plays a major role in the individual needs of each and every one of us. “We can learn a lot from the Chinese yin and yang philosophy, whereby people intuitively feel what is and isn’t good for the body”, says Ilse. “Instinctively everyone has a preference for sweet or savoury. If you follow your instinct you will automatically make the right choice.”

COMMERCIALISING

TASTY MOISTURE GALORE

The fact that the energetic breakfast can be perfectly commercialised is demonstrated by Peter De Groote of reception and catering company Ten Dauwe. “More and more people, both individuals and businessmen, attach importance to the added value of a breakfast that makes you fit and healthy. That’s why we are soon going to introduce a ‘new style’ breakfast, in which there is something for everyone.” On Peter’s breakfast table – a great mix of liquid, sweet and savoury featuring amongst others various smoothies, flavoured waters, miso soup and tea, almond cookies with dark chocolate, oysters with seaweed salad, a salad with fresh goat’s cheese and beansprouts and a selection of sliced cold meats. Alongside this there will be a number of classics which have been given a new, energetic look. “We have replaced the traditional bacon and eggs with a poached egg with fried organic bacon and steamed watercress, and the classic fruit yoghurt by a beetroot salad with yoghurt.”

Johan Dewyse of Viva Sara and Bart Taveirne of Bartenders-on-theroad restore our fluid balance with respectively a great selection of tea and professionally shaked and mixed fruit smoothies. Johan Dewyse is at any rate convinced of the starring role which green tea and fruit and herbal infusions – the latter are by definition theine-free – can play at the energetic breakfast table. “Tea is on the up and is associated with quiet enjoyment and cocooning. In addition, tea has also developed into a product which catering establishments can use to set themselves apart.”

Vandemoortele also confirms the growing importance of energetic breakfast products. “Croissants and baguettes remain the bestsellers within our range, but we have also noticed that home-made and healthy products are on the rise”, says Johan Carron. “As regards bread, people are moving away from brown bread and heading in the direction of ‘fitness’ bread that is packed full of different grains and seeds. Another example is the success of our sourdough bread: “We start the dough off with a mother dough, it’s made with traditional coarse milled flour and is baked on lava stone. So it is a traditional product available on an industrial scale.” According to Johan Carron the following foodstuffs also belong in the energetic breakfast basket: crazy carrot cake - very popular in Scandinavia, croissants filled with red berries, Maple pecan, raspberry-mascarpone pastries and tasty quiches made from puff pastry.

Peter De Groote: ‘Increasing numbers of people, both individuals and businessmen, are attaching importance to the added value of a breakfast that makes you fit and healthy’ In order to be fit and lively enough to serve his customers and inspire them to take up a healthier lifestyle, two years ago mixologist Bart switched to the fit-for-life-eating philosophy, with as basis – yes you guessed it- an energetic breakfast that purifies, rehydrates and provides energy. His permanent team members also followed his example. They eat fruit for breakfast. “Not only does fruit contain a lot of water, but it is also the most purifying foodstuff that exists.” According to Bart other foodstuffs do not belong in an energetic breakfast. “Fruit – which contains a specific digestive enzyme – can only be digested on an empty stomach. This optimal digestion ensures a considerable rise in energy levels. Other foodstuffs, by contrast, need to be burned by the body, at most they can maintain energy levels but they can also lead to a loss of energy.”

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

NATURE AT ITS BEST Ideally you serve that fluid in the best possible conditions: in TC Energy glasses and carafes for example, which return the frequency level of liquids to their natural form. They owe these qualities to their composition – they don’t contain any heavy metals, but rather 45% energy-rich quartz sand – a unique design: every item is blown by mouth, the shape itself is based on the universal golden section. The emphatic response: “the explanation is of no importance. We have had the product tested by the sommeliers of various Michelin-starred restaurants: they were all bowled over by the difference in taste. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

www.adremkeukens.be www.vandemoortelefoodservice.be www.tendauwe.be www.vivasara.com www.bartenders-on-the-road.com www.didess.be www.altoni.be www.pinguinlutosa.com www.belberry.be www.spadel.com

Johan Dewyse: ‘Tea has developed into a product which catering establishments can use to set themselves apart’ THE OTHER KITCHEN DESIGNER Why is kitchen designer Adrem Keukens making its showroom available for cookery sessions like today’s one? “Practically every Friday and Saturday evening our showroom is used for receptions and workshops”, explains businessman manager Michiel Steenbeke. “In addition, every first Thursday evening of the month we bring our showroom to life with the Adrem café, a concept which is open to everyone. This hospitality, in combination with our flawless after sales service – repairs take priority over fittings – is greatly appreciated.”

Pinguin miso soup, Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature breakfast Ingredients (for 4) 2 tomatoes Âź teaspoon wasabi 1 soupspoon sesame oil 1 sachet of vegetable stock Ariake 100 g miso pasta 200 g Pinguin brunoise Preparation Make a stock with the Ariake and let it boil for 20 min, add the miso and the wasabi. Stir until the miso is dissolved. Sweat the Pinguin brunoise in the sesame oil, add the diced tomatoes. Add the prepared stock and serve. Option: this dish can be garnished with Daregal herbs, e.g. coriander.

Oyster in jelly with seaweed salad Remove the oysters from the shell and put the liquor to one side. Reduce the oyster liquor with champagne and ground pepper. Add the fish aspic to make a jelly. Place the oyster in the mould and pour the jelly over it. Remove the salt from the seaweed salad with plenty of running water, season with soya dressing. To serve: place the seaweed salad in the oyster shell and top with the oyster in jelly.

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Poached eggs with watercress Wash watercress and steam in butter like you would spinach; season with salt and pepper. Poach the eggs, fry the organic bacon until crispy (very finely sliced). To serve: steamed watercress, topped with the eggs and finished off with the crispy bacon.

Beetroot salad Finely dice the cooked beetroot, mix with yoghurt, fresh seeds and cress. Season with Himalaya salt, pepper and fresh coriander.

Skewers of butternut squash and back bacon Make skewers from attractively sliced butternut squash and back bacon. Fry in a non-stick frying pan. Deglaze with ginger oil, thyme and sugar candy.

Seasonal fruit salad Finely slice honeydew melon, apple and mandarin and mix with honey and fresh mint.

Recipes: Peter De Groote (Ten Dauwe) Photos: Jan Agten

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Bavarian cream made from cottage cheese with white chocolate and honey served with Didess Naturâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mousse of pears 500 cl cream 500 cl cottage cheese 1 gelatine leaf 3 egg yolks 100 g honey 150 g white chocolate

Lightly whisk the cream and mix with the cottage cheese. Heat up the honey with the chocolate and a splash of water. Dissolve the soaked gelatine leaf and stir it into the creamy mass. Whisk the egg yolks and mix into the creamy mass using a spatula. Pipe the Bavarian cream into a glass, about half full. Decorate the glasses with Didess Naturâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mousse of pears.

Scones festival Scones: 500 g flour 25 g baking powder a pinch of salt 100 g sugar 250 g butter 200 g milk a splash of water 1 egg yolk 1 egg Mix the flour, baking powder and sugar in a mixing bowl. First add the soft butter, then the milk and 1 egg. Mix well and knead until it becomes dough. Wrap in cling film and lay to rest for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough and cut into pieces of equal form and size, place on a baking tray and brush with whisked egg yolk. Bake for 8 minutes at 220째C. The scones are now ready to be served: with Belberry jams, but also with savoury sour cream, salmon or herring salad.

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Altoni Ricotta tortellini with spinach and Parmesan sauce Boil the tortellini for 5 minutes and rinse with cold water. Lightly braise the young spinach leaves (put a couple of fresh leaves as well as some braised spinach aside as garnish). Add the cream and the Parmesan cheese to the spinach and season with pepper, salt and some garlic. Slightly thicken the sauce with white roux. Heat up the boiled tortellini in the sauce. Garnishing: place the braised spinach on a long, small plate. Top with the tortellini with a dash of sauce. Finish off with some fresh leaves of young spinach and Parmesan powder.

Water Symphony with a refined aroma Fill the glasses with ice cubes and Bru water. Top with a touch of Didess Naturâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mousse and finish off with a straw. Didess Naturâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mousse lasts very long and is a perfect flavour enhancer for all your water buffets. Ideally hydrating at breakfast.

Recipes: Peter De Groote (Ten Dauwe) Photos: Jan Agten / DOLCE Photography

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

SMOOTHIES Morning after smoothie (only fresh fruit or fresh juice)

Healthy smoothie

Refreshing smoothie

Slice of water melon 5 strawberries Slice of papaya banana 5 cl orange juice 4 ice cubes &

1 kiwi 1/8 melon sprig of mint 1 tablespoon honey 4 ice cubes

5 raspberries Juice of ½ lime 1 piece of ginger 1 cl maple syrup

Blend Blend Add 5 cl water and it’s perfect for breakfast Add 5 cl water and it’s perfect for breakfast

Recipes: Bartenders-on-the-road Photos: Jan Agten

KNOKKE PRESENTS ZWIN REGION AS A GASTRONOMIC TOP BRAND

Now newcomer Cuines33 has also picked up a star, Knokke-Heist is gradually expanding into a culinary destination in itself. But even with five twinkling Michelin-stars on its home soil the luxury resort is not succumbing to any form of navel-gazing: with the new brochure â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Top restaurants in the Zwin region 2013â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Knokke-Heist explicitly places the gastronomic riches of the whole region in the spotlight for the third time in a row. Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Stefanie Geerts

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Sun, sea and sand: the ideal mix for many visitors to the coast. And the ever lively Knokke-Heist demonstrates that a coastal city can also flourish year round even without favourable weather gods. “Knokke has succeeded in developing into an important crossroads of people”, says notary Anthony Wittesaele, the new alderman for Tourism. “Our privileged location by the sea is naturally a major advantage, but I suspect that a lot of visitors are not coming here for the sea per se. First and foremost they come for the lively social life. As a municipality we see it as our task to create the context, so that our visitors – including a lot of people who have a second home here – keep on coming back.” In order to achieve that, Knokke-Heist offers its visitors a top quality total package. “Knokke has always collaborated on a world level. “In the past the great artists of their time such as Jacques Brel, Frank Sinatra and Maurice Chevalier came here to perform in our Casino and illustrious sporting events, horse racing, golf etc., were held there.” So we have to maintain a quality image. Whether it’s about our lifestyle exhibitions, our firework festival or the aesthetics of our shopping street: we are destined to carry on playing at the very top of the game.” And the same is true of the culinary domain. “From a café that serves up excellent beer, a trendy beach bar or fancy bistro to a gastronomic (Michelin-starred) restaurant: our clients are accustomed to quality.”

ZWIN REGION IS A GASTRONOMIC TOP BRAND Now that newcomer Cuines33 has also picked up a star from the French tyre manufacturer Michelin, as much as five Michelin stars now twinkle in Knokke. Even so, the gastropolis by the sea has not succumbed to any form of navel-gazing: with the brand-new brochure ‘Top restaurants in the Zwin region 2013’ for the third year running the municipality of Knokke-Heist is placing the whole Zwin region, the district between Zwinmonding and Bruges, on the market as a culinary brand. The new guide brings together 27 stars within a radius of 22 kilometres. “On websites which place cities in order according to the number of Michelin stars, until recently Kyoto beat the competition hands down, with 1 star for 10,788 inhabitants”, says alderman for tourism Anthony Wittesaele. “Knokke-Heist did the maths again and discovered that the Zwin region largely exceeds that figure, with 1 star for 7,846 inhabitants.” This means that the Zwin region has the largest proximity of Michelin stars in the world and effortlessly gives the classic gastropolises such as Lyon, Paris, Reims and Nice a run for their money.

www.knokke-heist.info

CUINES33

COSMOPOLITAN MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT IN THE KNOKKE ‘GHETTO’

Knokke-Heist has an enormous power of attraction for new culinary talent. So too for Fleur Boussy, her husband Edwin Menue and her brother Frederik Boussy, the young but level-headed trio behind Cuines33. Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Stefanie Geerts

“We went for Knokke because we knew a lot of people here already, but also because we knew that Knokke attracts a clientèle that enjoys eating out in good restaurants”, explains Fleur Boussy. Even so, the ambitious trio is not taking the most obvious path. “When we announced that we wanted to open a restaurant in the unknown Smedenstraat, a lot of people thought we were mad”, claims Fleur. “We persevered because we believed that people are more than happy to make a detour for a good concept. And it worked. As of day one we were fully booked every lunchtime and we’ve only had a handful of quiet evenings.” NO COPY The concept of Cuines33 – a gastronomic tapas restaurant in an ultratrendy and cosy setting - is clearly grafted on Carles Abellan’s Spanish Comerç24. For that matter Frederik Boussy learnt the tricks of the tapas trade from Abellan prior to completing his journey in Belgium at Michelin-star level in the kitchens of, amongst others, Jardin Tropical and De Jonkman. But you will never catch Frederik and Edwin out for indiscriminate copying, as they wilfully take their own independent culinary path. Edwin discovered the importance of such a strict work ethic from his mentor Sergio Herman, Edwin himself learnt to cook

when he was nine years old after a knee injury put paid to a sporting career. “In Oud Sluis I observed that talent was only a small ingredient in Sergio’s success, 90% is willpower. You can achieve an amazing amount just from your attitude.” SIMPLY CARRY ON The award for all their hard work was sprung on the Cuines33 team sooner than expected. Just eleven months after the opening, barely recovered from the generous 15 GaultMillau had awarded them, Cuines33 bagged its first Michelin-star. When asked if this star is going to change anything “Absolutely not”, is the unanimous reply. “We didn’t work for a star, we just got on with doing what we do best. We are going to simply carry on as before, the prices remain the same too.” Just as before at Cuines33 you can also draw up a stool at the bar, for a creative cocktail with equally creative tapas. Initially the trio wanted to set up in Lippenslaan but now they say that a move to a top location in the heart of Knokke is out of the question: “We are staying here, in the Knokke ‘ghetto’”

www.cuines33.be

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Gravad lax with pickled pumpkin, ceviche, olive cake and oyster ice-cream Salmon gravad lax: Fillet a side of salmon and immerse it in a mixture of 800 g S2 sugar and 600 g salt, cracked peppercorns and a dash of white port. Leave to marinate for two days and make sure the salmon remains fully covered in the mixture. After two days, rinse well, pat dry and portion into neat bars. Pickled pumpkin: Peel a butternut squash and use a machine to cut thin slices. Cut disks using a mould. Lay the pumpkin disks in a bath of 1 litre sugar water and 1 litre alcohol vinegar and leave to soak for two days. Ceviche of sea parsley: 1 litre chicken stock 500 g sushi vinegar 3 finely chopped shallots 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 red chillies, seeds removed, minced 1 bunch sea parsley, finely chopped Leave to soak for 4 hours and then pass through a sieve. Stiffen with 4 leaves of gelatine per litre ceviche. Mix before use.

