My Life, My Food, My Places

No, I don’t miss living in Belgium. The Philippines are ‘at home’ for me since more than 6 years already. But, sometimes, I miss some foods, dishes whom only are as they have to be in Belgium. What dishes am I talking about? To start with, I noticed that I had no less than three dishes based on witloof (chicory or Belgian endives), that fantastic and versatile vegetable. Before really the pride of Belgium nowadays imitated by the Dutch and the French in hydro culture, less labor-intensive, cheaper but surely not the same thing! My absolute favorite dish with chicory is Witloofrolletjes uit de oven , the gratin of chicory with good Belgian cooked ham (not that plastic stuff of the supermarket) with a rich béchamel sauce topped with Gruyere cheese and cooked in the oven till the cheese is melted and golden brown. A few years ago this dish was elected by the Flemish part of Belgium as the ultimate comfort f...

Bread is a serious issue for the Parisians! We learned very fast after moving in our apartment in St Cloud, that bread wasn’t just bread. The first days we bought bread everywhere we passed a bakeshop on our way home from the Metro station. I think it was the third day after we moved in that I met my neighbor, in casu the very friendly elderly woman whom lived on the ground floor, greeted me ‘bonjour’ when I came in with my bread. And after some small talk about where we were from -ah! Des Belges- she asked me ‘the’ question: where do you buy your bread? And that moment I learned that bread is a serious matter for a Parisian! She explained me that you have to pick your Boulangerie (bakeshop) and stick to it. The neighborhood Boulangerie is more than just a place to get your bread, it’s a local institution with their own protocols and like the local Brasserie (café/coffee shop/restaurant) the place to go as ever...

I love all the dishes the French prepare, ok nearly all. In this post I want to share with you my five absolute favorite dishes.  Dishes I ate so many times in restaurants in Paris and during my vacations in the South of France but I also prepared at home and enjoyed with friends and family. 1. Plateau de Fruits de Mer (Seafood Platter) A  plateau de fruits de mer  is a  seafood  dish of raw and cooked  shellfish  served cold on a platter, usually on a bed of ice. On the plateau you have periwinkles,oysters, mussels, clams, prawns, sometimes a crab and langoustines. If you are in a festive mood you can always order a plateau de fruits de mer with lobster too. The dish is always served with lemon wedges and two or three cold dipping sauces such as a garlic mayonnaise, cocktail sauce and when there are oysters on the dish, sauce mignonette. In France this is a sauce traditionally served with raw oysters and made of wine vinigar, shallots and...