So you're moving to Leuven, Belgium?

Author's note August 8, 2014: I lived in Leuven from January 2010 to April 2012; after a brief 1 month move to Barcelona, Spain, I relocated back to the US in May 2012. I now live in Seattle, WA. Most of the information on here is reflective of spring 2012. I have had so many inquiries to this original post that I have added updates below. Readers, thank you so much for your awesome comments, and for reaching out to me through the contact form. Neeli. 

Moving abroad is thrilling and exciting, but once the adventure of moving settles a bit, questions about meeting friends and doing basic stuff will undoubtedly arise. But who to ask? This post is a collection of bits and pieces of advice given to me from friends, personal experiences, and browsing the internets.

While we initially moved to Belgium for work, we were totally falling over ourselves at the idea of exploring Belgian beer and biking more closely, and to travel around Europe (with a European country conveniently as home-base). I think the context of "the why" you move is very important in your overall adjustment. Your personal viewpoints on adventure can help you ease into what you get vs. what you expect. Take for example the work on which we moved, a research position at the university. The private employment sector may help you with relocation, housing, moving, lease agreements (3-6-9 year ones), vehicle rental/purchase, obtaining a driver's license (it's easy), visa paperwork, enrolling in health insurance (SIS card), and the bureaucratic Belgian integration. Coming over on an academic position meant that we got support with the visa paperwork and the integration. I found these two things essential in relocating and would not recommend moving without them. Navigating the paperwork solo is daunting and difficult. Having an employer know exactly what steps to take is essential.

Part of adjusting is obvious, but other parts aren't. It took me 6 months to figure out the schedules of the bakers, markets, grocery stores, pharmacies, recycling and trash pick up schedules, and the correct way to set out recycling paper. While Belgium is a country where English is spoken and understood well, it is still culturally different in ways that don't become obvious until you go through the process of setting up your life again. Google translate and common sense are essential.

Meeting others:
Meetup: The Leuven New in Town Meetup organizes social outings monthly. It's laid back, English-speaking, and a great way to meet other international residents. Brussels has many more Meetup groups (beer trekking, crafting, language groups) including other expat groups such as InterNations or the American Women's Club. Joining a sports club, volunteering at an organization, or taking language courses are all great ways to meet others too.

City and practical:
Leuven.be There is always something going on in the center. Subscribe to the city's RSS feeds. Read it in Dutch (use Google Translate if needed); the English site is only geared towards tourism - not towards living in Leuven. The site has all of the essential living information on it.

The Afvalkalender: Garbage, recycling, compost, and paper are all collected twice per month; this ain't America strict rules apply on how and when to set these out. If you never recycled before (what kind of person are you) and choose to throw it out with the trash sometimes the city garbage collectors will leave your garbage (also if it is not tied correctly) conveniently for you to sort out. It is essential to get the Afvalkalender (trash calendar). The city mails them out in early January.

The Library: Tweebronnen Bibliotheek. Leuven's library has a good collection of English, French, German, and Spanish books, music, and DVDs. I hope it is obvious that they have an excellent Dutch book collection. To obtain a card, bring your ID card and EUR 5 and ask to obtain an abonnement (membership). You can check out up to 15 items at a time. Everything is automated, and the staff are very helpful. There is a nice cafe downstairs where you can read your books and enjoy a nice lunch or beer.

No one uses Craigslist: They use Tweedehands, Kapaza, and ebay. If there is some listserv that contains this info for ex-pats please someone tell me! De Spit, a second-hand store, is hit or miss with household goods, but often sells furniture, large appliances, and kitchen goods for dirt cheap. They'll pick up or deliver for EUR 25. Obvious mention: IKEA. Amazon is not widely used, but many stores will ship. The hubs was able to purchase brewing supplies from a Belgian vendor. 

Housing: most posts for housing are on Immoweb. I think email is used less reliably than the US, always follow up with a phone call.

Get a bike: Long term bicycle rental can be done at Velo.  You can rent out a bike month-to-month, or yearly (all good rates). Bike theft can be very common if you leave your bike outside overnight, and it isn't locked to anything; it is a national past-time to steal bikes. Storing bikes indoors, or locked to something with heavy duty U-locks can be a deterrent. My Dutch course had a section on how to report bike thefts.
Short term bicycle rental can be done at the Fietspunt in the station (also operated by Velo). This is a good option for weekly or daily rentals. 