Apple and celery salad: Finely dice two granny smith apples and a stalk of celery and mix together. Dress with olive oil, sushi vinegar and salt and pepper to taste and allow to drain.

Elderflower cream: 40 g egg white 1 g xantana 500 g elderflower oil juice of 1 lemon

Olive cake of black olives: 415 g broyage 415 g S2 icing sugar 10 eggs 200 g black olives, thinly sliced 240 g butter, at room temperature

Mix the egg white with the xantana and beat in the oil to make a smooth cream. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Beat the butter and gradually add the sugar, broyage, sliced olives and lastly the eggs one by one. Make sure the mixture does not curdle. Avocado cream: 5 ripe avocados 200 g cream 1 leaf of gelatine juice of 1 lime

Oyster ice-cream 1 litre milk 1 litre oyster liquor 15 large Japanese oysters 150 g procream 20 g glycerine juice of 2 lemons Mix everything and freeze in Pacojet beakers. Mix before use.

Blend everything in a food processor and pass through a sieve. Recipe: Edwin Menue (Cuines33) Photo: Stefanie Geerts

LA TRINITÉ

AFFORDABLE QUALITY AT STAR LEVEL

Anyone offering quality as high as that of La Trinité, can count on a lot of interest from the Knokke clientèle. “In the past people didn’t come from the beach to dine in our establishment”, says chef François de Potter. “In the meantime we have become strong enough and now they are happy to let go of the beach mood and pay us a visit.” Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Stefanie Geerts

François de Potter learnt the tricks of the trade from big names such as chef Roger Souvereyns of the Scholteshof. Evelyne studied at the hotel school Spermalie and grew up with a love for the profession: her father ran four catering establishments. Their shared basic philosophy is the gastronomic trinity, by analogy with the Holy Trinity: a good glass of wine, good food and good company.

Hostess Evelyne: ‘That I can open the door, that we have great young people in the kitchen, that the dining area goes all out, that our clients are happy: I am grateful for everything’ In order to make this triple promise come true, day after day chef François transforms regional products into surprising and innovative flavour associations, variants of Flemish and Zeeland classics to dishes in which Asiatic, Moroccan and other world influences play a major role. Its kitchen has already been awarded a Michelin-star for the third year running and obtained a top score of 17/20 from GaultMillau.

COSY ATMOSPHERE At the same time François demonstrates that a Michelin-starred restaurant doesn’t have to be expensive. “As a chef I want to show that you can also cook tasty food for a small amount of money.” Evelyne, with her discrete, natural and genuinely friendly approach, ensures a cosy atmosphere. How do they manage it time and time again, even during busy periods? “With a grateful attitude”, is the surprising answer. “That I can open the door, that we have great young people in the kitchen, that the dining area goes all out, that our clients are happy: I’m grateful for everything.” The fact that the new restaurant guide is promoting the whole Zwin region is something that La Trinité is reminded of on a daily basis. “The result is easily measured”, says hostess Evelyne. “It is an attractive, compact and efficient guide which is used very intensively.”

www.latrinité.be

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Pride of Zeeland lightly smoked oysters, whisky, parsley root and creamy salsify Ingredients (4 persons)

Method

4 oysters 6° Deluxe (Anthonie Verwijs) 100 g butter, seasoned to taste with smoked salt 12 year old Bowmore whisky, 2 parsley roots salsify

Make a classic velouté sauce using flour, butter and milk. Season with black pepper, salt and parmesan.

Make sure the oysters have opened nicely. Rub in the smoky butter. Wash the shell and scrub away impurities.

Peel and wash the salsify. Paysanne the peeled salsify and then cook it in milk.

Heat the Green Egg to 180°C with cool charcoal, without using fire starters (this spoils the taste).

Cut the parsley root into thin slices and lay them out thinly. Make a fumet of the peel, which will be foamed with butter and celery salt at a later stage. Make a smooth cream of the remaining pieces by cooking and pureeing them and finishing them off with butter and cream.

Warm the salsify in the velouté.

Sauce: flour butter parmesan black pepper milk Oyster tuile 200 g oyster liquor 150 g flour salt and pepper Nasi pear (Japanese) soaked in Poire Williams

Make the oyster tuile. Mix the liquor, flour, salt and pepper and then spread the mixture on silicon sheets. Bake at 180°C.

Green Egg unsprayed hay charcoal

Peel the Nasi pear and use the pomme parisienne to make neat balls. Soak in Poire Williams.

Use a little fumet to warm the oyster flesh. When the Green Egg is glowing, add the hay and as soon as smoke appears place the oysters on the grill for 2 minutes. It is important that this is only lukewarm. Place the salsify in the shell and finish the dish with the oyster flesh, cream, pear, foam and the tuile. The whisky is poured over the oyster at the table.

Recipe: François de Potter (La Trinité) Photo: Stefanie Geerts

’T KANTIENTJE

THE BETTER CLASS OF BISTRO

’t Kantientje in Ramskappelle is a thoroughbred family business: father and son Nicolai run the kitchen, spouse Marleen Van Den Broucke and daughter Melissa work in the restaurant. After running an establishment of the same name on Lippenslaan for 23 years, Dominique reopened in 2009, after a period of resourcing, right under the church tower of Ramskapelle. Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Jan Agten

COUP DE COEUR The amiable atmosphere of the olden days has been maintained in’t Kantientje, but the concept has been given a new interpretation. “In the past we were mainly known for our mussel dishes. Today we serve good simple cooking, based on the best seasonal products. Creatively prepared, but with respect for the basis and a lot of attention to detail and unexpected extras. So we serve up our entrecote with a half marrowbone. On top of this we make everything – right down to the sweet extras with the coffee – ourselves. Our objective? We want to be the best in our segment. It’s not for nothing that we work with suppliers who also supply Michelin-starred restaurants.”

Barely three years after the reopening the friendly and cosy bistro – thanks to the acoustic stretch ceiling a serene and calm atmosphere reigns even on busy days – was more than able to rise to the challenge: after GaultMillau proclaimed them Coup de cœur and labelled their warm pig’s trotter Carpaccio revelation of the year, they also bagged the Zilveren Bistro. And the general public has wasted no time in finding the way from Knokke to Ramskappelle. “Our write-up in the restaurant guide ‘Top restaurants in the Zwin region’ has undoubtedly contributed to it”, concludes chef Dominique Pille. www.kantientje.be

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Pan-friend scallops, rocket, sauce vierge and Parmigiano Reggiano Ingredients (4 persons)

Method

Assemble

12 large scallops 2 bunches of rocket 3 beefsteak tomatoes 1 bunch spring onions 1 lemon 2 dl high quality olive oil, preferably arbequina a little clarified butter milled black pepper coarse sea salt (fleur de sel de Camargue) few sprigs Aphelia cress

In a hot pan, brown the scallops on both sides in clarified butter then cover and leave to cook for 1 minute. Caution: they must remain nicely shiny inside. Heat the arbequina oil to boiling point, add the peeled and diced tomatoes and finely chopped spring onions, season with salt and pepper and a little lemon juice and keep warm.

Arrange a little rocket on a plate and place a cylinder of Parmigiano Reggiano on top. Place 3 scallops on the plate, each one with a dessertspoon of sauce vierge, and finish with a pinch of coarse sea salt and a sprig of Aphelia cress.

Recipe: Dominique Pille (â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Kantientje) Photo: Jan Agten

PETER & SABINE BUTCHER’S SHOP: PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR

TRADE

The magazine Culinaire Ambiance has awarded the title of top store to Peter & Sabine’s butcher’s shop in SintPieters-Woluwe for the third consecutive year. And it’s clear to see why because butcher Peter Van Compernolle is a traditional butcher who only works with the best products. The butcher’s shop also has a nice deli offering, with traditional dishes as well as more inventive preparations, which are often inspired by the Delino sauces. Text: Katia Belloy Photos: Michael De Lausnay

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Peter Van Compernolle and his wife Sabine are both from West Flanders. But after his butcher’s training Peter started to work for renowned butchers in Brussels and as a result he decided to set up shop himself in the capital. He and his wife Sabine opened their own butcher’s shop in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe about ten years ago. Why Brussels? Sabine: “You can do so much more in Brussels. You can extend your range, with more preparations. People’s purchasing behaviour is different here, compared with the country. And they have more purchasing power.”

Peter: ‘The Delino sauces are delicious and only contain natural ingredients’ Sabine followed Peter, helping him realise his dream in Brussels and today you will find the likeable butcher’s wife in the shop while her husband takes care of the cuts and the preparations in the workshop. But you also regularly see him in the shop. He’s a real all-rounder in other words. “We started out together”, says Sabine but now we have a staff of fifteen and then it’s better to work with your personnel, in the shop, as the shop owner. GETTING USED TO BRUSSELS “It took some time to get used to life in Brussels. I was only nineteen when I arrived here and I had to leave all my friends behind”, says Sabine. “At the time though, there was a group of young butchers from West Flanders who all worked in Brussels. But they have almost all left for Bruges now. We stayed and I’m very glad about that. I couldn’t imagine leaving here. Thanks to the kids we got to know a lot of people and developed a new social network. Today I consider Brussels home.” Peter & Sabine’s butcher’s shop is in a part of Brussels, where you will find a lot of Eurocrats. “We have an international customer base”, says Sabine. “As a result our products are also quite international, with a lot of Spanish and Italian preparations.”

A DIFFICULT CHOICE Shopping at Peter and Sabine’s is always difficult because of the amazing array of choices. The gigantic counter is full of fresh cuts of meat, which were deboned and cut in-house, cold cuts and cured meats as well as various preparations, including soups, main courses, side dishes such as vegetables, sauces, potato and pasta dishes, cheese, sandwiches, lunch salads and desserts.

Peter likes to use the Delino sauces for all his delicious preparations. Peter: “The Delino sauces are delicious and only contain natural ingredients. You can easily distinguish them from other products. They are also quite stable products. Over the years they continue to deliver the same product so that you know what to expect. Next to this they also launch a lot of new sauces. Sometimes even too many, making it difficult to choose. Fortunately Delino provides excellent support. They develop recipes which I use as inspiration for my preparations. Because we regularly develop new preparations.”

The butcher’s profession is a profession under pressure. Sabine: “It’s a tough job and the number of young butchers is continuously dropping. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find personnel. Young butchers are especially hard to find. The average age of our personnel is 40 to 45 years. But I don’t mind that, because young people tend to want to explore their career opportunities while older employees tend to stay on. They are also more flexible because they don’t have young children anymore.” CUSTOMER-FRIENDLINESS

Sabine: ‘You can do so much more in Brussels than in the country. You can extend your range, with more preparations’

The emphasis is on customer-friendly service in Peter and Sabine’s shop. They even have a photo of Peter who is replacing a customer’s tyre on their website. Did this really happen? “Yes indeed, we really do believe in going that extra mile for our customers (laughs).”

A PROFESSION UNDER PRESSURE “To be fair, we should probably expand the shop”, says Sabine. “We are unable to present many fresh cuts of meat although we do have them. And customers don’t order something that they don’t see.” But she is not really interested in expanding for the moment. “It’s difficult to expand the store even more.”

www.peter-sabine.be www.delino.be

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Chinese turkey

Fondue dish with various Delino sauces

Stir-fry the cubed turkey and pour over some Delino Chinese sauce. Serve white sticky rice and wok-fried vegetables (leek, soya bean shoots, carrot, etc.) with it.

Sauces are a perfect accompaniment for a fondue. Delino has a wide range of sauces for fondue, including mayonnaise, Andalouse (hot) sauce, cocktail or Béarnaise sauce. Serve a salad alongside, which you can dress with one of the Delino vinaigrettes.

