Mondays on Glorious Food and Wine are usually … pretty quiet. After spending the whole weekend either cooking or taking photos, or both, Mondays tend to be a little anti-climatic. Sure, there is the Monday blues with getting back to a normal (work) schedule, wake up early, go to bed late, try to fit it all in between. But why should this lovely food blog suffer. Right?

Which is why I thought … something easy … something fun … photo - food - food photo - gadgets? - quiz - a Monday food photo quiz. Up for the game? There will be items I actually know what they are, but trust me there is a lot in our household I am not entirely sure of. Or the purpose thereof. Some will be fun to see the answers to, others I really hope you’ll help me get the answers to.

Oh, and if you have a food item or gadget yourself you’d like to put to the test, let me know. We’ll post it, link back to you and who knows? Maybe even come up with an answer.

First one up: can you guess the item photographed and its purpose? Have fun!

You see, there are many things wrong with the title of this post. First, I should be really writing about Gazpacho. Why? Well (and that’s my second point) I happen to live in that part of the globe where summer should rime with heat. Sun. Lovely afternoons spent in a park.

Not so! Today we have no more, no less than 15C (59F) which for the 18th July is simply unacceptable. That means sweater. No photography light. And although I try to resist as much as possible, cravings for comfort food. Hearty soups. Stodgy dinners. It’s all a mess, really!

A hot, comforting soup seemed a good compromise. Filling, yet packing less calories than the alternative. Or one of the alternatives at least. Easy to make, rich, vibrant colours … there is a lot to say about a traditional carrot soup. Yet this is the first time I tried a roasted carrot soup. Why did I never think of it? I’m all about roasted vegetables yet never thought of putting them in blender - voila, soup. That goes to show that you’re never too old to learn.

The recipe is from Olive/ April 2008. (On a side note, I have been ignoring my cook books lately and I feel very guilty about it. Does this happen to you as well?) There is no rocket science to this soup, but you’ll taste the difference of the roasting. And at 228cal per serving - although that again, tells me absolutely nothing because I have no idea what Olive consider a ’serving’ - guilt free lunch/dinner. The mind is a fabulous thing, isn’t it? Tell me it’s 228cal per serving and I already feel so much better!

Roasted Carrot Soup (serves 6)
1 onion, cut into wedges
800gr carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
butter
1 bay leaf
1tbsp runny honey
2l vegetable or chicken stock
200ml creme fraiche
4tsbp chopped herbs (mint, basil and chervil)

Heat the oven to 200C/gas 6 and put the onions and carrots in a roasting tin which a few knobs of butter? Roast for 30min or until the vegetables are tinged brown. Tip into a pan, add the bay leaf, honey and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10min or until the carrots are very tender, then remove the bay leaf (obviously, I totally forgot this step and crunched away at the bay leaf) and whizz the lot in a blender until smooth. Season and keep warm.

Mix the creme fraiche and the herbs, season, and serve the soup with quenelles of herbed creme fraiche. Out of curiosity, how many Olive readers really use ‘quenelles’ in their daily cooking life when all it means is a table spoon of creme fraiche? I mean, the recipe it’s all about rustic cooking, fresh ingredients, and then bam! quenelles. Please!

If you are into soups, plenty more to choose from. What is your latest soup creation?

I am also submitting this roasted carrot soup to the Healthy Cooking event over at Fun and Food. Why do I think this soup is healthy? Well, because all the ingredients used are fresh and full of vitamins. It is low in calories, high in taste. And it’s fast. A healthy craving alternative perhaps.

Let me ask you first: do you know Poilâne bread? Thought so. Now, did you know you can find Poilâne bread in Brussels? Ah oui. Le pain Poilâne à Bruxelles.

While we were away on holiday, Charlotte and Roger (close friends, temporary in Brussels, now back in NY) discovered this little gem, La Douce Heure. Looking around our circle of friends, it seems somehow they all are into good food, quirky restaurants and hidden gems. So, while I gather my food blogging thoughts, I’ll let Charlotte speak and share their experience at La Douce Heure.

Recently Spotted in Ixelles: La Douce Heure

A hand-made tartine with guacamole, grilled eggplant and peppers, or smoked duck or grilled shrimp, or goat cheese and hazelnuts, built on a base of sourdough bread just delivered from the famous Poilâne bakery in Paris? If you think this sounds interesting,  please head straight for a new eatery in Ixelles, La Douce Heure. Your time there will be happy, as you eat and contemplate both the delicious ingredients and the total impact of these just-invented, extraordinary tartines.

