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Belgian in the House

Kimchi & Pancetta Galettes with Spinach, Kale and Chèvre

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Kimchi, pancetta, kale, spinach and chèvre in a crusty, flaky buttery pastry topped with an egg – who can resist such a plethora of flavours? This delightful dance of sweet/savoury, rich/acidic, chewy/flaky and hearty galette is my interpretation of Omurice. I was inspired by this childhood favourite comfort dish originally from Japan. Omurice is essentially fried rice crowned with a paper thin omelette, with ketchup slathered atop. Koreans have adapted it by adding kimchi (of course), along with a mish-mash of proteins, seafood or veggies in the rice. Omurice can really be made of anything. So long as it’s fried rice blanketed by an omelette. Its name is a quintessential example of Gairaigo which basically means a transvocalization. ‘Omu’ for omelette, and ‘raisu’ for rice.

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Speculoos and Chocolate Mousse Tart

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I went about 5 months without speculoos cookies (spice cookies from Belgium) And i was felt lost and unstable without them. I searched online but with little success in Canada. I did try baking some myself from a recipe online but it really just tasted like cinnamon snaps (if anyone has a great speculoos recipe…please PLEASE share!) So of course when my mother in law asked if I needed anything from Belgium before coming to visit, I asked for a modest 5 kilos of speculoos cookies. Needless to say her eyeballs almost popped out over Skype. But she delivered…an entire carry on of speculoos. Yes she can be very useful…sometimes.

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Lemon Cheesecake Speculoos Tart

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Speculoos are crunchy, spicy, tanned biscuits which I think are originally from the Netherlands. One sees it everywhere in Belgium especially around Christmas. There’s even high-end fancy boutiques that only sell Speculoos (Speculaas in Dutch) stamped with the iconic image of Saint Nicholas. 

Being married to a Belgian, we often spend our holidays there with the in-laws. During these trips, we normally stock up on about half a year’s supply of Belgian goods, such as their sauces like Frikot, Americain and of course speculoos biscuits. Our last trip was to Knokke last summer. A beach town north of Belgium, full of Dutch vacationers all garbed in either Lacoste or Polo under white umbrellas sipping Veuve while their kids build sand castles. I suppose I can blame running out of Speculoos on Knokke. We were too busy making our own sand castles and sipping on Veuve as well, that we hardly had time to stock pile on my daughter’s beloved crunchy biscuit. 

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Champagne Cake with White Chocolate Strawberry Frosting

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Love is an intense and fond affection for someone or something. But the intensity and type can vary so greatly. For me there are three broad categories of love. Love for my husband, love for my children and love for food. (Of course love for kids and hubby take 1st place:)
 
I found it fitting to prepare all the things I love for the ones I love; Champagne, chocolate, strawberries – in the form of cake. Just writing those words out made my water salivate with anticipation.
 
My love for chocolate never started until I was pregnant 11 years ago with my first born. Prior to that, I always had trouble finishing a chocolate bar. But theres something about pregnancy that changes a woman’s palette. (Any other moms go through the same experience?) Since having Moineau, I find it increasingly difficult to eat any type of meat. And the sugar intake, especially chocolate has exploded. I can now eat chocolate endlessly.
Champagne has always been a staple in our home. Each year we bring a few bottles back from Europe and indulge whenever a special occasion happens to come upon us. Pre and post natal, my love for the bubbly has not changed:)
 

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