Sabine ‘s Thousand Islands Trio 1. Fill a glass with Delino Thousand Islands Vinaigrette en dress 5 boiled Scampi ‘s on the glass 2. Fill an energetic bowl with mesclun, fried bacon, on top Delino thousand Islands Vinaigrette and decorate with an eatable flower 3. Fill a glass with fish mousse, dress with Delino Thousand Islands Vinaigrette and a spoon of black Caviar

Recipes: Peter & Sabine Butcher’s shop Photos: DOLCE Photography

FISH2KNOW FLEMISH FISH AUCTION TEACHES FUTURE COOKS ABOUT LOCAL DELICACIES

With the Fish2Know project the Flemish Fish Auction wishes to familiarise last-year students of horeca and food schools with one of our local specialities: fresh North Sea fish, which has been caught at sea. Demissionary mayor Patrick Moenaert invited his mates and DOLCE Magazine to visit the fish auction where they could find out more about the Fish2Know programme in practice. The report of a fun evening of filleting, preparing and eating good fish. Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Wouter Van Vooren

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“Great, I’m out of here. The fish have already been anaesthetised”, anaesthesiologist Piet Cant said jokingly when he joined the others setting the tone for the rest of the evening. An evening of cooking with demissionary mayor, Patrick Moenaert and his mates is always a guarantee for a hefty dose of culinary fun. In true DOLCE style of course, because in addition to having been friends with Patrick for several years, this heterogeneous group also has in common a deeplyrooted penchant for Belgian gastronomy. And naturally fresh North Sea fish plays an important and tasty role in this. In Belgium all fish and seafood is traded at the Flemish Fish Auction in Zeebrugge!

A lot of last-year students in renowned hotel schools are not or insufficiently knowledgeable about the raw product “The Flemish Fish Auction, which is the fourth biggest fish auction in Europe, was founded in 2010, following the merger of the fishing ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend. Every year it trades 17 million kilos of fresh wild fish”, our hostess, Marie-Jeanne Becaus, the CEO of the Flemish Fish Auction, says enthusiastically. “This means that 98% – almost all Belgian fish – is sold here. Our 89 fishing boats are not allowed to fish any more in view of the fact that Belgium has to comply with the European fish quota of 20,000 tons a year.” FISH2KNOW FILLS A GAP IN THE EDUCATION CURRICULUM The Flemish Fish Auction developed the practical training, called Fish2Know, which was launched on 5 September 2012, to teach last-year students of hotel schools all there is the know about the auction’s operations and fish as a quality product. “A lot of last-years in renowned hotel schools are not or insufficiently knowledgeable about the raw product and these are people who are on the brink of starting their professional career”, says the project coordinator, Sofie

Pieters. “The Flemish Fish Auction felt it should do something about this”. The enormous success of Fish2Know, which will run until June 2014, proves that the Flemish Fish Auction has indeed identified a gap in the education curriculum. “We received a lot of positive responses”, says Marie-Jeanne Becaus. “Eight days after the launch 38 groups had already registered. At the moment we are even receiving requests from companies, asking us whether we can develop a similar programme for the professional sector.”

Kamagurka: ‘This really isn’t easy. It’s the first time ever that I have filleted a fish. The hardest part is removing the skin.’ Students who take part in the Fish2Know project follow fish from the sea to the plate. Project coordinator Sofie: “The day starts at 7 a.m. in the morning with a guided tour of our fish auction. On an annual basis we trade about fifty different types of fish here. There will always be a few species that they are not familiar with. After breakfast they receive a theoretical introduction to fish quality and the students are taught the principles of the KIM score, a handy tool which allows them to determine how fresh fish is based on some sensory criteria (see insert). Then they follow a workshop with our Fish2Know chef, Stijn Vandermeersch, about how to fillet and cook fish and finally they prepare two creative dishes with lesser known, sustainable types of fish such as whiting or sea robins. Of course they get to taste the dishes they prepared afterwards.” TIME TO SET TO WORK: SURGICAL PRECISION And tonight we will be doing exactly the same: filleting, preparing and tasting our own fish. Chef Stijn, who has already served us a butternut squash soup with grey shrimp and a delicious tartare of mackerel with a dressing of Greek yoghurt and yuzu in anticipation of our main fish

course, demonstrates his filleting skills and then lets everyone set to work to prepare our dinner. Whereas some of the guests prefer the task of chopping vegetables others head straight for the whiting or the sea-robin. Including Patrick Moenaert who, surprisingly enough, is a very able filleter. “I am fortunate to have a wife who is an excellent cook. But when we’re on holiday I like to cook myself and now and then I fillet some fish”, he explains. Marco Lanckneus also surprises us with an amazingly precise job. “I specialise in arterial surgery and am used to working with knives (laughs)”, he says. Although he immediately admits that he also has already taken an evening cooking class at the Spermalie hotel school. Kamagurka has a harder time of it. “This really isn’t easy. It’s the first time ever that I have filleted a fish. The hardest part is removing the skin.” And while the artist continues to focus on the task at hand, visibly determined to bring it to a good end, he says to himself encouragingly: “The most important thing is to have a boneless fillet”. Joachim Coens, the chairman of the Zeebrugge port authority, seems equally motivated to do a good job. “I eat a lot of fish and like it very much, but I’m not used to filleting it myself. You really need to have seen someone else do it to be able to do it yourself. I do feel that I should do a good job and that I can’t afford to waste fish. After all, fish is a valuable product.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF FILLETING FISH YOURSELF As Patrick and his friends enjoy the meals they prepared themselves – a whiting, fried on the skin with green vegetables and a sautéed sea-robin with crisp-fried salsify and chorizo – everyone agrees wholeheartedly: filleting fish yourself is not easy. But it absolutely has a lot of advantages, says Chef Stijn Vandermeersch. “In my own business, The Art of Cooking (Stijn organises cooking workshops and a personal chef, ed.) I also fillet my own fish, except when I’m catering a banquet. Working with raw fish has the advantage that you can perfectly assess the quality and the freshness of the fish. You cannot determine the KIM score of a fish fillet.” And naturally Stijn always uses North Sea fish. “We have such a broad range of good fish that I don’t see why I should source my fish from anywhere else. I’ve also noticed that consumers are increasingly sharing this vision. Just look at fruit and vegetables, which are also increasingly sourced locally.”

KIM SCORE DETERMINES HOW FRESH FISH IS

Stijn Vandermeersch: ‘Working with raw fish has the advantage that you can perfectly assess the quality and the freshness of the fish’

In addition to the Fish2Know project the Flemish Fish Auction has also played a pioneering role in other fields. In 1998 the Flemish Auction was the first in Belgium to introduce the KIM score, or Kwaliteit Index Methode (Quality Index Method), which was developed by ILVO (the Institute for Agricultural and Fishery Research) to objectively assess how fresh fish is. Marie-Jeanne Becaus: “Seventy to eighty percent of our fish is sold online, by people who haven’t seen the fish. But everyone knows that fish is extremely delicate. So we needed an objective quality score, like the one which had already been developed for fruit and vegetables. Thanks to the KIM score, which takes into account several characteristics such as the skin, the texture, the shape and the colour of the eyes (cornea and pupil), the colour and odour of the gills and so on, you can then determine how fresh the fish is and predict its shelf life.”

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Sea bass sautéed on the skin, green vegetables, celery, creamy mashed potatoes with mustard, beurre blanc of mustard Ingredients

Preparation

400 g sea bass 100 g green beans 100 g mangetout 100 g green celery 200 g peas 300 g potatoes 1 dl fish stock 1 dl white wine 1 shallot 100 g butter

Fillet the sea bass, debone the fish. Blot dry the fish and briefly sautée it in olive oil. First on the skin side. Season with pepper and coarse sea salt. Prepare the vegetables and briefly boil them in boiling salted water. Briefly sautée in olive oil with a shallot and season with pepper and salt. Boil the potatoes until tender and mix in some chives, cream, mustard, pepper and salt. Boil the white wine, add the shallot and fish stock and reduce by half. Finish the sauce with butter and add some mustard at the last minute.

Fried sea robin, crisp-fried salsify with chorizo, chorizo sauce Ingredients

Preparation

400 g fillets of sea robin 200 g salsify 1 dl milk 1 chorizo 1 dl fish stock 1 dl cream 1 dl white wine

Fillet the fish, remove the bones and the skin. SautĂŠe briefly in hot oil, season and turn over the fish. Peel the salsify and cut it on an angle. Boil until tender in a mixture of half water, half milk. Drain when tender and rinse under cold running water. Finely chop half of the chorizo and chop the other half into large chunks. Heat the white wine, fish stock and the large chunks of chorizo. Add the cream once reduced. Continue to reduce. Strain the gravy and mix until you obtain a light sauce. Briefly sautĂŠe the salsify in olive oil, add the chorizo. Season.

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Panna cotta with a forest fruit compote, a light forest fruit gel and citrus crumble Ingredients

Preparation

Panna cotta: 250 g cream 250 g whipped cream 95 g sugar 3 gelatin leaves 1 vanilla pod

Panna cotta: Boil the cream with the vanilla and the sugar for the panna cotta. Mix in the gelatine, which was soaked in cold water, and let the mixture cool down. Once the cream is cold mix it with the whipped cream. Pour into a mould and let set.

blueberry gel: 30 g milk 3 gelatin leaves 90 g milk 120 g forest fruit syrup 50 g sugar citrus crumble: 50 g flour 50 g butter 50 g granulated sugar 50 g ground almonds 50 g feuilletine pinch of salt 1 tsp lemon zest

Blueberry compote: Boil the sugar with the vanilla and the lemon, mix in the blueberries and let the mixture cool down. Strain the mixture and use the juice for the blueberry gel. Light blueberry gel with grated lime: Heat 30 g of milk, mix in the gelatine. Whisk until you have obtained a light mixture and mix in the remaining ingredients. Grate the lime into the ramekins and pour in the mixture. Let set in the fridge. Citrus crumble: Mix all the ingredients in your food processor and arrange the dough in heaps on a baking sheet. Grate some lemon zest over the dough and bake for 15 minutes in the oven at 150Â°C. Let the crumble cool down and set.

Forest fruit compote: 250 g forest fruit 80 g sugar Â˝ lemon 1 vanilla pod

Recipes: Stijn Vandermeersch (The Art of Cooking) Photos: Wouter Van Vooren

‘COCKTAIL’ WORKSHOPS WITH IMPACT

Looking for an original addition to a company party, meeting, team-building session, incentive or public gathering? Bartenders-on-the-road distils a fine selection of creative workshops which – thanks to the seductive charm of its highly talented bartender team – leave behind an overwhelming and indelible impression. Not forgetting the exquisite cocktails. Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Jan Agten

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Bartenders-on-the-road is first and foremost targeted at the business world. A lot of events agencies are also part of the regular clientele, a sector in which founder Bart Taveirne was active for fourteen years. The expertise that he gained there has given his firm extra impetus: anyone who comes to Bartenders-on-the-road, invariably gets a substantial portion of relevant strategic advice mixed into the cocktail package. Bart also likes to surround himself with a whole host of loyal employees, all of whom have been carefully screened for talent, experience, charisma and their desire to learn. “The advantage of such a large team is that we can work in four places at the same time. We have no difficulty accepting last minute assignments.”

Perfection and creativity, gently stirred with a generous dose of unalloyed hot-blooded verve SHOPPING AROUND FROM A VARIED MENU With Bartenders-on-the-road businesses can choose from a wide and varied range of cocktail workshops. “They can be combined within a same event, or spread out over several years”, says Bart Taveirne. “A great basis and ideal for teambuilding is our interactive workshop. During the workshop every participant, after a short introduction to the basic rules, prepares two cocktails.” A fascinating informative follow up to the interactive workshop is offered by the Cuban workshop, in which history and product knowledge take central stage. Here too it’s all about the experience, there is a competition element where team members are challenged to prepare the most attractive and tastiest cocktail.

With Bartenders-on-the-road you can choose from a wide and varied range of (cocktail) workshops. Anyone who is looking for an active form of teambuilding has come to the right place with the ‘Shake & flair’ workshop. During this technical workshop they will learn the tricks of the flair bartending trade, the flair bottles fly through the air – and regularly land on the floor, which is wisely protected with soft landing mats. The fun is regularly accentuated when master flair bartender Kasim uses his keen eye for talent to pick an assistant from the group. The flair bottles can also be personalised with the organising company’s name and logo.