Bike routes: Flanders and Holland have a bike number network called the Fietsnet. I've written about using it here and here. I credit usable bike lanes, excellent city infrastructure, and the Fietsnet for living without a car the entire time we've lived here (ok, I credit my friends too because they are so kind and incredible to help out and take us along on trips). 

Gyms and sport clubs/halls: If you're affiliated with the university you can apply for a membership to use the sports facilities they are all very good and affordable; Sportoase is the biggest gym/wellness facility in town. It costs more, is centrally located, has weight machines, group lessons, indoor pools, squash courts, climbing wall, and a basketball gym. In September, the papers publish a listing of all the sports clubs and activities. Leuven has a well-organized ultimate scene too (search for JetSet). 

Driver's License: If you are from the US, you can usually trade in your current (cannot be expired) US driver's license for a Belgian one at the city hall. Are there other readers that have done this? If so, please comment, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Go with recent passport photos and bring cash. You'll trade your current license and be issued a Belgian one; if you move away permanently return the Belgian license and the city will return your original license. I had no problems obtaining this, and I was able to use the Belgian license abroad and back in the states. It took 20 minutes and I walked out the same day with the license. On a trip back to the states, I went ahead and got an international permit to accompany the license (again passport photos and cash), but I never needed it. Your identification card will be your "main ID" not your license (this is a pain in the wazoo when you go back to the US, when you only have a Belgian ID card and now a Belgian license, oh what fun when trying to explain it as your form of ID). The cheapest place to get passport photos is the train station (5 for EUR 5). 

Haircuts: Of all the things moving will do to your life, finding a new stylist is always the hardest. They don't use a razor for cuts. Always take a picture of what you want, or maybe an older picture of you with your desired haircut. Don't worry so much, if you end up with a new haircut it's not the end of the world. Bangs/fringe are called frou-frou which are typically straightcut fringe or bangs; for swept over bangs do the hand motion or be descriptive enough. Layers are called lagjes; if you take a pic along with you, you can say ik wil hetzelfede kapsel houden which means the same hairstyle as before, then use descriptors such as alleen een beetje korter of hoger of langer (a bit shorter or a higher or longer). Remember use cm to designate how much of the bottom you want off (for example één of twee centimeters is genoeg (1-2 cm is enough). I would recommend Sizoo on the Diestestraat and Academy-Coiffure on the Muntstraat. 

Travel:

Trains. Give yourself enough time to buy tickets if you purchase them on the day of travel. You can only use bancontact or proton at the automated stations (idiotic, I know) and the automated stations are few and far at any of the stations (Brussels Zuid/Midi I'm talking about you). If you must catch a train and haven't purchased a ticket, find staff on the train and let them know as soon as you get on. They will often waive the buying on board fee. You can usually find them by hanging back on the platform towards the center of the train. They'll whistle and indicate "all clear," and you can let them know. A go-pass (for those under 26 y/o at EUR 50) or a 10-time pass can be purchased at the station (EUR 74). The ticket should be filled out before entering the train (or as soon as you sit down). You can have multiple people use the ticket (one line per person). Just fill in the origin and destination. Each line is good for one 1-way journey at EUR 7.40. Book tickets for the high speed trains like, Thalys and Eurostar, in advance. You'll always get a better rate. On weekends (travel beginning after 7 pm on Friday up until 11:59 pm Sunday) a weekend ticket can be purchased for a much lower rate, and it includes one outward journey to your destination and one return journey. The advantage of this is that you don't have to complete travel on the same day. It is not for "x" amount of travel between 2 destinations (e.g. Brussels to Gent) for an entire weekend. 

Bus: De Lijn is the bus system in Flanders; busses are well connected, and in rural parts shuttle busses can be called (see this useful post from the Thirsty Pilgrim). De Lijn also runs the trams. 

Use-it maps. These are free tourist maps written by locals. Ask at any tourist office, they are free! If you use the Leuven map, you might even teach your local friends new things about Leuven.

Car Share: Cambio is a carsharing service. I've rented cars from the aiport at Zaventem and at an Avis in Korbeek-Lo. Car rental is a major pain in the arse, and expensive. I would love to get feedback if you've used Cambio.

