TBW looks forward to food festivals Chef Hans prepares for Cafe Asiana especially if the food choices are those that we don’t come across very often. The very recent Belgian Food Festival was a welcome respite from the usual weekend lunches had. We became more interested when frog legs was seen on the menu. TBW and Tookie love frog legs and the sight of those words sealed the deal. Belgian food for lunch it was!
We happily found out that there were more interesting items on the buffet than legs. The interest and excitement just crescendoed as each chaffing dish was opened revealing combination of ingredients unseen everyday. And as a bonus, Chef Hans was on the sidelines patiently answering my questions and volunteering information to further explain the festival’s spread. It was like having an impromptu class on Belgian cuisine 101.
Those that stood out for being extraordinary and an attraction were:
Duck liver terrine with onion compote served with crispy baguette
Two kinds of onion compote
Veal sweetbreads in puff pastry
Mules frites being cooked
Mules Frites --Belgian museels in a herb/vegetables/white wine butter broth served with fries
My favorite of all the appetizers…..Herring & Apple Salad. A balanced meeting of tart, sweet & savory and a gentle commingling of creamy, slightly chewy & crispy textures. The feeling is indescribable. All I know is that it served as a palate cleanser and a pick-me-upper, both at the same time.
Herring & Apple Salad
The well loved frog legs….
Crispy frog legs
Gratinated "Witloof" with ham & cheese. Witloof is another name for Belgian endive. This dish has that bitter aftertaste typical of Belgian endives.
Pan seared duck breast with port wine reduction and sauteed endive. Juicy meat with crispy skin on top.
Not very many of us are aware that Belgium is not only known for its chocolates and diamonds but also for beer. Apparently, Belgians take their beer seriously, having more than 400 types of beer….more than Germany. In fact, Germany does not even have dark beer. With an abundance of beer available, naturally several Belgian dishes are cooked with it, particularly dark beer.
Rabbit stew with Belgian dark beer & dried prunes
Beef Carbonade "flamande" style. Similar to beef bourguignon but braised in dark Belgian beer. Chef Hans' favorite.
My ultimate favorite! Veal butt tenderloin in a morel cream sauce. This is heaven on earth! Meat was expectedly very tender being veal but it was the surprisingly gelatinous finish that piques your interest and of course,taste buds. And the sauce…ooooo….rich, dreamy creamy, woodsy, earthy, exquisite morel sauce. I had 5 servings of this and probably gained an equivalent of 5 pounds. No complaints though as a state of bliss was had.
Pan seared veal butt tenderloin in a morel cream sauce
A sumptuous meal like this has to have a sweet ending. Savor the richness of Belgian chocolates con nuts with these chosen ones.
Belgian chocolate (milk, white, dark) coated macadamia nuts
Rochers--slivers of almonds & bits of praline in chocolate
One of the best desserts ever created. Simple yet full of flavor.
Chocolate filled cigars with sour cherry compote. Yum! Yum! Yum!
Chef Hans outdid himself here! Glückwünsche! Felicitations!
Cafe Asiana is at the Palms Country Club, Filinvest Alabang Muntinlupa.
Tags: Belgian chocolates, Belgian endive, Belgian food, butchers wifey, Cafe Asiana, Chef Hans, duck terrine, Mules frites, Palms Country Club, veal butt
The Butcher's Wifey 