NON-ALCOHOLIC TOO: CHILD-PROOF Bartenders-on-the-road even has two non-alcoholic cocktail workshops. “Our very popular cocktail workshop for kids, ideal for family days out, for example, is aimed at children from three years of age. In our Smoothies workshop we focus on health. In particular in a natural context, with, for example, a crackling open fire and a sea view this workshop really comes into its own. Or outdoors. We organised a Smoothies workshop on the beach in Scheveningen for Qualogy Consultancy. It was a real hit.” CHOCOLATE, FOOD PAIRING AND EXCLUSIVE GEORGIAN WINES In 2013 Bartenders-on-the-road is introducing two new workshops: the Chocktail and COOKtail workshop. “During the Chocktail workshop – where a link is made between cocktails and chocolate – the participants even get to make a piña colada and mojito as well as pralines based on both cocktails. After the workshop they are presented with 250 grams of home-made chocolate to take home with them. During the COOKtail workshop we ‘pair’ cocktails with an appetiser, starter, main and/or dessert.” Just as innovative is the Wine Tasting workshop, which brings together bartender Koen’s two major passions – he studied history and is an aspiring sommelier – in a spectacular whole. “Alongside great historical facts – who knew for example that viticulture first began in Georgia –it’s mainly about the practical side of matters, paying particular attention to, amongst others, tasting and serving techniques, etiquette, flavours and aromas and, needless to say, wine tasting. We will not be sampling any classic French wines, but rather Chilean, South African and exclusive Georgian wines.”

www.bartenders-on-the-road.com

Mojito 1 or 2 sprigs of mint 2 tablespoons brown cane sugar 2 cl lime juice Pound crushed ice 5 cl white rum Stir 2 cl sparkling water Top with a sprig of mint and/or a slice of lime

Caïpi Peterman Green/Berry 2 tablespoons brown cane sugar ½ lime crushed ice Peterman cactus/berry genever Stir or shake

Recipes: Bartenders-on-the-road Photos: Jan Agten

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EXCLUSIVE GASTRONOMIC

PLEASURES, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE ON HOLIDAY BELGIAN MASTER CHEFS HAVE AWARDED AN OBJECTIVE QUALITY LABEL TO SEVEN VIP SELECTION HOTELS VED O R P P

Secrets Maroma

‘Exclusive pleasures’: VIP Selection, the luxury brand of TUI Belgium/Jetair, has been delivering on this promise for over twenty years now. But what makes VIP Selection so special is their passion for excellent food. A passion which led to a pioneering partnership with Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe, among others. The introduction of gourmet plane meals under the JRE label in 2008 was a first in the Belgian travel industry, paving the way for more initiatives. After the successful implementation of a Belgo-Greek fusion kitchen in Rhodes and Crete, VIP Selection once again takes its passion for good food to the next level, launching an objective culinary quality label, which is awarded by Belgian master chefs. Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Wouter Van Vooren / VIP Selection

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A private driver who picks you up on your doorstep and brings you to and from the airport, a special fast lane in the airport and direct transfers to and from your luxury hotel: these are but a few of the many supplementary services with which VIP Selection has succeeded in translating its trademark of ‘exclusive enjoyment’ into real holiday pleasures. But the niche tour operator is not the type to rest on its laurels. “Our trademark is exclusivity. We continue to innovate by always raising the bar”, says Gunther Batsleer, Product Manager Flight Holidays. “Whereas in the past we used to target four and five star hotels in recent years we have increasingly focused on the five star and higher segment. Our clientele – which is used to amazing food wants to see this five-star luxury reflected in the food they are served.” A BELGO-GREEK CULINARY ADVENTURE All the VIP Selection Hotels have always had in common their passion for fine food. And yet Elie Bruyninckx, CEO of Jetair, concluded, based on his own first-hand experience, that Belgians’ culinary expectations abroad were not always met. Kristof Coppens, the chef of A Priori (*) and a member of Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe: “Three years ago, after dining at our restaurant, he said that he regretted that even the restaurants of five-star hotels rarely achieve a real restaurant level. This prompted them to extend the already existing partnership between VIP Selection and Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe on board Jetairfly

flights (Kristof Coppens was the first JRE Chef to develop a signature meal for Jetairfly, ed.) to hotels. At the request of VIP Selection Kristof Coppens and Franky Vanderhaeghe of St.-Nicolas (**) travelled to Crete and Rhodes respectively to actively coach the kitchen staff of the Atlantica Hotels. “Naturally our Greek colleagues were quite skilled but in terms of technique the Belgians, together with the Catalans, are still one step ahead of the competition”, says Kristof. “Our Greek colleagues were willing to listen to us and share our know-how and they made significant investments to introduce the newest techniques in their kitchens. The result, a perfect symbiosis of contemporary creativity and Greek authenticity, clearly is also a hit with travellers. “In the past people hardly ever chose the menus, but now 65% choose the BelgoGreek menu”. In the medium to long term VIP Selection and JRE hope to export the Belgian culinary know-how to other destinations. “Our aim is to be able to offer our customers a hotel for every destination, which is clearly better than the competition in terms of the food it proposes. At the same time we also wish to extend our Belgo-Greek culinary adventure with gourmet excursions in the short terms”, says Gunther Batsleer.

A NEW OBJECTIVE GASTRONOMIC LABEL Naturally there are several exclusive culinary stars in the growing list of luxury hotels. But sometimes it’s difficult to identify these gems. Because how does the demanding gourmet recognise the real grand crus among a selection of excellent hotels with perfect scores in terms of the food they serve? VIP Selection’s answer: by relying on the judgment of some of Belgium’s best chefs!

How do you recognise the absolute cream of the crop in a group of top-class hotels? By relying on the judgment of some of Belgium’s best chefs! That is why the luxury tour operator has launched a brand-new culinary quality label for the 2013 summer season – another first in the Belgian travel industry - called ‘Selected by JRE Belgium’. “This new label does not replace our already existing, culinary label, but it is an important complement to it”, says Gunther. “VIP Selection awards this “culinary” label at internal level, based, among others, on customer satisfaction, our own experiences and the feedback of the hostess on location. The new label, by contrast, is awarded autonomously and externally by JRE

Chefs.” Ten chefs, who were asked to review restaurants, were booked into hotels as regular VIP Selection customers to guarantee their full independence. The labels were awarded by JRE Chefs only to avoid any form of interference. The ten chefs also were given sufficient time to visit all the restaurants of a hotel, together with their spouses, at a normal holiday pace. “Some of the chefs also brought their children. This also enabled us to check whether family-friendly hotels have also adapted their menus to young visitors”, says Gunther. A MOTIVATED AND CRITICAL FINAL EVALUATION Of the ten hotels visited, seven were awarded the JRE label, in various destinations. “A critical evaluation is absolutely essential”, says JRE Chef Paul Hendrickx, of the restaurant Aneth. “Otherwise this label is useless. The restaurants do not have to be Michelin-star quality. That is impossible in a hotel restaurant where thousands of guests dine simultaneously. But the quality has to be impeccable.” Naturally the evaluation was carried out with respect for the destination’s local character. “One of the restaurants which we reviewed is on an island”, says Lisa Sibilla of Restaurant Culinair. “When my husband (chef Steven Dehaeze, ed.) and I visited the kitchens we were stunned at the number of freezers. Until we realised that they

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

simply had no choice. On an island you have to import everything. What counts is what they serve you.”

‘A critical evaluation is absolutely necessary, otherwise this label is worthless’ The JRE chefs were also very diligent when it came to explicitly motivating why each label was awarded. “We want to explain to holidaymakers why we recommend a specific hotel with catchphrases. It would be sad if people decided to simply stick with the buffet because they have no idea that the hotel has an excellent à la carte restaurant.”

us to know why their neighbours received this label and they didn’t. Holidaymakers who are demanding when it comes to food will only stand to benefit from this healthy competition.” VIP Selection and JRE are already looking forward to the next chapters of this optimistic winwin tale.

www.vip-selection.be www.jre.be

A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYBODY Thanks to a biennial review of the label the selected hotels are permanently challenged to maintain their gastronomic level. What’s more, all the hotels that were reviewed – including those who did not receive the label - received a report with points for attention on which they can focus. “Undoubtedly this label will also create the necessary buzz”, predicts Gunther. “I’m certain that some hotels will call

JRE MENU ON BOARD Your gourmet holiday starts as soon as you board your VIP Selection flight. This summer JRE Chef Maxime Collard of the Michelinstarred restaurant, La Table de Maxime will regale you with the menu, which he exclusively developed for VIP Selection customers.

SELECTED BY JRE BELGIUM

MEXICO - SECRETS MAROMA BEACH

Exclusive gastronomic pleasures on holiday? These seven hotels were awarded the brand-new ‘Selected by JRE Belgium’ label:

Delicious dining in paradise The hotel has no fewer than six à la carte restaurants so you can enjoy that ultimate culinary experience.

1. Mexico (Cancun) – Secrets Maroma 2. Crete (Heraklion) – Grecotel Amirandes 3. Antalya – Calista 4. Tenerife: Jardin Tropical 5. Tenerife: Jardines De Nivaria 6. Ibiza: Insotel Fenicia Prestige Thalasso & Spa 7. Cyprus: Amathus Limassol

OVED

APPR

TENERIFE - JARDINES DE NIVARIA A favourite among Belgians who are passionate about their food. The culinary highlight undoubtedly is ‘La Cupula’, an excellent à la carte restaurant under an impressive cupola made of stained glass windows.

TENERIFE - JARDIN TROPICAL Michelin-quality dining The chef sets a high standard for himself, but you have no choice if you want to earn your first Michelin star.

IBIZA - INSOTEL FENICIA PRESTIGE THALASSO SPA A beautiful mix of oriental and Mediterranean taste fantasies This restaurant is absolutely the best option for gourmets in Ibiza. The chefs spare no effort to pamper your taste buds, starting early in the morning with the delicious breakfast buffet.

Insotel Feicia Prestige Thalasso & Spa

CYPRUS - AMATHUS BEACH LIMASSOL Amazingly varied buffets You will be treated to a different themed buffet almost every day. And the selection is amazing so you can eat exactly what you want. OVED

APPR

TURKISH RIVIERA – CALISTA LUXURY RESORT Grecotel Amirandes

OVED

APPR

A culinary star Whether serving oriental dishes or fresh pasta from la bella Italia not a single plate can leave the kitchen before the chef has given his stamp of approval.

KRETA - GRECOTEL AMIRANDES

Jardin Tropical

Old and new, in a delectable and quiet setting The Mediterranean and the oriental restaurants serve a fantastic mix of old and new, skilfully transforming traditional food into twenty-first century style dishes.

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Fried ray with gnocchi, carrot, ginger and orange Basic recipe farm butter powder: Let 100 g of coloured butter cool, mix it with 150 g of malto (texturas ElBulli). Season with sea salt and black pepper. Basic recipe for potato gnocchi: 500 g boiled potatoes sieved through a tamis 50 g flour 1 egg yolk pepper and sea salt Boil the potatoes, sieve them through a tamis and mix them warm with the egg yolk and flour. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Roll out in an oven dish at about 1 or 2 cm thick. Let it cool. Cover with cling film and put in a steam oven for 15 minutes (100째C). Let it cool. Cut out the gnocchi using a round cutter and fry in butter.

Ingredients (4 servings) 400 g ray fillet 50 g butter 150 g carrot 5 g ginger 1 dl orange juice Sauce: 50 g carrot juice, 25 g white wine, 25 g vinegar, 50 g cold butter, sea salt and black pepper Garnish: young carrots Preparation Put the carrot, ginger and orange juice in the Thermomix, boil at 100째C for 20 minutes. Mix until smooth at high speed (about 4 minutes). Cut the ray into portions, fry in butter. Sauce: Boil the carrot juice together with the wine and the vinegar. Thicken with butter and season.

Passion fruit & chocolate Crispy - Soft - Bitter - Sour Basic recipe for cocoa and passion fruit jelly: 140 g water 150 g passion fruit juice 240 g cream 360 g sugar 120 g cocoa powder 7 gelatine leaves Bring the water, together with the juice, the cream and the sugar, to a boil. Stir the cocoa into the mixture and let it simmer for 7 minutes. Add the gelatine and pour it into moulds. Let it stiffen in the refrigerator. Remove from the moulds and serve on cold plates. Basic recipe for butter cream: 200 g passion fruit juice 25 g icing sugar 400 g soft butter Mix the juice with the icing sugar in the Thermomix. Use the butterfly at setting 3. Raise to setting 4 and gradually mix the soft butter into the cream. Briefly raise the mixing speed (max. setting 5) until it becomes a light butter cream. Put it into an icing bag and keep in the refrigerator.

Basic recipe for macaroons: 125 g almond powder 150 g icing sugar 25 g cocoa powder 50 g egg white 50 g egg white 150 g sugar 50 g water Preparation Mix the almond powder with cocoa and icing sugar and grind them in the Thermomix at high speed. Bring the sugar and water to a boil at 110째C. Whisk 50 g of egg white until stiff with a food processor at low speed. While whisking, pour the boiled sugar over the egg white and whisk until it has cooled. Sieve the other egg white and the ground mixture and add. Mix and put into an icing bag. Spray the macaroons and bake at 145째C for 10 to 14 minutes. Let it cool.

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Carpaccio of scallops with foie gras, shallots, Granny Smith and celeriac Basic recipe for Granny Smith airé: 0.5 l Granny Smith juice 1 g Lecite (texturas ElBulli) Filter the freshly squeezed Granny Smith juice using a coffee filter. Add the Lecite and use a mixer to froth it into “airé”. Basic recipe for marinated shallots: 3 French shallots 100 g wheat beer (Hoegaarden) 100 g rice vinegar Peel the shallots, cut them into rings. Mix the wheat beer with the rice vinegar, use it to marinate the shallots for 12 hours. Drain and store in a cool place Basic recipe for celeriac cream: 300 g celeriac 40 g cream sea salt black pepper from a peppermill Add the (freshly washed and sliced) celeriac with the cream in the Thermomix. Cook for 25 minutes at 100°C at setting 1. Mix for 4 minutes into a smooth paste at the highest setting. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Ingredients (4 servings) 4 large scallops 4 scoops of celeriac cream 50 g fresh foie gras Tahoon cress (used as garnish) 1 Granny Smith Clean and wash the scallops, dry them in a kitchen towel. Slice the scallops into carpaccio, season with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Slice the foie gras into curls, season with pepper and fleur de sel. Garnish with airé, Tahoon cress, Granny Smith Julienne, shallots and celeriac cream. Serve cool. Recipes: Kristof Coppens (A Priori) Photography: Wouter Van Vooren

GOODIES FOR CHARITY WAASLAND CHEFS COMBINE FORCES

About 20 years ago, several chefs from the Waasland combined forces to set up a culinary event: Lekker Waasland was born. In the meantime, the association has developed into an actual service club that organises feasts to raise funds for charity. The next event is planned for 28 January 2013 when Lekker Waasland will be welcoming people to a stylish gastronomic New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reception in the Salons Art Nouveau in Sint-Gillis-Waas. Text: Henk Van Nieuwenhove Photos: Wouter Van Vooren

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Lekker Waasland (Delicious Waasland) is probably one of the first gastronomic service clubs in our country. Its pioneers were Eddy Deleuil of ’t Mezennestije (now Bistro De Eetkamer) and Cyriel Heirbaut of restaurant Reinaert that sadly discontinued last year, both situated in Sint-Niklaas. The fact that one could eat so well in the Waasland was a public secret. From then on several of the better restaurants also jointly advertised the gastronomy of the Waasland and organised festive evenings together. Guests came from afar to be there at the annual Nacht van de Horeca (Night of the Catering Industry) in the Serwir hotel in Sint-Niklaas.