Your beautiful open-faced sandwich will be assembled just for you, served on a platter, lovingly arranged with stripes of pesto or grilled red pepper sauce on each side. Owners and chefs Nicolas Montrat and Karim Bennacer offer ten different kinds– ranging from their own lively spin on well known favorites such as “La Cesar Poulet”  to their own new “La Douce Heure” with goat cheese, apple, pear, smoked duck, and hazelnuts.

Or you might try “La Provencale”, a colorful mille feuille of vegetables and ricotta cheese.  Nicolas Montrat promises that everything is completely fresh and that the chef “does everything!’  That includes making home-made desserts, depending on what’s in the market, such as a raspberry-pistachio tiramasu or tarte tatin.

And what makes their tartine so unique-in addition to their inventive ingredients?  “We are the only restaurant in Belgium to use Poilâne bread as a base for the tartine,” says Karim Bennacer.

Recent diners spotted there included a chef from a nearby restaurant.  La Douce Heure has eighteen seats. Its new look is elegant and casual at the same time.  You can sit at a counter or at a communal table.  Wine, beer, and juices are at hand, and you may also eat breakfast there.  The “Formule Poilâne” at 12euro is a lively and full meal - a seasonal salad, a tartine (a little extra for three of the fancier tartines), a glass of wine or a bottle of water, and a coffee, all served with panache and care.

Future plans include a dinner offering of salad and barbequed fish or meat.  We advise you to go now, while you can still get a seat. (Text and photo Charlotte and Roger.)

La Douce Heure, Tartines de Pain Poilâne, Chausee de Vleurgat 186, 1000 Bruxelles Tel and Fax: 02/649 01 19

I guess in the blogosphere not posting for as long as I have, is coming close to what you could call blog suicide. Sort of. My stats are dropping fast (ah well …) but life goes on. And that’s good. Needless to say I miss blogging, but really, there was no time. At all.

Italy. Check. Champagne. Again. Check. Now it’s back and although I hoped for one hot summer, all we got for the moment is: rain, wind, rain, rain, wind, clouds, rain. Repeat.

So before I start food blogging again, here’s what I am busy doing for the moment, virtually so to speak:

• enjoying my Yummy Blog Award  (yey!) and being so unbelievably grateful to my fellow foodblogger for it. Previous award still fresh in mind.  
• updating flickr and discovering so many talented photographers. I could spend days just browsing flickr. Oh, and trying out this. Do you have a flickr account?
• overwhelmed by the many, droolworthy food photography sites out there. Tastespotting (congrats on the comeback), FoodGawker,  PhotoGrazing, RecipeMuncher.  Any other you know of?
• making endless wish lists on Amazon and hoping for great sales and discounts.
• Nigella, Indian Nigella, Chinese Nigella?! Trying to figure it all out.
• browsing through food blogs (old and new), food magazines, organizing my recipes (not only online), tagging and looking ahead at a delicious summer.

What are you doing these days? That is besides cooking up a storm and food blogging.

Last week we were in Le Marche. We spent there 1 week which felt more like 1 month (wish it would have been), but now we are back to a somewhat sunny Brussels. And a lot of work. And a lot of cooking ahead. Lots of projects. Buzzing.

It’s been all a little crazy here, May and June. I got some cooking done. But not much. I got to take some photos. But not many. Then Italy. Which was perfect in every way. We stayed at Da Carignano, which was wonderful - welcoming, great food, and just look at the view! That’s what we got to see every evening. But the food. The food was amazing. Every morning / or evening (depending) we got to chose from fresh tomatoes (smelling just like summer), fresh garlic (delicious), fresh courgettes (so tiny, so great grilled), fresh eggs and a giant bouquet of fresh herbs. And home made wine. And home made olive oil. And the first peaches of the season. And. And. And.

We went to visit the tree. We stopped in Ravenna. We went to Bologna for some city feel and I can not thank Alessandro enough for his recommendations.  Tamburini at least has become my ultimate dream wine bar and is a must if you are in the neighborhood.  We ate gelato every day.

What I loved most about this short holiday break? Besides the food and the wine? And Italy? Probably the lack of computers and emails and phones. For once we didn’t even come close to 21st century civilization. And you know what? It felt good. It felt relaxing. My brain started to think again in colours and not bytes. I am buzzing with ideas and plans. I got to read books and take notes. I actually wrote and not typed. Call me crazy, but living simply made me feel good. And to make sure we won’t lose this feeling we already booked our next weekend break. In Champagne. And the one after. In Sardinia.

In the meantime it’s back to another été a Bruxelles. I’ll share with you my favorite pic-nic spots. My summer markets. My summer recipes.  Think outdoor eating. Salads. BBQs. Drinks and cocktails on the many terraces around. Summer festivals. We’re going to have one hot summer!

