After a 2 week break, it was off to a conference in Belgium. Besides the usual conference proceedings, we had fairly decent food at our hotel. I was especially amazed by the conference dinner! We were treated to a beer tasting that spanned across a 4 course meal (excluding coffee and chocolates) and was served in a monastery.
The night was themed as a train ride across Belgium. My first stop was Antwerp where Paul Reuben's wife served us De Koninck. It ended up being my favorite because it carried a somewhat fuller-bodied flavor without much presence of alcohol; it almost resembled an ale. My next stop was Leuven where we were served Stella Artois by Sebastien Artois himself, the master brewer the beer was named after. As this was a lager, I wasn't particularly fond of it. Third was Brussels with the peculiar Oude Gueuze that was nicknamed "Brussels Champagne." The beer was created by mixing a young and an old lambic beer and allowed to ferment a second time. As the yeast must remain alive for the fermentation, the beer was not pasteurised. The resulting flavor was sour and fruity which I found resembled grapefruit--sour and bitter. Fourth was Floreffe with the famous Trappiste, a high alcohol content (ranging from 9-13%) beer brewed in the monastery. It had the full-bodied flavor of an ale but with a stronger alcoholic taste and a pinch of sweetness. Last was Oostende (can't completely recall beer name...Rodenbacher??) with a beer that tasted sour and sweet, almost like lemonade to many people. We were also given a piece of chocolate at each station with some relation to the location. Antwerp had the hand, Leuven a printed university student, Brussels a strawberry marzipan, Floreffe a flower bud, and Oostende a praline seashell.
But amazingly, alcohol did not stop at the beers as we were served champagne, white wine, and red wine with the various courses!
The food itself was very delicately prepared with subtle and intricately balanced flavors. The starters resembled finger foods that were ingeniously served in soup spoons, except for a soup that was served in a shot glass. The first collection had foie gras, ardennes pâté, and salmon. I had the pâté, which was served as a ball rolled in sesame seeds and flavored with Belgian beer; light, smooth, and gentle, there was practically no indication of the characteristic pâté flavor. The second had risotto, chicory clam soup, and a salmon sandwich; I went for the soup, which tasted like a light chowder. The second course was fish cooked en papillote with white wine, onions, bacon, and sun-dried tomatoes. I was quite amused at the clear plastic they used rather than parchment or aluminium; definitely more aesthetically pleasing, but safety??? The main was roast beef served over thin slices of apple topped with a sweet tangy sauce; accompanying were a fried mashed potato, mashed celeriac, and endive. The mashed celeriac was amazingly creamy, buttery, and smooth. For dessert, we had lavender-flavored panna cotta with an orange jelly base and ice cream.
Overall, the meal was incredibly delicious and fantastic. This is exactly how I hope to cook! Delicately and intricately with flavors that melt together and create harmony in the mouth; where cooking becomes an art in everything from the texture to flavor to presentation.