The Game festival, which took place in the Salons Art Nouveau in Sint-Gillis-Waas, and of which you can admire several photos to illustrate this article and can find recipes further on, was a huge success. After the usual reception with champagne, the seven chefs went into the kitchen to spoil their guests with tasty game. The ladies were responsible for a smart reception and service. Not only did the restaurants display their culinary qualities at this event, they also showed their heart. No less than €5,260 of the event’s turnover went to Pinocchio, a non-profit organisation for children who have become victims of burns.

SEVEN CHEFS IN ONE KITCHEN

Edwin Van Goethem: ‘Apart from the business advantage, it is mainly about the pleasure of achieving something as a group. We are already looking forward to a common retirement home for our old age’

Seven of them remained at Lekker Waasland. “The group used to be much bigger, but this isn’t the most important factor”, says current chairman Edwin Van Goethem of restaurant ’t Korennaer in Nieuwkerken. “The commitment of the seven chefs and their ladies is so extensive that we switched to two events a year since 2010. We organised our first Game Happening in October 2012. On 28 January 2013 it’s time for the traditional New Year’s reception at which we are expecting 250 visitors.”

“We even changed the club’s name last year”, says Edwin Van Goethem. “The non-profit organisation is now officially called Lekker Waasland

Chefs with a Heart. For us, presenting a cheque at the end of the evening for charity signifies added value. In October 2012 we donated a decent sum to vzw Pinocchio. At this New Year’s reception we want to focus on the people of Hachiko vzw. This association dedicates itself to training assistance dogs for people with a disability.”

of customers also visit the other restaurants. Also when, for instance, there is a lack of lobster, we can appeal to the others to help out. But apart from the business advantage, it is mainly about the pleasure of achieving something as a group. We are already looking forward to a common retirement home for our old age.”

WE’RE STRONGER TOGETHER

At the end of the evening a cheque is always presented for charity

Each month the seven chefs come together for a breakfast meeting to make their plans. The thread that links the seven catering establishments is the fact that each man is in the kitchen while each wife focuses on the restaurant. “We’re stronger together”, says Edwin Van Goethem. “If, for instance, negotiation is required about commission on the use of credit cards, then we’re stronger with seven than alone. We also help each other business-wise. If our restaurant is full, we recommend one of the other establishments. We jointly advertise through an annual calendar. We’ve noticed that a number

Cooking for 250 people isn’t that evident. Chefs tend to want to be the master in their kitchen. How are things done when you get together seven competitors in a stressful situation: isn’t this asking for trouble? “No, not at all, we haven’t thrown any knives yet”, laughs Van Goethem. “On the contrary, we work very concentrated to make sure the party is a success. The evening always ends with a dance party when we tend to shake it loose. For charity!”

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THE WAASLAND SEVEN After the ‘Antwerp Six’, which denoted the group of young Antwerp fashion designers in the 1980s, we can now speak of the ‘Waasland seven’. These seven are part of Lekker Waasland Chefs met een Hart (Delicious Waasland Chefs with a Heart), and are the motor behind culinary happenings for charity organised in the Waasland. The seven are: Art Nouveau in Sint-Gillis-Waas where, in complete harmony, Marc Demonie and Ruth Vergucht serve innovative dishes with a Belgian basis in the restaurant and the banquet rooms. The candied pork cheeks with a Trappist beer sauce are extremely promising. De Ceder in Kruibeke, where Frederick Schaffrath and Katrijn Camerlinck serve delicate combinations of nature’s delights. How about a polder pheasant with compote of Brussels sprouts and glazed bacon, celeriac and chervil root, mini cabbage stuffed with thigh and croquette potatoes? De Nieuwe Schandpaal in Beveren-Waas, where Wim De Beule and Ilse Verschelden offer pure cuisine with regional products and classic cuisine with modern touches. For example, they serve briefly grilled lobster with mild smoked garlic, parsnip cream, turnip, sand root and turnip cabbage cocotte. De Sonne in Temse, where, relying on their own senses, Jan Van Landeghem and Ann Robberecht let you taste surprising preparations of seasonal products in a homely atmosphere. They go for wild duck with blackberries and parsnip. Kokovin in Sint-Niklaas, where Dominik Brouwers and Peggy Bruynseels opt for an authentic cuisine with pure flavours in a modern décor. Try the tender veal fillet with Brussels sprout and bacon mash and fragrant truffle sauce. Malpertus in Sint-Niklaas, where Rudi Gosselin and Renata Verspreet serve delightful dishes with the best ingredients, fresh from the market. Feel like having fawn medallion with winter vegetable ragout, apple filled with dried fruit and walnuts, finished with game gravy with Chianti wine and liquorice? ’t Korennaer in Nieuwkerken where Edwin Van Goethem and Francine Van Vlierbergen serve top gastronomy in an informal atmosphere. Enjoy scallops, carrilleras iberico bellotta, butternut, turnip cabbage, pine nuts and pig’s trotter crisps.

NEW YEAR’S HAPPENING ON 28 JANUARY 2013 The Waasland will again be celebrating Lekker Waasland Chefs met een Hart on Monday 28 January 2013. The evening at Salons Art Nouveau in Sint-Gillis-Waas will begin with a champagne reception with a delicious buffet in which the seven chefs each present a dish. The Waasland seven will then be creating a gastronomic main dish and a mega dessert buffet, followed by a dance feast until the small hours. The objective of the event is to bring Waaslanders together and raise money for charity. The evening’s proceeds will go to therapeutic day-care centre Het Veer, a non-profit organisation providing specialised day care, developmental stimulation and multidisciplinary therapies for children with a disability. Tickets to this New Year’s event are for sale in the restaurants of Lekker Waasland Chefs met een Hart.

Classic pâté, foie gras and fig and date chutney Classic pâté: Ingredients

Foie gras: Ingredients

2.4 kg pig’s liver 2.6 kg pork neck trim cubes of 2x2cm 3 kg streaky bacon 2x2cm 140 g colorozo salt 30 g sugar 500 g finely chopped onion 30 g garlic 5 g nutmeg 10 g four herbs (mix of black pepper, nutmeg, cloves and ginger) 20 g pepper 30 g table salt 600 g eggs 1 l milk Chicken stock Cognac, red wine Fine slices of bacon Baking trays Meat mincer

600 g raw foie gras 4 tablespoons of high quality port 2 teaspoons of Guérlande salt 1 teaspoon of freshly ground five-grain pepper 1 teaspoon four herbs (mix of black pepper, nutmeg, clove and ginger)

Preparation

1orange 5 large fresh coarsely cut figs 350 g fresh seeded and finely chopped dates 2 finely chopped onions 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger 300 g brown sugar 3 dl herb vinegar A pinch of salt

Denerve the liver, divide into pieces and wash. Let marinate for at least 12 hours with sugar and colorozo salt. Stew the onions with garlic in some fat or oil, pour the milk over it and stew for 15 minutes after boiling point. Poach the pieces of pork neck trim in lightly salted stock below boiling point for 15 minutes. Drain. Mix the streaky bacon with the pork neck trim and grind coarsely in the mincer. Also finely grind the liver. Mix all the meat in a recipient together with the eggs, milk and herbs, cognac and red wine optional. Put the fine slices of bacon in the baking tray and fill. Cover with crépinette if so desired. Heat at 120°C until you get a centre of 78°C and let ripen for several days.

Preparation Denerve the foie and remove the gall. Mix the herbs and the port and massage this mixture into the liver. Then put the liver into a mould and poach in a steam oven at 70°C, seal the mould watertight with plastic foil. Let rest for one night in the fridge before use. Port can be substituted by sauternes. Fig and date chutney: Ingredients

Preparation Grate the orange, remove the white layer and cut into segments. Put the fruit in a pot with a thick base, as well as the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil while stirring, let thicken on a low heat until you get the right consistency. Serve with nut toast and fresh salad.

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Venison fillet with cream of celeriac, wood mushrooms and caramelized chicory Ingredients (serves four) 1 kg venison fillet 8 stalks of chicory 1 piece of celeriac, peeled and evenly diced 100 g cream 400 g game stock 2 finely chopped shallots 500 g mushroom mix 2 coarsely chopped shallots 2 dl red wine 4 tablespoons Liège syrup Butter Thyme, bay leaf Preparation Clean the chicory stalks and put them in a pan with sizzling butter. Season and quench with a little lemon juice and water. Put a piece of baking paper on top of the chicory and let cook under a lid. Leave it on a low heat until caramelised and keep warm.

Prepare the meat ready for cooking (keep the off-cuts for the sauce), season with salt and pepper. Fry until golden in a hot pan with clarified butter. Drain the fat from the pan and use the pan for the sauce. Continue to cook the meat in the oven for 10 minutes and let rest on a grill with tin foil on +/-85°C. Fry the venison cut-offs in the pan with the coarse shallot, thyme and bay leaf. Mix in the syrup and continue to fry. Quench with red wine and let become glazed. Moisten with the game stock and let reduce to a sauce. Sieve, season, add a knob of butter and keep warm. Cook the celeriac in a pan under a lid with a dash of water and 100 g cream. When the celeriac is nice and soft, mix in a blender and season to taste. Add a knob of butter and keep warm. Fry the mushrooms in a hot pan with clarified butter, add the finely chopped shallot, salt and pepper and a knob of butter halfway. Heat the meat for another few minutes in the oven. Arrange the vegetables onto plates and cut the meat. Finish with the sauce.

Recepten: de 7 van het Waasland Foto’s: Wouter Van Vooren

ARDENNES BEDROOM AND KITCHEN SECRETS COOKING WORKSHOPS IN CHAMBRES D’HÔTES

The best formula for learning the secrets of Ardennes cuisine is to visit a table d’hôtes. Some accommodations now offer cooking workshops. DOLCE put on an apron and went looking for authentic cuisine in les Ardennes profondes. Text: Henk Van Nieuwenhove Photos: Michael De Lausnay

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GAUSSIGNAC

The Federation of the Gîtes de Wallonie promotes an attractive form of culinary tourism in chambres d’hôtes. They have even thought of a name for it: Marmiton et Polochon, which stands for Chef’s assistant and Pillow. Four chambres d’hôtes have volunteered to test this form of tourism and recommend it.

“I wanted to start a new life when I turned forty”, says Michel Goosse, the flamboyant chef at B&B Gaussignac in Hatrival (Saint-Hubert). “I could choose between changing spouses or changing my profession. I started calculating and the choice was quickly made!” Michel roars with laughter. He clearly feels good. In 2006 he left his career in the banking and insurance world behind and opened a guest house with four rooms together with his wife. The news that you can enjoy the best Ardennes cuisine here has spread like wildfire. Almost every guest also stays for dinner. The rumours are justified because Michel imitates the cuisine of the grands chefs du terroir. How about a wild boar fillet with Brussels sprouts mash and chanterelles that the neighbour picked in the forest? You will learn it all in Michel’s cooking workshop. You will also have a good laugh because his motto is: “On fait des choses sérieusement, sans se prendre au sérieux, mais toujours avec la bonne humeur.” If you visit at the end of September or beginning of October then Michel will take you out into the dark forest, after the meal, to listen to the roar of the male red deer during the rut. Walking is the number one attraction in the massif of Saint-Hubert. Other tourist highlights include the Han Caves and the abbey breweries of Rochefort and Orval. “Changing profession was not an easy choice, especially because the business was already in the hands of the third generation”, says Michel. “But I do not have any regrets. I always enjoyed cooking for friends. Now I do that on a daily basis. We are really spoiled in this region with lovely products like trout from the Hatrival ponds, forest mushrooms, goat’s cheese from Recogne, Nassogne pork and big game. We make our own jams, yoghurt and chocolate, and the Jerusalem artichoke comes out of our garden. It is a blessing to work with such beautiful products.”