Our addresses in Le Marche/ Ravenna/ Bologna:

Ristorante Moletto- Viale Zara 75, Pesaro. A simple and straight forward fish restaurant. Go for the fish of the day. You won’t be disappointed.

Enoteca La Taverna- Piazza Vittorio Veneto, Sirolo. A somewhat sophisticated winery/restaurant, great views and a great local Rosso Conero.

Ca’ de Vèn- Via Corrado Ricci 24, Ravenna. A great place to have a glass of wine, two, three? A tip: go directly to the bar and ask for your glass of wine. Waiting at the table to be served might become a long wait. Food was not too bad either. And look up!

Sorbetteria Degli Esarchi- Via IV Novembre 11, Ravenna. Same day. Twice.

Tamburini- Via Caprarie 1, Bologna. We could have easily gone there lunch and dinner, every day, drink wines by the glass, eat, take Bologna in. I regret we didn’t. Absolutely great place.      

It’s Friday. Finally. A very busy week coming to an end. A wonderful week long holiday almost starting. We are off to Italy tomorrow, Le Marche overall, visiting our tree, stopping in Ravenna and Bologna. So much looking forward to it. With great advise from local food bloggers, where to go, what to eat I feel we are pretty much set. Of course, we still have to pack…

In the meantime, one award and one good-bye.

The award was a complete surprise. I have been visiting Chez Loulou for a long time now. I particularly like her La Fete du Fromage series, which always makes me crave sinfully delicious, gooey cheeses. So when reading she enjoys my blog as well, and often finds inspiration in it (!) well, really, that touched me. Merci.

I know I would like to be more involved in the whole food blogging world. I would like to take more time to comment on different food blog posts, which I so much enjoy. I would like to take more time to answer your comments when you drop by. But often, it seems I hurry between using all the available light (if any!) on the weekends to take some photos, then during the week - if and when - post, and then … all in between.

Again, absolutely touched. Thank you so much Chez Loulou for the Arte y Pico award. There is more though. With any award comes responsibility. Hi hi. Here is what I mean:

1. You pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.

2.Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and the link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4. Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of the award.

Granted, I had to read the ‘rules’ about 3 times before I actually understood them. But doing my bit and contributing to the food blogging world, I would like to extend the Arte y Picoaward to some new’ish kids on the block:  Closet Cooking. Because I really enjoy Kevin’s honesty and variety in his blog. Green Olive Tree. Kel’s travels. Amsterdam. Do I need to say more? Mevrouw Cupcake and Mari’s discoveries up north. Butter Sugar Flour. It’s all in the name. I simply love Linda’s photos and writing. And last but not least, Johanna from The Passionate Cook. One of the very first blogs I discovered, which I still immensely enjoy. But then, how can one limit likes and awards to only 5 food bloggers?

And finally, the good-bye comes from Tastespotting. I loved the site and found it a constant source of food (photography) inspiration. Which makes me hope, that someday, somehow, a similar website will be born again. It is a pity to see it go.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Ever since getting into food blogging (has it really been so long?) I have discovered a wonderful alternative to my cooking books: food blogs! There is of course my rss feed as well, which is a constant source of inspiration. If I happen to browse it just before lunch, you do not want to be my stomach. Oh the noise! And of course there are my cooking magazines.

Then, a little while ago Food Blog Search came along. Wham! Suddenly, I had access to recipes from all over the food blogosphere. I can assure you, ever since Food Blog Search is up there on my favorites tool bar. All I have to do is click - type ingredients - chose - cook. It has almost become a challenge to find the most extravagant recipes in the food blogosphere with the most limited amount of ingredients. It’s like food poker!

Why am I telling you all this? Well, because this is how I came across Elise’s (from Simply Recipes) recipe of Moroccan Spiced Grilled Chicken. I loved it from the first moment I read it. However, as always between that moment and when I actually got around to cooking it … some time passed. Then recently I had a sudden craving for chicken. I also knew I didn’t want ‘boring’ chicken. Which made me think … spice … ingredients on hand … food blogs … aha! Moroccan spiced grilled chicken. A little different from your usual grilled chicken breasts and so easy to make.

The recipe is word for word from Simply Recipes by Elise. Now for us ‘metrics’, in simple terms: I used one pot of yogurt for two chicken breasts, and then adjusted the rest to suit my taste buds. And really, visual pleasure. Oh and cilantro? Coriander.

Moroccan Spiced Grilled Chicken (serves 4)

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Would you call this a food related post? Probably not. A food blogging related post? Very much so!

I discovered Figs With Bri a while back. Confusions aside, we have both been reading each others blogs regularly. Which is why coming back from my travels, to this appeal, was so hard. I have been following Bri’s brave fight with cancer from afar and all I (we) can do is lend a (European) helping hand. Below the details how we can help!