Medical:

In Belgium, accessing the doctor (huisarts), and medical system is easy. English will not be a problem. Dentists are tandarts, veterinarians are dierenarts. If you need to see a specialist, your normal doctor will refer you after an initial consultation. Going to the doctor is easy. Once you find a doctor, you'll call and set up an appointment (often you can go the same day, or that week). When you arrive to the doctors office, you are rung in, and asked to wait in a waiting area. Many huisarts offices are located in neighborhoods, and many are independent (zelfstandige). In a main clinic you can check in with reception, but in an independent office, you let yourself in, and you wait. The doctor comes and meets you, escorts you to the office (office and examining room are often the same), and at the conclusion of your visit, you pay (bring cash), and the doctor escorts you out. The cost of medical care is affordable. An office visit without health insurance is usually EUR 20-25 and you'll leave with a green or white rectangular document. Once enrolled in the Belgian health system (probably CM), your health insurance (de ziekteverzekering) will give you a sheet of yellow stickers (kleurtjes), which you paste onto the top of the document; bring these same labels to a doctor's appt. Then you drop it in a box at any health insurance office to get up to 75% of your costs reimbursed. A doctor recently told me that the sheets are basically money. CM is very efficient.

If you're used to preventative care in the US (regular blood and cancer screenings, blood pressure and weight checks) the system here is slightly different. Some screenings are viewed as not medically necessary. It depends on the reason for your visit. On request, these can be done. When I inquired about this difference, I was told that they follow evidence-based medicine and guidelines, along with basic common sense. Of course, I went back and looked these up. Although, I think screening is cost-effective, and generates baseline data about basic health, I've concluded that Belgians access the health care system as needed, they have efficient electronic medical records, they are probably more likely to visit the same doctor over time (Belgium is a tiny country); the doctor may manage risk factors more effectively, or manage symptoms before they become risk factors, and develop a broader understanding of the patient's health. On average, visits are longer. A doctor will develop more of a rapport with patients because they are obtaining a lot of the subjective data (e.g they are learning about their patients, instead of managing the symptoms they come in with). Costs for visits, prescriptions, routine procedures are all much cheaper than the US. The point that is made from every American I talk to about the medical system is that Belgian's pay a much higher tax rate; the benefits/drawback, rights, and monetary expenditures of healthcare in a private or socialized system warrants its own post. However, I have been very happy with the care here - and I have never had a to deal with a disgruntled receptionist, and overall I think the US could benefit and learn from many of the ways that other countries manage their health care models. 
Random note: Since I moved back to teach nutrition courses at a large public university, I actually taught about health care and researched the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) extensively, along with how Americans access the health care systems in the US. My experience in Belgium made me far more passionate about fixing the health care system in the US - and far more knowledgeable about the issues that make the US model an extreme health care model compared to economically similar industrialized countries where citizens access a universal tax subsidized model. 

Pharmacies: around town pharmacies, or apotheeks, are designated with a green plus sign. Most are open normal hours. For instance, they are open 8-12 pm, closed for lunch ~12-1:30 pm, and then reopen 1:30-6:00 pm. Although it's weird that they sell make-up and other "health" products, apotheeks are where you can find most OTC meds, and of course where you go to get prescriptions filled (voorschrift). Honestly every time I've had a prescription filled I literally go through shock. The costs are so affordable; some prescriptions for women's health (shall I point out the terrible political mess that is being made of birth control in the US?) can be filled every 3 months, or once per year. Once. per. year. Go on, guess how much. OTC drugs are not sold in grocery stores or drugstores. Most major apotheeks rotate weekend and overnight hours. This info is posted outside of the apotheek, or online here and here.
Update: one year of mostly generic oral contraceptives cost me 54 EUR without health insurance. 

Pets:

Pets: Belgium is pet friendly. The paperwork for bringing your pets is almost as long as the paperwork you will have had to fill out to move here. Check the Belgian consulate for the necessary paperwork, and allow 3 months to get it done. You'll need an international microchip (even if you already have a domestic one), proof of rabies vaccination within a specific time before emigrating, and have your paperwork cleared by your state's (e.g the state that you depart from) USDA office. Mr. Duds is a cat; once his paperwork was done, we carried it, him, (and copies) with us while traveling, and it's become a distant memory. It was a pain at the time, but it was uneventful. We had no problems at immigration/customs. There are lots of vet offices (dierenarts).
Update: Going through security with a pet at Zaventem (Brussels National Airport) was painless. All the airport personnel that I encountered were proper and friendly. They were also excited to see the cat. In contrast, when we left Europe, we left from Spain, and the airport security personnel were total dimwits when it came to pet security inspection. 