L’AÏL DES OURS Midlife crises send lots of people to the world of chambres d’hôtes. Pierre and Françoise Misonne for example. They both studied to become surveyors. Pierre Misonne found himself in the bookkeeping world while Françoise mainly busied herself with the housekeeping. When the children moved out they decided to follow cooking classes at the PIVA and become caterers in Antwerp. “We were only 15 and 18 when we met”, explains Pierre. “Françoise’s parents had a holiday home in the Ardennes and we spent lots of weekends there. When we got married I promised my father-in-law that we would end our lives in the Ardennes. We looked for eight years until we found this old farm in Maissin near Paliseul. Then we changed gears.” The farm was given the name L’Aïl des Ours and was restored beautifully. There are four charming guest rooms, including one family suite. The dinner table offers a great view of the Ardennes landscape. Fleeting piano music by Eric Satie plays in the background. Pierre recently obtained a nature guide certificate. His knowledge of the region’s fauna and flora is amazing. He often hikes with the guests and when the hikers return to the farm after a healthy walk they are spoiled by Françoise’s culinary skills.

Guests that want to roll up their sleeves can participate in cooking workshops that are always based on a certain theme. It will not surprise you that game and mushrooms are covered extensively in the autumn. “Many tourists come to the region for the gastronomy”, says Françoise. “There are lots of restaurants in the area, namely La Table de Maxim, Le Moulin Hideux, Al Bleue Gurnouille, etc. People often eat one meal here and enjoy another meal at one of the large tables. We work together with reputable, regional restaurants. Our cuisine is based on the beautiful local products. The local trout is some of the best in the world, we get our meat from a farm/slaughterhouse that also smokes hams following traditional methods, we pick boletes and chanterelles in the forest, and roebuck, wild boar and deer are hunted here. L’Aïl des Ours stands for ramsons, a type of wild chives that grows around here. We use it in salads and we pickle the flowers. They say that bears are crazy about it when they come out of hibernation. Yes, we are in love with this region. Even when it rains, the sun shines here.”

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AUX GAIETÉS DE LA SABOTIÈRE Véronique Dehou cooks on a Boretti cooker at Aux Gaietés de la Sabotière, which more or less means At the Merry Clog Maker. Clogs used to be the most important income for the village of Seloignes. Now it is tourism. “We are located on the cycle route that links Amsterdam with Paris”, says Véronique. “We have customers all year round, often cyclists and motorcyclists, but lately we have seen more and more people who come to walk and have a nice meal. We try to spoil them, for example with a Tête de Moine or monk’s head, a meatball wrapped in slices of bacon and stuffed with Chimay cheese. We serve it with a delicious red Trappist beer from Chimay. The brewery is the most important tourist attraction in the region. One of the menus that we offer is the Menu des trois Trappistes. All the dishes are made with different Trappist beer from Chimay.” Véronique used to work in Brussels’ hospitality industry and tourism offices. A few years ago she decided to flee the city with her family and to start a B&B with three rooms in this nature-filled area. Children are more than welcome. Véronique also organises workshops for children aged 4 to 12. They learn how to cook, pick vegetables in the garden, collect eggs in the henhouse, and fetch fruit from the orchard. Parents will enjoy themselves in the former clog factory. They learn about the Trappist beers and cheeses, can taste galantine princière (a poultry pâté) or the famous goat’s cheese with green peppers. Seloignes is also famous for its escargots. But the crème de la crème is the trout that comes from the Cendron lakes on the border with France. When we observe the starry sky at night with a Chimay beer in our hands, the roar of the male red deer in the distance brings nature a bit closer. In our minds, the clog maker blushes in embarrassment.

FERME-CHÂTEAU DE LANEFFE Ferme-Château de Laneffe, a beautiful historic estate surrounded by nature, near Walcourt, has a very different allure. The castle farm is located in a valley between the Samber and Meuse. You are guaranteed an unforgettable stay. Owner Danielle Goeyens welcomes guests to this distinctive 17th century building as befits a visit to a castle. Laneffe has five guest rooms that were named after regional flowers, including the meadowsweet and the morning glory. You will be able to attend thematic cooking workshops, both for beginners and advanced cooks, in Ferme-Château de Laneffe as of 2013. The Marmiton et Polochon formula is a fantastic opportunity for those who want to learn more about one of the most interesting culinary regions of Europe, the Ardennes.

www.marmitonetpolochon.be

BARKING DEER,

A NEW KIND OF VENISON

EXTREMELY TENDER, WITH A DELICATE TASTE

Restaurant Kelderman in Aalst is first and foremost a fish restaurant, but chef Bart Tastenhoye doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind preparing an exquisite cut of meat in the kitchen. So when the fish and fine foods company De Troyer showed up with a barking deer, also known as muntjak, his creativity was immediately awakened. Text: Katia Belloy Photos: Wouter Van Vooren

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De Troyer was first and foremost a fish firm, but has since developed into a supplier of fish, vegetables, fruit, meat and all sorts of fine foods. It occupies a special position as a supplier of top quality products to gastronomic restaurants. Three times a week four people head to this gastronomic paradise that is the early morning market in Rungis, not far from Paris. It is also a means of keeping an eye on the other markets. In England they came across the barking deer or muntjak, a tender venison that provides the menu with an original touch and lends itself to numerous preparations. Bart Tastenhoye of the restaurant Kelderman prepares it in a ‘classic’ way for DOLCE, with endive, apples and cranberries, but also in an original manner, with a poivrade sauce, lentils, Chinese cabbage and bitterballen, and somewhat exotically with a preparation of exotic spices. Stefan Van Sande, CEO of De Troyer, and David Elegeert, manager of the Rungis division, tried it and liked it. GAZELLE The fish company De Troyer was founded by Eric De Troyer in 1972. His son-in-law Stefan Van Sande is currently at the helm. Over the years the firm expanded massively and this resulted in the Gazelle nomination two years in a row, an award for the fastest growing firm in East Flanders. De Troyer has 50 employees and a turnover of 18 million euros.

David Elegeert (l.) and Stefan Van Sande (r.) OPENING DOORS “By beginning small with the Rungis division I had the chance to familiarise myself with the products and to look for special things. Little by little I got to know the market”, says David Elegeert. “Peter Goossens opened doors for us which for others remain shut”, explains Stefan Van Sande. “Six years ago the market was a monopoly made up of a few firms. Peter Goossens was looking for a supplier who could provide products at a fair price and that supplier was De Troyer. We began with 2 restaurants and we now have 50 Michelin-starred restaurants as clients. We always try to think along with the chefs and together look for the best products.” David: “The chefs keep us focused. If they have any complains about specific products, they are mainly right. Our task is then to listen to the complaints and to resolve them.” NEW PRODUCTS

The gastronomic Rungis division has been in existence for 6 years. The doors of Rungis were opened to De Troyer by no less than Peter Goossens. Alongside Hof Van Cleve, a large number of topclass restaurants now feature amongst De Troyer’s loyal customers, including restaurant Kelderman and catering firm Belgocatering.

“We are constantly on the move”, adds Stefan. “We are always trying to introduce new products so that a fresh wind is always blowing through our gastronomic landscape. The barking deer is a good example of this.”

How would you describe the barking deer? David: “The name says it all, it is a deer that makes a barking noise. The animals were imported from Asia by an English count in 1901 to keep on his domain, but a number of them escaped and ended up thriving in the surrounding woodland. The animals quickly multiplied. So now there are a lot of barking deer in England and they are hunted throughout the year. They have to be hunted, otherwise they would disturb the natural balance.” The barking deer is an animal with quite a history. In recent times they have also been spotted in the Netherlands. REFINED TASTE Barking deer feed on acorns, berries, tree bark, leaves, grasses and herbs. The backstrap and haunches can be eaten. “The backstrap has the dimensions of a saddle of hare but the flavour is more refined. It doesn’t have a pronounced game flavour and the meat is extremely tender”, explains Bart Tastenhoye. “I made three dishes from the backstrap. The haunches are used in bitterballen.” In Belgium the barking deer can only be sold during the game season.

www.detroyer.be www.kelderman.be

WITH DE TROYER TO RUNGIS The people from De Troyer will give you a guided tour of Rungis on the next DOLCE Club trip on 16 April. They know the early morning market through and through and open doors to the most exquisite products. You can find the complete programme on p. 81.

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

Sautéed barking roe deer, slightly cream venison sauce with juniper berries Remove the roe deer fillets from the back. Use the bones to make a venison stock, reduce to 1/3 with some juniper berries. Add some cream. Apples: remove the apple’s core. Slice the apple, then sauté the apple slices in clarified butter. Fill with cranberries. Braise the Belgian endives and then sauté them. Chop and blanch the kale, cook it with shallots and cubed pig’s trotter. Cook the parsnip with the peel on, then peel it and sauté it in a lot of butter. Pommes dauphines: prepare mashed potatoes using 1 kg of potatoes. boil 420 g of water with 60 g of butter. Remove from the hob, add 500 g of flour. Add six eggs, one by one. Season with salt and pepper, nutmeg, scallions and cubed smoked ham.

Grilled barking roe deer with a poivrade sauce and “bitterballen” Fillet the deer. Marinate the bones with red wine and spices for 24 hours. Remove the bones from the marinade and colour the bones in the oven at 200°C. Put the bones in a casserole and add a dash of the marinade and some venison stock. Also add some cranberry sauce. Let simmer for six hours, sieve and then reduce. Sauté the trimmings and the lower fillets with some chopped onions. Add some red wine and venison stock, as well as some spices. Gently simmer. Once cooked, grind in the food processor. Roll into balls and coat with bread crumbs. Chop the red cabbage. Sauté an onion, add the cabbage and the apples. Add some white wine, sugar and red wine vinegar. Add cinnamon, star anise, cloves and juniper berries. Cook the lentils in chicken stock with some spices. Cook the boy choy leaves and sauté in butter. Deep-fry the salsify chips. Sauté the Belgian wild mushrooms.

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Barking roe buck “mi-cuit” with spices and a dip of wild pepper from Madagascar Sauté the deer fillets and roll them in a spice mix: 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp mustard seed, 4 juniper berries, 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom pods, 3 cloves, 1 tbsp pink pepper, 1 tsp black pepper.

Wash the lamb’s lettuce. Cut a brunoise of celeriac and green celery, blanch it. Finely slice the Belgian endives. Mix with the celeriac purée and a parsley gravy. Shape into quenelles.

Slice the white cabbage very finely and marinate it in sushi vinegar. Thinly slice the pumpkin and softly cook in a mixture of olive oil, lime juice and coriander.

Pepper dip: prepare a mayonnaise using wild pepper from Madagascar. Thicken with xantana.

Recipes: Bart Tastenhoye (Restaurant Kelderman) Photos: Wouter Van Vooren

DUSHI CURAÇAO,

AN ISLAND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT FOOD AND LIFE

Curaçao prides itself on its beautiful white beaches, fringed with palm trees and its crystal clear turquoise waters, which have some of the best diving spots worldwide, as well as its colonials mansions, nature parks and a historic capital with bright candy-coloured houses. Add some versatile Creole cuisine - the result of a centuries-old melting pot of different cultures - to this already heady cocktail and you will immediately understand why the islanders affectionately call it Dushi Kòrsou (Sweet Curaçao)! Text: Ann Welvaert Photos: Tourist board of Curaçao

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It is slightly surreal when you think about it: a tropical island where the population... addresses you in Dutch. Although it is convenient that Dutch is the official language here you cannot ignore Papiamento if you want to understand the true soul of the people of Curaçao. Even today this hybrid language, a Creole language which originated in the seventeenth century from Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, French and African dialects, is the most frequently used language on the island (as well as on Bonaire and Aruba, the other two ABC islands). Once a slave language, today Papiamento is the language of the people, which is cherished by the rich and the poor alike.

that the hollowed Edam cheese has been replaced with slices of Gouda cheese.”

THE HISTORY OF SLAVERY ON YOUR PLATE

SOUP OF CACTUS AND IGUANA

The inglorious history of slavery of this former Dutch colony – millions of Africans were traded here or sentenced to hard labour on one of the many plantations – has left its mark on the island’s language as well as in its krioyo (indigenous) cuisine. Guiambo (okra soup), plantain and funchi, a soft, polenta-like mixture based on maize flour, were all introduced to the island by African slaves. But it is only when I sit down on the terrace of Hotel Otrobanda to enjoy the view of the famous Handelskade with its brightly coloured Old Dutch merchant houses and order a portion of Keshi yenà, the locals’ preferred dish, that I finally understand the culinary impact of over two centuries of slavery for the very first time. Because, according to my guide Chernov Rozier: “Keshi yenà was developed by African slaves who made creative use of the leftovers of hollowed Edam cheese – naturally the cheese itself was intended for their Dutch masters – stuffing it with leftover cooked chicken, mince meat, herbs and vegetables. The tasty oven dish has remained virtually unchanged all these years, with the only difference

“Even during the so-called rain season, from mid-October to about mid-December, we sometimes see hardly any rain”, says our guide Wotty, after we have thundered down a steep country road at breakneck speed. We are on a jeep safari through Christoffel Park (a must!), an expansive national park which connects the various former plantations around the 375-metre high Christoffel Mountain with each other and stretches across the entire north-western tip of the island. “Almost everything had to be imported. But because we could never be sure that the ships would arrive on time the plantations also made efforts to grow peanuts, sweet potatoes, watermelon, pumpkin and corn themselves. That is why dams were built, which prevented the rare rainwater from flowing back to the sea, so the water had the time to seep down into the barren soil. Unfortunately these efforts rarely yielded impressive results and several plantations soon switched to less risky crops such as aloe.

The fact that the people of Curaçao succeed in conjuring such delicious food with so few resources – another example are the delicious stobá (stews) with chicken (galiña), goat (kabritu) and salted fish (bakijou) – is due to the slaves’ creativity as well as to the island’s special climate. Curaçao is blessed with wonderful weather year round, with temperatures of around 30°C, is situated outside the hurricane belt and does not even have a real rain season.