This is an appeal on behalf of a group of food bloggers who are friends of Briana Brownlow @ Figs With Bri.

Bri was diagnosed with breast cancertwo and half years ago. A mastectomy, chemotherapy and two years of relatively good health later, the cancer is back. It has metastasized to other parts of her body. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. Now, she’s waging her own war against breast cancer. More about it here.

She is going through intensive chemo and other treatments and needs to focus single-mindedly on healing and finding what treatment works best for her. Her health insurance, unfortunately, does not cover holistic alternatives which she would like to try. Bri and her husband Marc have enough on their plates right now in addition to worrying about her medical bills.

The team organising the JUNE edition of CLICK at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiserto help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR.

CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri

Yellow is the colour of hope. Through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, it has also come to signify the fight against cancer.

The entries can be viewed HERE. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.

There’s a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site.

Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.

This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details HERE.

You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign.

(I am back. Prague. Amazing. However before normal cooking resumes, I am catching up on some old’er blogposts. Bear with me.)

The story so far
La Quincaillerie. I always wanted to go to La Quincaillerie. One of those places everyone knows, everyone either has been to or wants to go to. See and be seen. Eat there.

First impressions
I finally got my wish and we went there for my birthday. (Way back when.) La Quincaillerie. The place is absolutely gorgeous. Entering the now restaurant, then hardware store (quincaillerie in French) you understand why Brussels is so famous for its Art Nouveau. The long, metal oyster bar on your right taking you back to the 1900s; the giant clock; the wrought iron staircase. Simply gorgeous.

Our table - I was glad - was upstairs, on what resembles a balcony. Terrace? This gave us full view of the restaurant. I loved seeing the waiters run, balancing giant oyster platters. Champagne being poured. Orders shouted. Every view though comes at a price: the tables and corridor/balcony/terrace are incredibly narrow so be warned. This is not leisurely or relaxed sitting.

The food
Expectations high, we finally ordered. I went for the very promising menu bien-être. The diet menu. Mark ordered the set 3 course menu. As aperitif? Two glasses of Prosecco. And our dinner started.

Well … and here please understand just how difficult it is for me to say this, after all those expectations … but the food was, well, simply bof! (For an English interpretation of the bof! The Guardian may shed some light.) Don’t get me wrong. The food was good. But only that. There was no ‘wow’, no surprise, no nothing. Just nice. Nice. If you are anything like me, well then, nice is just not enough.

But - in life as in food there is always a but - the decor absolutely takes your breath away, so we ate and admired, talked and enjoyed our dinner. Very much. There and then I realized that just maybe, sometimes, the food is not that important. The company, excellent. La Quincaillerie, beautiful. In the end we weren’t there to review the restaurant, or decide if La Quincaillerie deserves any stars or not. We were there to enjoy my birthday. All at this Brussels institution.

Service with a smile
Yes, very pleasantly so. Although the place does get very busy and at times there was a certain look of confusion. From both diners and staff.

The verdict
Go again? Probably. Not for the food, as such. The restaurant however still hides Art Nouveau gems I would like to discover. I would also like to try out the oyster bar, glass of Champagne in hand, perhaps pretending it is the turn of the last century?

Our bill came to just less than 100euro, two menus, 2 glasses of Prosecco, 1 bottle of wine and 1 bottle of water.

Have you been to La Quincaillerie? Why not share your experience and opinion.

May. May is not a month spent cooking at home. No. It’s a month spent maximising the legal holidays to get the most out of your long weekends. And in between I have to travel abroad for work. You might think I am complaining. I’m not. Really. It’s just that I miss the cooking and the food blogging. That’s all.

At the moment I am waiting for my flight to Prague. I will be there till Sunday, combining a conference with some (obviously!) delicious food. If you have been, or even better, are from Prague and have some gems to share, please do. Or perhaps you are up for a coffee or a beer? A bite to eat at your hidden, favorite local? Anything, let me know. It’s my first time in Prague, so I will be keen to discover its beauty as well as food and drink. All so exciting.

In the meantime, I leave you with some delightul mini meringues, perfect for your afternoon tea party (do they still exist?). Or as we had them, as bite sized desserts. For all of you ice cream lovers out there you know what I am talking about: a lot of egg whites! We usually tend to freeze them, and then when we remember, make meringues.

This time around I decided against the usual bigger, fluffier meringues and opted for mini ones. Maybe a little bit of fiddling here and there, but they came out oh-so-cute! As I am not the worlds’ biggest meringue lover, these were perfect for me: a little taste, a little crunch, a little sugar high. Pleasure without the guilt.

Oh, here’s my call. Got to go. Bye, bye Brussels. Prague, here I come.

Try them out. Let me know. See you in Prague perhaps?