Language:

Language courses: if you have time to commit to 6-12 hours per week of language courses, the intensive language courses at the Institute voor Levende Talen (ILT) and Centrum voor Levende Talen (CLT) are exceptional. You will be speaking the language in some format when you leave. I have nothing but gushing compliments - and you'll meet lots of other people in the courses. I took Dutch and Spanish through both institutes and I can say that I'm functionally fluent (can go to the markets, talk on the phone, set up appointments, speak with medical staff, bank, and get by on my Dutch) after completing Level 2 at ILT. I took Spanish (Level 1) at CLT this summer and it was a great course for the value and time (2 weeks intense summer course). Groep T offers courses which can accommodate working hours, so this may be a great option, however friends that took courses at ILT and CLT complain about the courses lacking intensity. In addition, reading newspapers, watching TV, trying to speak Dutch/Flemish everywhere you go, and forcing your Belgian friends to speak with you are all good ways to gain confidence in speaking, and they are all great ways to learn about Belgian culture and history.

Shopping, finding exotic foods, where to buy good coffee and beer:

The major shopping sales (Zolden) occur during January and July. Smaller sales do occur, but these are the largest. You might have price sticker shock, and the customer service is different (at store like H&M, Zara, Pimkie you put your clothes away after trying them on). Most stores are open from 10-6 pm; grocery stores are open 8 am - 8 pm (approx.). Most stores are closed on Sundays. At grocery stores, be prepared and bring your own bags.

The markets. Sunday is Heverlee, Monday is Wijgmaal, Wednesday is Kessel-Lo, Friday and Saturday are Leuven. The markets sell everything from fresh produce, cheese, eggs, breads, meats, seafoods, to clothes, crafts, fabrics, plants, and flowers. The prices are all very good; be prepared to look very local and assert yourself when you're next in line. Using the markets is the best way to pick up the language and get a bit more comfortable using it.

Food and cooking: in Leuven, you can purchase Mexican ingredients, like chipotle peppers, pinto beans, and black beans, at Exotic World on the Brusselsesteenweg. They have Indian, Chinese, Korean, African, Turkish; for southeast Asian go to Thai House Supermarkt on the Tiensestraat. There are many ethnic food shops along Brusselsesteenweg. I have never been too pleased with their selection of produce, it often looks days old.

Coffee: Koffie Onan. Always full of Spaniards and Americans. They started self-roasting their own beans. The staff are excellent, knowledgeable, and very kind.
Update: Recently, I read that a Starbucks is coming to the Leuven train station. Someone send me a picture!

Beer: Most grocery stores have a decent selection of beers. For harder to find items head to ABS Drinks in Winksele or ABC Drinks in Leuven. They carry hundreds of different Belgian beers.

Bottle deposits (e.g. beer bottles): As you live here, you'll see that most people buy crates of Stella or Jupiler. When you purchase them this way, you pay some extra as deposit (between 10-20 cents) for the bottles and crate (often EUR 4.50). As for other beer bottles, check the back, and look for a coin deposit sign. Most grocery store have an automated bottle return where you can bring beer bottle back for a deposit. Print out a receipt and take it with you to the cashier (kassa) on checkout.

Embarrassing things I hate to admit:

1. I did not know that you had to put dishwasher salts in the dishwasher. 

2. I was caught throwing bottles away; a woman saw me dumping loads of beer bottles into the recycling bin and she had to show me the deposit sign. Groan!

3. Karl got a EUR 50 ticket for biking with his backlight off. The police are serious about enforcing traffic regulations; biker's beware!

If you use this and it's helpful, or you have a suggestion/update please comment below. I'll likely update this. I've been abroad since Jan 2010.

Things I now miss:
1. the laid back and constant use of the bicycle for nearly all modes of transportation
2. Certain aspects of the food culture: dairy foods in Europe, the markets, smaller portion sizes for drinks and beverages, very little mark-ups on beer and wine at restaurants. The smaller portions of foods at the grocery stores, and the total cost of healthier, whole, foods is cheaper in Europe than the US. 
3.  Terraces in pedestrian-only plazas. In general, I miss the plazas and the social nature of how well connected the plazas are to the rest of the center. 
4. The ease at accessing the medical system there. Even as a foreigner it was easier to get an appointment at a doctor's office than an insurance-carrying person in the US. 
5. The way that news is reported. 

