500 gram flour
100 gram raisins
25 gram preserved ginger, chopped
1 apple, peeled, cleaned and chopped
1 tbsp sugar
rind from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp yeast
150 gram beer
icing sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and stir in 350 gram water. Allow the batter to rise for one hour.

Use two tablespoons or an ice-scoop spoon to make balls out of the batter and fry 7 minutes at 160 degrees C°. Turn them halfway if necessary. Serve with icing sugar.

450g / 1lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed
480ml / 16fl.oz. dark beer
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

Place the sprouts in a medium saucepan and pour in enough beer to cover.
Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender, adding more beer if necessary.
Drain well then return to the pan, season with salt and add the butter.
Stir over a low heat until the butter has melted and coated the sprouts. Serve immediately.

3 lb/1,5 kg chuck or bottom round
1/3 lb/120 g salt pork
5 large onions, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
1 pint /5 dl Gueuze
1 cup / 2.5 dl beef stock
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
parsley

Render half of salt pork. Cut beef into 2 inch/ 5 cm chunks and brown in pork fat.
Saute onions in butter until transparent and lightly colored.
Combine in a 4 quart casserole. Pour liquid from meat into a measuring cup.
Remove the grease, then add enough beef stock to make one cup/2,5 dl.
Render the balance of the salt pork and add flour to make a roux.
Add stock and drippings and whisk and bring to a boil.
Add beer and bring to a boil again.
When the mixture is thick and smooth, add the garlic, vinegar, sugar, thyme, and bay leaf.
Pour it over the meat and onion mixture and add salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then transfer it to a heavy covered casserole and bake it for two hours at 325°F/160°C.
Before serving, sprinkle heavily with chopped parsley.
Serve with plain boiled potatoes.

1 l – 4 cups sweet brown ale (Stout)
1/2 l – 2 cups milk
2 egg yolks
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 ts powdered ginger
1 tb cornflour
3 tb cold water
Salt
Rind of 1 lemon

Simmer the beer with the lemon rind, cinnamon and ginger for 10 minutes. Mix the cornflour and cold water together to a smooth paste. Add a few spoonfuls of the hot beer and then add the cornflour mixture to the beer in the saucepan. Cook the soup gently for a further 10 minutes.

Mix the egg yolks and milk together and, away from the heat, add to the soup in the saucepan. Heat through thoroughly without boiling and serve with slices of fried bread.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: A Taste of the Belgian Provinces, Enid Gordon and Midge Shirley (published by The Tuesday Group, rue Frans Merjay, 1060 Brussels).

2,25 kg – 5 lb mussels
2 onions
2 shallots
1 stick celery
1 tb butter
33 cl – 10 fl. oz. bottle pale ale
1 ts cornflour
3 egg yolks
1,5 dl – 5 fl. oz cream
Salt, pepper

Scrape and clean the mussels thoroughly, removing the beards and discarding any broken or open ones. Wash them in several waters.

Chop the onions, shallots and celery finely. In a very deep saucepan, melt the butter. Add the mussels and stir. Pour in the beer, add the pepper and very little salt, cover the saucepan and cook the mussels over a medium flame until they have all opened.

Remove the mussels, reserving the liquid. Open the mussels, leaving them on the half shell, and layer them in a wide, semi-shallow serving dish.

Strain the liquid into a smaller saucepan. Mix the cornflour into a paste with a little water and add it to the liquid. Heat this to just under simmering point. Beat the egg yolks and cream and gradually beat in a little hot liquid. Pour the mixture into the saucepan, whisking all the time, until it thickens: it MUST NOT boil.

Check the seasoning, then pour the sauce over the mussels, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: A Taste of the Belgian Provinces, Enid Gordon and Midge Shirley (published by The Tuesday Group, rue Frans Merjay, 1060 Brussels).

MEATBALLS:
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
1/4 cup – 7 cl milk; or more
1 lb – 500 g ground beef, lean
1/2 lb – 250 g ground pork or veal
1 large egg
1 tablespoon shallots; minced
1 tablespoon parsley, fresh; fine minced
salt & pepper to taste
1 pinch nutmeg; grated
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
SAUCE:
1 medium onion; thinly sliced
3 belgian endives; cored andcut in 1/4-inch rounds
1 teaspoon sugar
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons flour; up to 2 tablespoons
1 cup – 2,5 dl blond pilsner-style beer
1/2 cup – 1,25 dl beef broth or chicken
2 tablespoons parsley, fresh; for garnish

To prepare meatballs, soak bread crumbs in milk until thoroughly moistened; squeeze dry with hands. Combine bread crumbs, ground meats, eggs, shallots, parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg in medium bowl. Form mixture into 6 to 8 balls or patties (2 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick); dust with 2 tablespoons flour.