FROM YVONNE’S POTS So what does Curaçao have generous amounts of? Cactuses and iguanas! The lizard species, which does look somewhat prehistoric, can be found all over the island, especially in gardens, where they love to eat plants and young flower petals - their favourite food. It does not come as a surprise then that a lot of people in Curaçao, like our guide Wotty, grew up eating iguana soup (sòpi yuana). “These days young people prefer to sit behind their computers or watch TV but when I was young one of our favourite daily activities was to catch iguanas. We would go out early in the morning with a slingshot, catch a handful of iguanas and would then install ourselves under a tree to make a soup of them. I don’t often eat it these days, I ate too much of it when I was young. (laughs)” Another immensely popular dish on the island is cactus soup. Although preparing it requires some care as we find out when our guide Wotty disappears in the bushes and positions himself between two huge cacti. “You can only use the columnar cactus or kadushi for this soup”, Wotty stresses. “By contrast only the fruit of the datu, which strongly resembles the kadushi, is edible. What’s more, the kadushi is picked at noon, when the sun is at its highest point and the kadushi contains a lot of minerals. If you don’t, you will end up with a watery, tasteless soup.”

When we arrive at Marshe Bieu, an old covered market where several Antillean women run their own food stalls, at noon, feeling hungry and thirsty, we are pleasantly surprised. Although McDonald’s, Subway and other fast food chains have a firm foothold on the island, the islanders themselves still are firmly attached to the authentic krioyo cuisine. The impressive hall is full of city employees – labourers in their work clothes, and neatly dressed businessmen, as well as proud Antillean women in their colourful outfits who sashay through the market - who come to lunch here every week. Dozens of gigantic pots and pans are simmering on red embers, filled with all kinds of stobà, sòpi, funchi and piská (fish), with spices wafting through the hall, which only makes us even more hungry. It is difficult to choose from the many stalls so we decide to sit with Yvonne, the woman who reportedly opened the first food stall here. Unfortunately the cactus soup which we want to try is not available today but Yvonne suggests an alternative, the equally popular okra soup. To be fair the plate that is placed on the table in front of us a few minutes later does not exactly look tasty. But when I pluck up my courage and am the first to taste the slimy, almost transparent soup with the floating chunks of salted meat, pig tail, shrimp and fish, I immediately understand why the islanders love their guiambo so much. It is addictively good!

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SWEET, SWEETER, SWEETEST FINE DINING Curaçao, which covers a surface area of only 444 km², is a melting pot of over 65 nationalities, with a South American, Jewish, Portuguese, Dutch or African past. Every population group left its own specific mark on Creole cuisine, but what they all have in common is their predilection for sweets. If you have a sweet tooth then we can recommend a baking course with Curaçao Delights, where the owner, Jeritza, has us bake and taste a cashew cake. Other popular sweets, we are told, are cakes with pistachio, pumpkin pancakes and lèter, dry S-shaped biscuits made of ground peanuts. No Curaçao wedding would be complete without the precious Bolo Preto, a traditional dark fruit cake made among others of dried fruit and Curaçao liqueur. This famous liqueur – and please note that the authentic Curaçao liqueur is transparent and not blue (!) – owes its special flavour to a miscalculation of the Spaniards. In the sixteenth century they introduced the sweet Valencia orange to the island, but in the arid climate it became a bitter laraha, which did not taste very good. They soon stopped growing these oranges but the trees continued to flourish in the wild. Centuries later, by coincidence, the people of Curaçao discovered that the sundried peel of this ‘failed’ orange contains an essential oil, which would go on to become the most important ingredient of Curaçao liqueur. There are a lot of copies on the market. The only authentic Curaçao liqueur – transparent, but also available in blue, red, orange and green – can be bought from the world-famous distillery, Senior & Co, at Chobolobo.

The island has about 600 hectares of protected coral reefs, known as the Curaçao Underwater Park. A paradise for snorkelers and divers! But the local chefs also make concerted efforts to protect the submarine flora and fauna, which are about sixty million years old. How? By adding lionfish to their menus! In 1992 six lionfish escaped from an aquarium in Florida. Today these voracious and very fertile predators are a threat to the local fish stocks and the coral reefs throughout the Caribbean region. Chef Carl De Windt of Maxim’s Restaurant, a stunning (partly) covered open-air restaurant with a view of the fishing port of the Caracas Bay, has enthusiastically endorsed the project. “I work with a diving instructor, who catches the lionfish for me”, says the chef. “It’s not an easy job – the spines of these fish are poisonous – but the culinary possibilities are endless”. And to prove his point he serves a refined menu with five different preparations of lionfish. The conclusion: eating lionfish is not only an ecologically responsible choice but it is also damn delicious!

BELGIAN CULINARY TALENT And yes, Belgian chefs have also discovered the culinary assets of lionfish. The next evening, when we arrive in the super-trendy fusion Restaurant Saint Tropez - a white architectural gem on the seafront, with a magnificent infinity pool - chef Filip De Baere spontaneously presents a fresh lionfish. “At the customers’ request I serve typically Belgian traditional dishes such as mussels, beef stew, vol-au-vent and steak tartare”, says the promising chef who learned the tricks of the trade at the Ter Duinen Hotel school and from such icons as Roger Souvereyns, Alain Ducasse and Pierre Wynants. “But I am equally happy to work with local products such as lionfish or red snapper. My personal favourites from the local cuisine? Okra soup and Rabo di baca, braised oxtail!”

In 1992 Filip de Baere was the first – and also the only – Belgian chef on the island. In 2005 Patricia Brunswyck, who is originally from Bruges, also traded in the grey Belgian weather for a career in tropical Curaçao. She now owns two restaurants here, one which is located in a stunning old plantation mansion, Landhuis Classics. When we ask her if she ever intends to return to Belgium she firmly answers: “No, I won’t be returning. Nine months of grey skies? No, thank you!” And how can we blame her.

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MORE CULINARY TIPS? • Visit the floating market, a popular open-air market along Sha Capriles Quay in Willemstad, where Venezuelan merchants sell their imported goods. They sleep in the small boats behind their stalls. • Take a guided culinary walk through Willemstad with local resident, Clarita Pieter-Hagenaar (book with claritahagenaar@hotmail.com). • Are you up for a fast snack? Then go to one of the many snèks during daytime for a pastechi (a small fish or meat pie) or other savoury snacks. In the evenings you can order food at one of the many Truk’i pan, mobile food trucks, which always can be found in the same place. Practical: We flew directly from Amsterdam to Curaçao with Arkefly in about ten hours (www.arkefly.nl). We stayed at the quiet and centrally located Papagayo Beach (www.papagayo-beach.com).

Pumpkin soup Ingredients (serves 4)

Preparation

500 g cubed pumpkin half an onion 1 bay leaf 2 carrots 50 g butter 10 g sugar 100g cream water

Roughly chop the onion and fry it in some butter, add the pumpkin and the carrots and cover with water. Add the bay leaf, the remaining butter and salt and pepper. Once the vegetables are soft, strain the mixture and push through the pumpkin. Add some cream for a smooth soup and finish with sugar and more cream to taste. The pumpkin soup is a real local favourite because of its sweetness. You can add mussels for a more culinary dish and to break the sweetness with another texture and flavour.

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Carpaccio with sautéed sweetbreads Ingredients

Preparation

silverside veal, trimmed and frozen some washed salad leaves raisins (sweet for the locals) salt and pepper pine nuts truffle mayonnaise veal sweetbreads, trimmed

Thinly slice the silverside veal with a slicing machine. Arrange on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Arrange some salad leaves on the plate and sprinkle with some raisins and pine nuts. Heat some olive oil (no butter) in a frying pan until very hot. Flour the sweetbreads and sautée them until very crispy. Mix the mayonnaise with some truffle paste and add some water to dilute the dressing. Drizzle over the carpaccio and arrange the sautéed sweetbreads on top.

Recipes: Patricia Brunswyck (Landhuis Classics, Livingstone resort)

GOURMETS MEET IN A REAL PALACE FOR CONNOISSEURS OF FINE FOOD HORECATEL AND ITS PALAIS DE LA GASTRONOMIE, FROM 10 TILL 13 MARCH 2013

Vlnr.Jennifer Deneffe, Arabelle Meirlaen, Laurent Briou (managing director WEX) and Marie-Franรงoise Martinot.

The Horecatel trade fair also has a real palace for gourmets, where its ambassador Arabelle Meirlaen welcomes fine food connoisseurs together with a team of masterchefs. On the menu in the Palais de la Gastronomie or Gastronomic Palace: demos, workshops, competitions, top-notch products. All the ingredients for some amazing inspiration. For more information www.horecatel.be and www.wex.be. Text: Katia Belloy Photos: Anne Catherine Pierrot/WEX

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It is no coincidence that the only Belgian lady chef, with Michelin stars, Arabelle Meirlaen was selected as the ambassador of the Palais de la Gastronomie. “She exudes everything that we want to offer with our smaller, specialised trade fair in the bigger Horecatel picture”, says Jennifer Deneffe, who is responsible for all animations in the Palais de la Gastronomie. “Her intuitive and qualitative cuisine reflects the quality that visitors are served here. She is also part of the avant-garde in cuisine, and is always ahead of the trends. What’s more, Arabelle works with locally sourced products, raising them to a higher taste level, with an eye for the aesthetic aspect.

Jennifer Deneffe: ‘Arabelle Meirlaen exudes everything that we want to offer with our smaller, specialised trade fair in the bigger Horecatel picture: quality, intuition, avantgarde’ The organisers of Le Palais de la Gastronomie pride themselves on their considerable experience, having organised Horecatel, which is considered the leading trade fair for the hospitality industry in Wallonia, for 46 successive times. They have almost fifty years of experience. But masterchefs often were disappointed by this big fair. Today these chefs have a special hall, where they can attend demos and workshops and can taste the top products of various manufacturers.

EVERYTHING EXUDES QUALITY The concept will be tweaked for 2013. “We organised this event for the first time in 2012 but in 2013 we want to focus even more on quality”, says Jennifer Deneffe. They have since strengthened the ties with their partner, GaultMillau even more. Together with the publisher of the renowned culinary guide they developed the WexProCup competition, for chefs under 26. The president of the jury is Christophe Hardiqest of Bon Bon in Uccle. At press time thirty exhibitors, specialising in delicatessen, wines, spirits and special accessories had confirmed their participation, double the number of 2012. DOLCE will also be there with some exquisite treats for you. Everything truly exudes quality in the Palais de la Gastronomie. “Our gourmet chefs did admit that they were slightly disappointed by the offering of Horecatel, which is aimed at brasseries, chip shops and pubs”, Arabelle Meirlaen agrees. “Now we can meet in a hall which has been specially set up for our branch.” REGIONAL PRODUCTS “The Palais de la Gastronomie was specially developed for the gourmet chefs, but it is open to everyone”, Marie-Françoise Martinot, the communication officer of WEX emphasises. “The idea is not to turn this into a closed event. Anyone visiting Horecatel can come and take a look.”

The Palais de la Gastronomie is also working closely together with APAQ-W and OPW (Office des Produits Wallons) to put the regional products of Wallonia in the spotlight. But there’s more than fine food on offer. The sommelier Aristide Spies will also pair the food with various beverages. A GOURMET BOOK CORNER Another unique feature is the book corner, where you buy some of the best gourmet books. Including the unique book, Mijn intuïtieve keuken (My intuitive cuisine) by the palace’s ambassador Arabelle Meirlaen. A book with delicious recipes and all kinds of facts about food and health. “This book tells the story of everything I have experienced and learned, as a woman, as an entrepreneur, as a chef.”

Arabelle Meirlaen: ‘I like to give, to inspire and to be inspired, of course’ Moreover professional photographers will take photos of the chefs and their creations so you can also enjoy a stunning photo exhibition. A DYNAMIC TRADE FAIR THE CHEFS OF LE PALAIS DE LA GASTRONOMIE “The fair’s dynamic is important for us, as chefs”, Meirlaen concludes. “We can see each other at work and exchange ideas. Now and then a chef has to come out of his kitchen, it’s the only way to learn. The atmosphere is warm and pleasant, and there’s always something going on. I like to give, to inspire and to be inspired, of course. But our Walloon talent also needs to be placed in the spotlight. A lot is changing in Flanders, but also in Wallonia. But we tend to underplay these assets. An initiative like the Palais de la Gastronomie can change this.”

Horecatel and Le Palais de la Gastronomie will run from 10 March up to and including 13 March in the buildings of WEX (Wallonie Expo) in Marche-en-Famenne www.horecatel.be www.wex.be

At press time the following chefs had confirmed their participation: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Luc Broutard (La Table du Boucher) Bertrant Burion (WCM 2008 laureate) Maxime Collard (La Table de Maxime) François Galtier (KKO Creative Chocolate) Frank Fol (de Groentekok) Christophe Hardiquest (BonBon) René Mathieu (chef Euro-Toques) Arabelle Meirlaen (LiCwerneu) Christophe Pauly (Le Coq au Champs) Dimitri Salmon (Belgian Chocolate Master 2012) Vincent Vervisch (ER PU.RE) Jean-Yves Wilmots (Passion Wilmots) Fabrice Collignon (Pâtisserie Gastronomique)

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Vegetable rollatinis in a vegetable sauce Ingredients (serves 8)

Preparation

Vegetable rollatinis: 250 g long black radish 150 g yellow courgette, firm 100 g Chioggia beet 150 g cucumber 150 g orange carrots 100 g kohlrabi

For the vinaigrette: peel the shallots and the ginger and finely cut them in brunoise (2 mm). Finely slice the chilli pepper and the coriander. In a bowl, mix the vinegar, water and sugar. Add the other ingredients and mix. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Filter.