Author's note August 8, 2014: I lived in Leuven from January 2010 to April 2012; after a brief 1 month move to Barcelona, Spain, I relocated back to the US in May 2012. Most of the information on here is reflective of spring 2012. I have had so many inquiries to this original post that I have added updates above. Readers, thank you so much for your awesome comments, and for reaching out to me through the contact form. Hartelijke dank! Neeli

Beer post: "Drie Fonteinen"

When planning a day trip involving bikes (aka making a beer bike pilgrimage) to a beer place well known for lambics, it's extremely useful to make sure that you have found the *right* destination. Journeying ~ 40 km to the wrong destination is truly hilarious. Because when you show up and realize your wrong you can't really do anything but laugh. You're exhausted, tired, obviously thirsty, and your top-up pay as you go internet connection ran out just in time to fact check where the heck you ended up (wtf BASE?).

The hubs and I biked to "Drie Fonteinen." There is a huge park in Vilvoorde with the same name, where the Brasserie Drie Fonteinen is also located (except in Vilvoorde). We intended to bike to 3Fonteinen in Beersel (drie = 3, fonteinen = fountains in Dutch). In the Flemish parts of Belgium, the Fietsnet is indispensable as a guide for planning a biking route (see end of post). Biking one-way and then taking the train back is a good day-trip option. Most cities in Belgium will be connected with trains, and a day pass for bikes is EUR 8.

In researching the destination and route of travel the hubs and I independently found the same location and didn't think twice about it. We even did this over several days. In fact, we wrongly read both sites and thought they were the same thing. So once we got to the Brasserie Drie Fonteinen we realized our mistake. We sat down and looked off the single lambic on the menu, and then ordered up some Grimbergens. We chuckled. What the heck else can you really do? So while the Brasserie Drie Fonteinen is not 3Fonteinen, it is a nice restaurant with a huge terrace and garden. And the mostly flat ride was quite enjoyable.

Beersel would have been too far anyways. Bieke, thank you for calling me when my minutes ran out and telling us the opening hours of our intended destination, and not laughing hysterically at me. You are too kind.












The Fietsnet is basically a Google map overlaid with connected bike-number systems. I wrote about using it here; on the zoek locatie (find location) tab type the city or area where you want to start. The map will zoom into the location and a series of red dots will appear. Click each red dot to choose the route. It may take a few tries. White lanes mean paved roads, orange means gravel or semi-hard (which can sometimes mean dirt or biking through a corn field), and blue is cobblestone. Sometime the Fietsnet will take you around a city if the city doesn't have good bike lanes. It's optimized for the bike rider because it avoids heavy car traffic areas, and it always opts for the most quiet and scenic riding situations. It is the single best way to explore Belgium. Exporting to GPS is possible. If you have questions or notice that signs are missing, take a minute to report it here. Check out there list of cycling websites too. Now, don't you want this idea of an online connected updated useful bike number trail system in the city/region/area/state you live? It makes travel without a car a complete and total reality? It is seriously the best thing ever.

Belgian beer braised mushroom stew with fries (a stoofvlees variant)

I am in a food coma. I have a Duvel in my hand and a belly full of rumbly digestive noises. When I tell my Belgian friends that I'm going to make stoofvlees (a Belgian beef stew that uses a dark Belgian beer as the braising liquid) vegetarian they shudder with thoughts of "who the heck does this American think she is?" and "can it be done?" and "can i come over and try it and prove you wrong?"

The answers: she thinks she's awesome; yes and, yes and no. I had imagined using mushrooms the first time I viewed Jeroen Meus's version on Dagelijkse Kost. Something to soak up all the butter he uses and that will cook quickly and pair well with fries. This my friends, vrienden, is een echt lekkere vegetarische maaltijd. Now just imagine me saying, "nu we moet een kleine boter toevoegen daarna, ja, echt kleine stuk boter gesmolten." The contenders are a generous mix of mushrooms including bruine parijse, or basically compact and sturdy cremini mushrooms, along with white button mushrooms, diced white onions, lots of fresh herbs, garlic, Chimay blue (or to make it truly Flemish a St. Bernardus 12 or if I may be so bold to suggest a Westvleteren 12, or really any dark Belgian beer in the quadruple style with lots of spicy notes will suffice), mustard smothered bread, and butter - lots of it. I haven't even mentioned the fries yet!

