BEER. It's what's for dinner.

Today I finally had a chance to make the De Halve Maan Beer Soup and it turned out even better than I expected.  It's a savory soup, chock-full of vegetables and the Bruges Zot blond beer really shines. I'm being modest, I know, but even Tom said it was a ten. Did I mention our house smelled amazing? The recipe is down below and my notes are in brackets. I will definitely make this again.

Here's how I got the recipe, still can't believe it! Thanks again De Halve Maan Brewery!

Recipe for De Halve Mann Beer Soup

Ingredients:

2 leeks, 5 carrots, 1 stick of celery, 2 onions, parsley (finely chopped) [I used 1/3 cup]

Butter [2 T], pepper, salt [to taste]

1 liter Vegetable stock [about 4 1/2 cups]

1 slice of boiled ham, chopped

1 slice of mature cheese, chopped [I used Gouda, recommended by my French sister-in-law]

1 bottle of Brugse Zot blond [Binny's in Chicago sells it]

A dash of cream

Prepare:

Brown the chopped vegetables in butter, add the vegetable stock and leave to simmer. Add pepper and salt and the beer. [I added the pepper, salt and beer with everything else.  Brought to a boil and then let simmer for a half hour.]

Serve the soup, add per bowl a spoon full of cheese and ham, serve with a dash of cream and parsley.

Enjoy [Enjoy we did!]

Brugse Zot blond

Pricey - $18.99 for a 4-pack at Binny's.

 

Lots of veggies!

Adding the special ingredient.

The finished product.

Sometimes all you have to do is ask...

My sister-in-law was in Europe a few weeks ago and during her trip she went to De Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges, Belgium to sample their delicious beer and amazing beer soup.  I've been to Bruges a few times and I didn't try the beer soup until this year.  Boy did I miss out, because it is one of the best soups I've ever had.  Hearing about it again made me want some, so I decided to search for a similar recipe. No luck.  Everything I found was more of a stew.  So on a whim, I decided to email the brewery and guess what...they sent me the recipe!  No joke!  I'm busy with holiday baking, so I haven't had a chance to make it, but when I do I'll let you know how it turns out. 

At De Halve Maan Brewery waiting patiently for our soup

Visions of Pink Elephants

Tom’s brother and sister-in-law live just outside of Brussels and it’s a great excuse to visit Europe…like we need one. During our 2009 trip we spent a day in Brussels where chocolate, waffles and beer were freely consumed. One of our last stops was the Delirium Café, home to over 2,004 beers. While we didn't have any actual Delirium beer (we can get that at home), we did enjoy a nice variety of unique beers. Each one was served at the right temperature and in the proper glass - perfection! If you love beer like we do, especially Belgium beer, add the Delirium Café to your travel list.

Is this heaven? No, it's Belgium!

Certified!

I wanted to take a tray home.

Matching glass - love that!

We Made It!

We survived Isabelle's first trip to Europe! Not only was it our first big family vacation, but it was also the first time Isabelle flew. I think Tom and I were mentally prepared for the worst, so we were pleasantly surprised when she was in a good mood and slept most of the time. I'll write more soon, but here was our trip in a nutshell:

Thursday, April 26 – Travel Day

Friday, April 27 – Zurich and Luzern, Switzerland

Saturday, April 28 – Luzern and Appenzell, Switzerland

Sunday, April 29 – Appenzell, Switzerland

Monday, April 30 – Black Forest and Staufen, Germany

Tuesday, May 1 – Triberg and Rothenburg, Germany

Wednesday, May 2 – Rothenburg and Rhine River Valley, Germany

Thursday, May 3 – Rhine River Valley and Mosel River Valley, Germany and Belgium

Friday, May 4 – Brugge, Belgium and “The Farm” outside of Lille, France

Saturday, May 5 – Bray-Dunes and “The Farm” in France

Sunday, May 6 – “The Farm”

Saturday, May 7 – Travel Day

At the top of Mt. Pilatus in Luzern, Switzerland. 7000 feet!