The marinade: 50 ml rice vinegar 150 ml water 40 g fine caster sugar 1 shallot of 50 g 20 g exactly of ginger 20 fresh coriander leaves 1 cm of Espelette pepper The vegetable sauce: 4 large leaves of cultivated sorrel 1 bunch carrot tops, whole 1 tbsp hibiscus syrup 1 mandarin 50 ml extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp cider vinegar Â˝ tsp sea salt 10 lemon balm leaves 10 basil leaves 10 lemon verbena leaves 10 coriander leaves 1dl of the marinade

Wash the black radish. Wash and scrub the other vegetables carefully. Slice them 1 mm thick using a slicer or a mandolin. Place them in the marinade for 20 minutes. Drain. Place 1 slice of each vegetable on top of each other and roll up tightly. Place these rolls next to each other on a plate. Repeat until you have at least 12 rolls. Make 12 more rolls of a smaller diameter by using half of the different types of vegetable. This makes for variety when dressing the plate. For the vegetable sauce: wash the carrot tops and the herbs. Put them in a blender together with the other ingredients. Blend until a smooth consistency and a nice green colour is reached. Refrigerate. Arrange on 6 cold plates. Start with 2 tablespoons of vegetable sauce. Slice 1 or 2 mm off the base of the rolls so that they are stable. Arrange 5 or 6 on each plate. Garnish with half an umbel of coriander and some cyclamen tendrils. Use the tip of a knife to lift fragments of gold leaf and place on the edge of one of the rolls. Note Arabelle Meirlaen uses an artisanal hibiscus syrup based on the calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa, which is made in Belgium by the brand Biscus (www.biscus.be).

Recipe: Arabelle Meirlaen (LiCwerneu) Photo: Jen-Pierre Gabriel

ZOOM CLUB PROSPER MONTAGNÉ AWARDS A PRIZE TO BEST CHEF AND BEST SOMMELIER At the end of last year, the Prosper Montagné competition, one of the country’s most important culinary competitions, once again announced its Best Chef and Best Sommelier during a wonderful gala dinner in hotel school Spermalie. Sam Van Houcke, sous chef of Onder de Toren in Hansbeke, is the Best Chef of Belgium. Jan Rots, sommelier of Brasserie Latem in Sint-Martens-Latem, was chosen as Best Sommelier. Club Prosper Montagné has been organising this prestigious competition since 1954. Five candidates competed against each other during the latest edition. Twenty-nine year old Sam Van Houcke, former student of the Ter Groene Poorte hotel school in Bruges, has been behind the stove of restaurant Onder de Toren in Hansbeke for six years but dreams aloud of his own business. Best Sommelier, Jan Rots from Wetteren, is also a former student of Ter Groene Poorte and currently works as sommelier at Brasserie Latem in Sint-Martens-Latem. www.club-prosper-montagne.be

VOLTA AND LA DISTILLERIE ARE THE MOST CREATIVE WITH VEGETABLES Olly De Ceulenaere won the Best Vegetable Restaurant of Flanders prize with his restaurant Volta. The winner in Wallonia-Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was restaurant La Distillerie of Château Bourglinster. The jury, led by ‘vegetable chef’ Frank Fol, found that “the competition’s level was extremely high this year”. The jury was assisted by online voters. Volta and La Distillerie may bear this title for one year and with this they will be ambassadors of the Denk Groenten! Denk Fruit! (Think Vegetables! Think Fruit!) platform. The restaurants not only win the title, they were also given a lovely award: a special creation of internationally renowned artist Arne Quinze on Pieter Stockmans porcelain and the Denk Groenten! Box of De Groentekok®. www.denkgroenten.info

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DOLCE LAUNCHES BRAND-NEW WEBSHOP WITH A THOUSAND TOP PRODUCTS

In March, DOLCE will be launching a brandnew webshop with a thousand top products. The man behind this is Jan De Kimpe, exmanager of specialised hotel and catering shop ISPC and current partner in DOLCE. We asked him about what you can expect from the DOLCE Shop. Text: Eline Haesel Photos: Jan Agten

You are cooperating on the new DOLCE Shop. What is your role in the DOLCE Shop? “I’m a partner in the whole DOLCE concept and the DOLCE Shop is an extension of this. It’s a webshop, a virtual shop, offering exceptional products. These can be delivered to your door in a few mouse clicks. My role is mainly supportive to get the shop going.” What distinguishes the DOLCE Shop from other webshops? “It’s a food-oriented webshop and, in the food business, it’s very rare for so many fresh products to be present in a virtual webshop. On the other hand, each of the products is of an exceptional quality.” Who is your target group? “The target group are gastronomes and epicures. People who like something extraordinary.” During your career you was also responsible for ISPC. What is the difference between this shop now and ISPC? “The DOLCE Shop distinguishes itself because it’s entirely virtual, while ISPC mainly concerns cash & carry. Another difference is that, while ISPC has around 36,000 references, this shop aims for about 1,000 references. We will therefore offer the cherry on the cake.” Are there any similarities? “Both focus on the gastronome. Both offer added value and differentiate themselves from other shops. With the difference that ISPC is a hotel and catering specialist from A to Z, where you can buy all products. This isn’t the intention of this webshop. This webshop mainly tries to offer products that can’t be found elsewhere.”

Are you a born entrepreneur? “I consider myself more as a manager-entrepreneur because in fact, I unite existing things in a new context. This isn’t the same as -what I would call- a true entrepreneur who creates something from nothing. I mainly place existing elements in a new context.” How does the DOLCE Shop fit in with the DOLCE Community, which is also an international community? “The DOLCE Shop is an extension of the community. The DOLCE Community is based on several pillars. There’s the magazine, all the social goings on, the events, the trips... The shopping aspect is an added value. People who read the magazine and see great dishes are inspired. They can now have these products delivered to their door, nationally and internationally.” What is your favourite product of this webshop? “There isn’t really one product, but a whole range I’m very proud of. The whole fresh assortment, whish distinguishes itself with products you can’t find in normal distribution. For me, fresh is and remains a product group after my heart.” Is there anything else you would like to tell DOLCE readers about the DOLCE Shop? “Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I’d say check it out, have a look at our website, place an order and enjoy it. Also let us know what you think.” When can I make my first order? “We aim to go online in March 2013 and everything is set for this date.”

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DOLCE þBÓ8GG8:DF

PA S S I O N F O R B E LG I A N G A S T R O N O M Y

JOIN THE DOLCE CLUB AND RECIEVE 175 EURO IN GIFT VOUCHERS AND MORE…

MEMBERSHIP OF DOLCE gives you the following benefits: • Your personalised ‘member’ card gives you access to ISPC wholesalers so that you always have access to the largest specialities markets in Europe • You will be given priority when registering for events organised by DOLCE When you show your DOLCE – member card we will give you an overview of our ambassadors • Brasserie ’t Kaaigat - www.kaaigat.nl free aperitif snack – special oyster depending on the season

• Il Trionfo - www.iltrionfo.be free glass of prosecco • Restaurant De Goedendag - www.degoedendag.be Discount on the week : you will pay 45 euro for the 52 euro menu • Restaurant De Savoye - www.desavoye.be free aperitif • Restaurant Elkerlijc - www.elckerlijc.be special jar of bbq seasoning • Restaurant ER PU.RE - www.erpure.be free tea or coffee after dinner

• Château Castigno - www.chateaucastigno.com 1 bottle Castigno Rosé Brut free when you buy 12 bottles of the same kind & ice bucket Château Castigno

• Restaurant iCook - www.traiteuricook.com Surprise box with special creation by the chef

• Crombé - www.crombewines.com Whisky tasting of at least min. 6 malt whiskeys

• Gastronomie du Mayeur - www.gastronomiedumayeur.be Free aperitif

• Hilton Antwerp - www.hilton.com upgrade to executive floor (for any weekend with 1 or 2 night booking)

• Les Roches Grises – www.lesrochesgrises.be Free aperitif

• Igadi / South Africa - www.olivegardenlodge.com free aperitif and 20 % discount on your stay and a free bottle of premium olive oil

MORE INFORMATION INFO@DOLCEMAGAZINE.BE - TELEPHONE +32 473 967 444 JOIN ONLINE - WWW.DOLCEMAGAZINE.BE/WINKEL

DOCK’S CAFÉ

RESTAURANT BOURY

www.docks.be

www.restaurantboury.be

Cookbook with dinner for two people

free amuse

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11 March 2013 – visit of the fish auction in Zeebrugge Location: Fish auction in Zeebrugge Programme: • 6.30 a.m. – arrival in the canteen, with coffee and pastry • 7.00 a.m. – start of the visit of the fish auction. We will start at the boats and see how the fish is unloaded and sorted. Then we will be shown how the clock auction operates to determine pricing. • 09.00 a.m. – back to the canteen: Time for professional knowledge as you discover exceptional North Sea fish species over a fisherman’s breakfast (a sandwich with mince) with a Poester (coffee with a cognac). • 09.45 a.m. – We learn the tricks of the trade and how to fillet several types of North Sea fish at the fish wholesaler Chef’s Secret. • 11.00 a.m. – We leave for the oldest fishermen’s pub in Zeebrugge where we will be served a lunch of seafood and fish soup, and copious amounts of Rodenbach beer.

16 & 17 April 2013 – visit of the biggest wholesale market in Europe – Rungis near Paris Programme: We leave on 16 April, in the evening, around 11 p.m., from the car park of the Kelderman fish restaurant in Aalst, by luxury coach. You will be served a nightcap on board. Upon arrival around 3 a.m. you will be given a guided tour of the fish, meat, cheese and vegetable departments. Around 5 a.m. you will be served a breakfast consisting of regional specialities. Around 6 a.m. we leave for Aalst again, stopping en route for an aperitif and a bite to eat. Upon arrival in Aalst you will receive a lunch box. Registration: administratie@dolcemagazine.be of +32 473 967 444 Participation: For DOLCE Club members € 196.00 p.p. For non-DOLCE Club members € 236.00 p.p.

Registration: administratie@dolcemagazine.be of +32 473 967 444 Participation: For DOLCE Club members € 98.00 p.p. For non-DOLCE Club members € 128.00 p.p.

FEBRUARY 7 TO 13 (INCL.) 2013 DOLCETRAVEL

CULINARY DISCOVERY OF QATAR

FEBRUARY 7, 2013 – DAY 1

FEBRUARY11, 2013 – DAY 5

Away flight with Qatar Airways from Brussels at 10:55am to Doha, arrival at 7:15pm. Connecting transfer to St. Regis Hotel *****.

Free during the day. At 6:30pm we leave for the W hotel where we will enjoy cocktails followed by dinner in the renowned Spice Market Restaurant.

FEBRUARY 8, 2013 – DAY 2

FEBRUARY 12, 2013 – DAY 6

Free time during the day to enjoy. In the evening your taste buds will be pampered during the Caravan Night: a culinary tour through the St. Regis hotel, including drinks. We start off in the Vintage Bar, Cigar Lounge, where you can enjoy an aperitif. This is followed by starters in the Vine Restaurant. Your main course awaits you in the Oyster Bar. We round off the evening in the Oyster Bar with dessert.

Free during the day. In the evening we will enjoy the farewell dinner at 7pm in Gordon Ramsay’s Fine Dining Restaurant.

FEBRUARY 13, 2013 – DAY 7 Breakfast at the hotel, followed by transfer to the airport for the return flight to Brussels with Qatar Airways from Doha at 8:40am. Arrival in Brussels at 1:15pm.

FEBRUARY 9, 2013 – DAY 3 During the morning, we will discover the city of Doha, leaving at 10am. You will get to know the vegetable market, the camel market, the old historical centre, the souks and the Falcon Market. We close off the morning with a light lunch. The rest of the day you can spend at your own leisure.

Conditions: Price on basis of a double room: DOLCE Club members €3,899 pp / non-members €4,150 pp. Price on basis of a single room: DOLCE Club members €4,599 pp – non-members €4.850 pp. Supplement business class: €2,400.00 p.p. The above prices include VAT.

FEBRUARY 10, 2013 – DAY 4 Free during the morning and the early afternoon. Late afternoon we leave on a jeep safari for an unforgettable experience. We end the day in the Saudi mountain range for a BBQ with the locals.

Not included: Travel assistance and travel insurance / optional excursions and meals – unless stated to the contrary in the travel programme / local tips / drinks and personal expenses / administrative costs (€15.00) Reservations: administratie@dolcemagazine.be or +32 (0)473 967 444 Supplementary information: Every passenger must be in the possession of an international passport valid until six months after return. Prices are subject to exchange rate increases, availability, airport tax increases and local tax changes. In collaboration with Mare Tours / Thomas Cook Travel Shop - Licence 1883.

DOLCE PASSIE PA S S I OVOOR N F ODE R BBELGISCHE E LG I A N GGASTRONOMIE ASTRONOMY

COOKING

TRAVELLING

GOURMET

PASSION

tasting feeling ISSN 2294-0264 01

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