Indeed, I did use a liberal amount of butter, but the resulting sauce is smooth and rich like velvet. The flip side of making this dish vegetarian is that you can make this dish fast on a weeknight, or when pressed for time. It cooks fast, and because it isn't stewing for hours the beer leaves more floral and fruity notes. You can serve it over mashed potatoes, but the hubs and I recently inherited a deep-fat fryer and attempted our first delicious batch of Belgian fries (how does one live in Belgium longer than two years and not get one is beyond me). They turned out golden, hot, crisp, salted to perfection with the proper salt to fry ratio. One naturally picks this up after watching numerous frietkot owners toss and toss and toss those fries.

This is a rich delicious stoofchampignon met frieten, or a braised beer and mushroom stew. Besides, every proper Belgian home has a frietketel or deep-fat fryer.

Beer braised mushroom stew with fries or stoofchampignon met frieten
Stoofvlees zonder vlees met champignons en frieten adapted from Jeroen Meus's Dagelijkse Kost
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
6 tbsp butter, all divided
2 cups white onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 and 1/2 lbs mushrooms such as white button, cremini, and portabello mushrooms (or 350 g brown mushrooms, and 250 g white button mushrooms) wiped clean then quartered and halved.
1/3 cup chopped parsley
dried basil (maybe 1-2 tsp)
1-2 bay leaves
1 clove
1 bottle of Chimay Blue (or St. Bernardus 12, or a Belgian-quadruple style beer)
4-6 slices thin baguette smeared with strong dijon mustard
1/3 cup or more lingonberry jam, or other tart not sweet jam (apple butter is preferred)
lots of salt and pepper to taste
splash white wine vinegar to finish

Directions:

1. Get out two wide pans, preferably one cast-iron. Start melting 2 tbsp of butter over medium-low heat in the non-cast iron one. When it gets hot, add the onions and garlic and cook until they just begin to sweat. Then turn the heat off.
2. In the cast iron pan heat up 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add half the mushrooms being careful not to crowd the pan. When the mushrooms begin to release water add them to the pan with the onions. Repeat with another 2 tbsp of butter.
3. When the mushrooms are all cooked add them to the pan with the onions and turn the heat to medium. Pour the beer into the cast iron pan and let it heat up. Meanwhile, add the parsley, basil, bay leaves, cloves, salt and pepper to the onion pan. Once the beer is bubbling add it to the onion pan. Stir everything together and stir in the lingonberry jam or the apple butter.
4. Slice off 5-7 thin baguette slices (or 2-3 normal sandwich slices) and smother them with a fancy Dijon mustard. Place these on top of the mushroom stew and simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce has thickened up a bit. Alternatively, you can dice up the bread and stir in about 2-3 tbsp of mustard along with the bread. The bread will dissolve into the stew. It's so good.
5. Begin prepping the fries. Check on the mushroom stew often; it will reach it's desired thickness usually within 30 minutes.

Now onto the fries. Belgian fries are fried twice, and are cut thicker. They are fried once at a lower temp resulting in cooking the interior of the fry, and the second time at a higher temp resulting in (the Maillard reaction) the browning of the exterior while keeping the inside nice and soft. First we will fry all the fries at 280º F /140º C. Once they are all done, the temp will be increased to 355º F/180º C. The idea here is to first cook the potatoes until they are just bright yellow, about 5-6 minutes; then cook them a second time, about 5-8 minutes, until they are golden or golden-brown.

Fries or frieten:
Note: Count at least 2 potatoes per person and probably 3 for guys, trust me, everyone scarfs down fries.
4-5 fry potatoes
1 liter of fry oil, or frituurolie; peanut oil is fine
A heavy bottom pan with a thermometer, or a deep-fat fryer

Directions for fries:

1. Peel fry potatoes and cut them into thick sticks about 1/2" or 13 mm. Do not wash them. Any water on the fries will be bad news for hot oil, and it will get rid of the starch which will make the first crispy layer on the fry.
2. Pour 1 L of fry oil (in Belgium there is special oil for the art of frying fries called frituurolie or fry oil) or peanut oil into a deep-fat fryer and heat up to 280º F/140º C.
3. When hot add in the fries being careful not to overcrowd the pan or fryer. Fry about 5-6 minutes or until the fries look golden. Repeat with all the fries. When the fries are done remove them to a heat safe plate lined with paper towels.
4. Turn up the heat on the fryer to 355º F/180º C. When ready, fry the once-fried fries until they are golden-brown and remove. Serve with mayo. I won't judge if you serve with ketchup or mustard.  Toss the fries with salt in a wide bowl, and serve alongside the stoofchampignonsaus. 