Heat butter and oil in deep, heavy Dutch oven, until hot but not smoking, over high heat. Add meatballs; cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes, making sure butter does not burn. Remove meat balls to platter; keep warm.

To prepare sauce, discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat in pan. Add onion and endives. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons flour to vegetables; cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add beer and broth; heat to quick boil, scraping up all brown bits from bottom of pan.

Reduce heat to simmer; return meatballs to pan, placing them on top of vegetables. Simmer, partly covered, until meat is cooked through, 45 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

4 servings.

Source: Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook by Ruth Van Warebeeck; printed in the Chicago Tribune, October 2, 1996

100 g / 3,5 oz. butter
2 lemons, 1 peeled and cut into wedges, 1 pressed
bay leaves
10 leaves tarragon
12 very small onions (or 1 big one, cut into fine strips)
1 sheet gelatine, soaked 5 minutes in cold water
1 bottle of beer
pepper and salt
1 kg / 2,2 lb cleaned freshwater fish (perch, trout, pike…)

Cut the fish into pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Put the butter in a big frying pan. Fry the fish for 10 minutes on a low fire. Take the fish out of the pan.

Pour the beer into the frying pan with the juice of 1 lemon. Leave it on a low fire.

Melt the gelatine or make a fish gelatine following the instructions on the package.

Put a first layer of fish in a earthenware tureen. Garnish with 2 or 3 lemon wedges, a few bay leaves, a few tarragon leaves and 2 or 3 small onions (or some onion strips).

Add a little bit of beer and then some gelatine to cover the fish.

Continue with layers fish, lemon, bay leaves, tarragon and onions, beer and gelatine. The last layer should be a layer of gelatine, garnished with lemon wedges, tarragon and bay leaves.

Put the tureen in a cool place (not in the refrigerator) and keep it there for at least 3 days before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Elisabeth Lange – Belgische Kookkunst ABC. My translation.

1 rabbit 1500 g – 3 lb
2 big onions, coarsly chopped
500 g – 1 lb sour cherries
1/2 bottle – or more – Belgian cherry beer (Kriek)
1 generous tablespoon lard
1 generous tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons eau de vie (Jenever, Geni?vre)
nutmeg
salt and pepper

Cut the rabbit into serving pieces and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the lard in a casserole and fry the onions until golden. Add the rabbit and brown it at all sides. Sprinkle the flour over the rabbit. Mix well and pour the beer over it – the meat should be covered. Add the brown sugar and a pinch of nutmeg. Cover the casserole and let the rabbit simmer for 1 hour.

In the meantime, remove the stones from the cherries and add them to the rabbit 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Season to taste and add the eau de vie. Serve with baked potatoes.

Makes 4 servings.
Source: my collection

2 large red onions; sliced
6 tablespoon butter
3 cup chicken stock
1 bottle beer
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 thick slices french bread
1 grated parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until soft. Add chicken stock, beer, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Broil bread on one side about 3 inches from heat. Turn, sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese, and broil 1-2 minutes more, until lightly browned. Pour soup into bowls. Add cheese-covered bread. Makes 4 servings.

Source: Lon Hall’s “Cooking With Beer”.

4 eggs
0.5 bottle Belgian beer
(such as Kriek) or lager
60 g – 2 oz. butter
1 tb flour
0.5 ts sugar
1 dl – 3,3 fl. oz. cream
4 slices bread
1 tb chopped parsley
Salt, pepper

Bring the beer to a boil in a saucepan. Break the eggs in small bowls and slide them carefully into the beer: poach them for 3-4 minutes, or until they are set. Remove the eggs from the beer with a slotted spoon, drain and keep warm.

Strain the beer into a jug. Make a roux with the butter and the flour, and gradually add the strained beer until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add the sugar and cream, and mix well. Adjust seasoning.

Cut off the crusts of the slices of bread and trim them into ovals or rounds, then fry them in the remaining butter. Put one egg on each slice of fried bread, spoon the sauce over, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve very hot.

Remarks: 4 servings.

Source: A Taste of the Belgian Provinces, Enid Gordon and Midge Shirley (published by The Tuesday Group, rue Frans Merjay, 1060 Brussels).