Split the endives down the middle, lengthwise. Carefully cut out the hard white core in the center. Avoid cutting through to the bottom of the endives or they will fall apart. Toss the endives with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and marinate them while you brown the chicken.

In a heavy 5-quart casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil. While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken in flour and shake off any excess. Begin by adding the dark leg parts to the casserole and sauté, turning on occasion for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden. Remove the pieces to a separate bowl and brown the remaining breast parts in the same way.

Discard the oil in the casserole, but keep the drippings. Add the butter and melt it over medium heat. When the butter is golden brown, add the endives and sprinkle the sugar over the halves. Sauté over medium-high heat, turning on occasion, for about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown and glistening. Add any remaining lemon juice the endives have marinated in, along with the minced onion and sauté, stirring, for another 3 to 4 minutes or until softened.

Set the browned chicken leg parts over the endives, including any juices the chicken has given off in the bowl and add the water and beer. In the saucepan, bring the liquid to a simmer and cook, over very low heat for 20 minutes, turning the legs once. Add the breast parts, pressing the chicken into the endives as much as possible, cover and continue to simmer gently for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Remove the chicken and endives from the pot to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm as you finish the sauce. Boil the liquid down until 1 cup remains; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with endives and sauce spooned over the top.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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).

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

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.

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”.