Eet smakelijk!

Park Abbey (Abdij van 't Park)

Remember that online photography course I shared a few posts back? The hubs has been more studious than me as evidenced by his beautiful pics. It snowed this past week. Snow makes cold weather more manageable, until you realize you have to walk your bike everywhere. These were taken at the Park Abbey (Abdij van 't Park). A short walk from our place.

Belgo-American brownies

Brownies! Chocolate! Brownies!

Does anyone bake brownies from scratch anymore? I have no idea why I haven't tried to bake brownies before, considering how much I miss chocolatey, fudgey, American brownies. In my quest to bake more from scratch, I've combined these two perfectly delicious and tested recipes. Three days after I baked these, they remain moist, chocolatey without excess sweetness, came out of the pan without any struggle or crazy sticking, and turned out much better than I ever imagined (e.g were superior to boxed brownie mix - Sara challenge?).  

Here is what I did: I used half butter and half peanut oil, reduced the amount of sugar in the recipes linked above, used excellent cocoa powder (assumed it was a non-alkalized one), and subbed in 125 g of baking chocolate instead of using prepared chocolate chips, and increased the amount of eggs used. These brownies are rich, but not too sweet, you can opt out of topping with walnuts, but their bitterness complements the deep rich chocolate perfectly.

On a side, I am in love with Lucien Massaux butter, and the Cote d`Or Culinaire chocolate.

Belgo-American brownies
Yield: enough for a party (about 20-24 squares depending on how you cut them, 2” x 2” is good)

Ingredients (listed in order of use)
45 g butter (or ½ cup butter)
½ cup peanut oil
2 cups sugar
125 g baking chocolate (or 4.5 oz)
1 and ½ cups flour; 1 cup pastry flour and ½ cup all purpose flour
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups cocoa powder (probably Dutch process); I used the top shelf Selection Carrefour 100% cacao without any added sugar.
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs (or 5 medium ones - I think the eggs are smaller here, on a visit back to the US I was astounded at how large eggs were) the yolks help to emulsify everything and make the brownies less greasy.
1 cup whole walnuts, toasted then crumbled

Directions

1. Combine the peanut oil and butter in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. Once the butter dissolves stir in sugar.
2. Lightly grease a 9” x 13” pan and preheat oven to 350º F or 170º C. When it’s warm, toast the walnuts for 5-8 minutes.
3. The sugar won’t dissolve all the way. Stir it around for about 5 minutes and then stir in the 125 g of baking chocolate. Then get out one large mixing bowl and one medium one.
4. In the smaller mixing bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.  
5. Place the chocolate-sugar-oil mixture in the big mixing bowl.  
6. Add the vanilla to the bowl.
7. Mix in, or beat in, 1 egg at a time. The batter will turn into a smooth batter by egg 4 or 5.
8. While mixing, gradually add in about 3 increments, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl down.
9. When done pour batter (it’ll be thicker than cake batter) into the prepared pan. Top with the nuts, and bake in the oven 25-35 min, or until done (when a fork or toothpick inserted comes out clean).
10. Let cool before cutting.
11. Devour. Store leftovers in an airtight container only after they have completely cooled.

Pottekeis a Brussels gueuze cheese spread

Pottekeis is a tangy, creamy fresh cream spread made out of farm style soft cheeses, young spring onions, and gueuze (a type of Belgian beer containing a blend of 1, 2, and 3 year old lambics). I first tried Pottekeis at Cantillon's Brewery Quintessence. Pottekeis is made by mixing Brussels cheese (ettekeis a type of salted cheese made with skimmed cow's milk), sour cream (plattekeis a fresh sour cream kind of like plain yogurt since it has some presence of fermenting cultures), young spring chives, and gueze. Pottekeis can be seasoned with a bit of fresh cracked black pepper and celery salt. 

So where can you get it? I've carried around my wrinkled copy of the Quintessence descriptions to several cheese shops in town, but was unable to come away with any (I live 20 minutes from Brussels! Argh!). I routinely travel to Moeder Lambic for their excellent pottekeis (they also have a delightful cheese plate). Pottekeis should be on the menu of any cafe that serves authentic lambics. While unable to find ettekeis, plattekeis is readily available in the supermarkets. There are lots of fresh young spring onions at the markets, but regular green onions are fine. Use the best gueuze you can find. Pottekeis will last up to a week in the fridge. Serve along, or on top of toasted sourdough bread, and cut up veggies. 

Dairy products, such as fresh cream/sour/cottage cheeses taste much different than their US counterparts. They are almost always superior here, tasting fresher, lacking the saltiness that dominates sour and cottage cheeses in the US. Yogurt is the right balance of tang with cream, much better for eating plain than US types which can be too sour. I would recommend using a European-style yogurt or a very mild plain yogurt, mixed together with a bit of sour cream). This isn't to knock the US styles, but I think it's worth mentioning when trying to recreate the flavors. Overall, I find myself using ingredients here, adapting them until I find a taste I like, and not bothering to miss the old stuff. 

I think the essence of pottekeis is a bit of this and a bit of that; a nice snack to go along with an afternoon beer, or if you're like me you'll enjoy it on top of toasted pumpernickel bread. Oh right. Geuze or gueuze - this is Belgium after all. 

Pottekeis 

Yield: 1 large container, probably 8 oz. 

Ingredients

1-2 cups plattekeis, or a mixture of plain yogurt and sour cream
ettekeis to taste (if you can find it), or omit like I did. 

1 small bunch young spring onions chopped finely, or 3-4 regular green onions

few tablespoons gueuze (such as Cantillon or Girardin), to taste

salt and pepper to taste, optional celery salt 

Directions

Put everything in a small mixing bowl and stir everything together until it is combined. Store in an airtight container.

Antwerp Christmas Market

If you have the good fortune of visiting Europe during the Christmas season, I hope it's a country that has Christmas Markets. I wrote about my experience last year through three of Belgium's winter markets and a cozy German one. This year I got to Antwerp's on their opening weekend, went back to Brussels (too touristic) to scope them out again, and visited the Leuven market (best party scene, where most tents have students pouring out of them) as many times as possible.

Antwerp recently opened the MAS museum which looks like it was built out of Legos (Museum aan de Stroom, or museum on the stream), and you can visit the top of the building to get panoramic views on top. Of note were how reasonable the admission prices were, and that some levels are free (including the rooftop visit). The opening weekend had a light parade, and lots of steamy gluhwein everywhere. The food was nothing to write about - it was very boring, but there are lots of restaurants in the center. If you visit, make sure you pick up a Use-it map at the station or any of the tourist offices. Stay away from the shopping streets, they were too packed and busy.


Ferris wheel at the market.


I MAS there with these beautiful lovelies.


Grand Market or Grote Markt







If you are in the center of the city you must seek out De Pelgrom (The Pilgrim). It's a restaurant/cafe in a 15th century cellar that is almost entirely lit by candles.






Walking along the dozens of Christmas market huts.


Light parade.


Residents checking out the light parade.

Beer Post: Orval

One weekend per year Orval holds an open door day where they allow a guided visit of their brewery. Orval is a Cistercian monastic community. Nestled into the southern Ardennes at the far southern tip of Belgium, the Orval abbey is breathtaking. A regular visit to the abbey allows the visitor to see the abbey ruins, and to tour the visitor center where the history of the abbey is explained, and there are brewing and cheese-making exhibits. Just down the road is an inn where you can sample some Orval beer and cheese.

Normally, brewery visits are not offered; the visit at Orval during the open door day was a self-guided tour. Signs explain the process of brewing, although they are in Dutch and French only. You can sign up from the Orval website; they usually begin the process a few months before their open door day. I'm going to keep my rambling short. If you aren't around during the time of the open door days, you can still visit the public areas of the abbey. Check their website for additional details.

Driving is probably the most straightforward way of visiting. Public transport is possible, but not easily accessible since trains from the Brussels area can take up to 3 hours to arrive, and busses may run infrequently. I'm not sure about biking because I haven't found any organized bike routes through the Wallonian regions. The abbey is very well maintained, Orval beer is some of the most delicious and unique in Belgium, and while exploring the ruins won't take all day, the area has plenty of hiking.

Love the Orval paraphernalia. 

The stained glass is impressive.

Checking out the abbey ruins.

Story of the fountain and the history of Orval here (including trout with the ring).