Belgian Recipe Page

Please enjoy these recipes! Unless otherwise stated these are family recipes and all credit should go to the submitter. If you have the time please drop a note to the person whose recipe you have used and let them know you appreciate them sharing their recipe with everyone! If you need help in converting any of these recipes from standard to metric please see this page. Thanks!

From Marlen (Brutout) Whitehair
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
This was my Mom's recipe for Gaulettes
(we called them Gullets, before we knew what to call them.)

2# of light brown sugar
1# good butter (a must)
6 eggs beaten
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Flour about 3#, (7 or 8 cups)
Cream sugar and butter together, add beaten eggs and cream well. Add salt and vanilla, then the flour one cup at a time, until you have 4 cups added. Then 4 more gradually so you get the consistency of stiff batter but not sticky, just slightly. (like you make peanut butter cookies)
Don't make the batter too dry with too much flour. Roll into walnut sized balls. Heat gaulette iron on stove and season it with Pam or Crisco for the first few cookies. (the first ones always stick and are flops, so eat them.) Count about 15 seconds then turn the iron over to bake the other side.
Store them in a closed container away from everyone, or you won't have any left when they really get good after a couple of weeks. They soften slightly then.


From Marlen (Brutout) Whitehair
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Here's the recipe for
Belgian Waffles
(Not cookies, these are waffles.)
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
3/4 C. warm whipping cream (105 - 115 degrees) 1/4 C. warm milk,
same temp. as the cream 1 and !/4 C. flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 egg yolks beaten
1 teaspoon dark rum, if desired (you could use vanilla flavoring if you like.)
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg white, beaten stiff but not dry.
Dissolve yeast in warm cream and milk in large bowl. Add flour, salt, and sugar. Mix well. Add yolks and rum. Mix in. Slowly add butter, stirring, then fold in beaten egg white.
Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Butter the iron. Pour on enough batter to make thinnish waffle (will vary according to waffle irons but make sure all the squares are covered. Close iron. Cook until light brown.
Serve warm, sprinkled with XXX sugar, and served with whipped cream and homemade or top-quality brand fruit preserves. Makes 6 servings.


Bloed Worst
This is the official recipe for Blood Sausage

10 lb pork back fat, ground
1 gallon beef blood
7 lbs onions, ground
Three 1lb loaves of dried bread,
ground Salt, Pepper and Cinnamon to taste
Casings
Mix the ingredients, Fill the casings and make into links. Boil slowly. Doneness is tested by piercing with a needle. If no blood escapes, sausage is done. Makes about 20 pounds.
From St Boniface Manitoba (Neil)



From Kim Potier
Belgian Pie
Here is the one that I have for 4-5 pies

1 oz. compressed yeast or 1-1/2 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 c. lukewarm water
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
3 eggs
2 T. sugar
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cream, scalded and cooled to lukewarm or unscalded
evaporated milk
1/2 c. soft butter, lard or vegetable shortening
2-1/2 to 2-2/3 c. flour
Dissolve yeast and 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar in warm water; set aside until bubbly. Beat 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar and salt. Add cream and butter. Beat. Add yeast mixture and slowly blend in flour. Mix well and let stand for 10 minutes.
Divide into 5 or 6 parts. Form into balls. Press into greased pans, forming a 1/2 inch ridge around outside of the pan. Let rise 15 minutes. Pour rice, prune, poppy seed, apple, cherry or any cake and pastry filling over the center. Top with Cheese topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
Prune Filling:
Cook 2-1/2 pounds prunes until tender. Mash prunes and remove pits. Add 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Heat until warm. Fills 4-5 pies.
Cheese Topping:
1 lb. Baker's cheese or dry curd cottage cheese
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Eggs
1/2 c. sugar
Beat until smooth. Pour on top of filling.


From John A Buytaert
Cloquet, MN
Flemish Meat Pie

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 teaspoons ground all spice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
1 egg, beaten, optional
In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until tender. Remove and set aside. Brown beef and pork together. Drain.
Combine onion, meat, potatoes, and seasonings. Line pie plate with pastry. Fill with meat mixture. Top with crust. Seal and flute edges.
Make slits in top crust. Brush with egg if desired. Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Margaret Dens Buytaert
born: Kieldrecht, Belgium, 1898
died: Superior, Wis. 1966



Submitted by Andre Bodart
from his mother Hortense Dewinter's notebook
In English below
Potée paysanne
pour 4 personnes

  600 grs (grammes) de porc à étuver coupé en dés de 2,5 cm (centimètres)
150 grs de lard fumé (en tranches)
1 kg (kilogramme) de pommes de terre
300 grs d'oignons
300 grs de carottes
4 grands cornichons
50 grs de beurre
poivre- sel - basilic -moutarde.
  Cuire les dés de porc dans une poële à frire et bien épicer avec du poivre, sel , basilic et une cueillère de moutarde. Peler les pommes de terres et les couper en fines tranches d' environ 0,5 cm d'épaisseur.
Découper les oignons en rondelles aussi , ainsi que les carottes. Placer dans un plat allant au four ( beurré au préalable),le lard coupé en morceaux , puis une couche de pommes de terre, de viande (le porc) , d'oignons , de carottes et de cornichons et terminer par une couche de pommes de terres. Arroser le tout avec du bouillon ( bouillon de bouilli , ou de poule ou avec un cube de viande ) , couvrir le plat d'une feuille d'aluminium et placer au four à 225 ° (celsius) pendant 45 minutes


Potée paysanne
( ? boiled vegetables with bacon ?)
Recipe translated to English by Erick. Thanks!

 Serves 4
1.3 pound of diced pork (shoulder) (1 inch pieces)
0.3 pound of sliced bacon
2.2 pound of potato
0.66 pound onion (± 4 medium)
0.66 pound carrot
4 large pickles
0.22 cup butter
Salt, pepper, basil and mustard

1- Cook diced pork in a fried pan with pepper, salt, basil and a spoon of mustard.
2- Sliced peeled potatoes in thin slices (1/5 inch thick)
3- Slice onions and carrots.
4- In a buttered oven-proof dish, layer consequently :
sliced bacon, potatoes, diced pork, onions, carrots, pickles and finally another layer of potatoes.
5- Pour some beef or chicken stock, cover with aluminum foil and place in a preheated oven at 425 Fahrenheit for 45 minute.


From John A Buytaert
Buffalo Babies (Belgian Pannekoeken)

1/4 cup butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup flour
3.4 cup milk
salt to taste
Melt butter in 425 degree F oven.
Put eggs in blender at high speed for one minute. Gradually add milk; slowly add flour and salt. Blend for 30 seconds. Pour batter slowly into a 2- to 3-quart-sized pan with melted butter. Bake until puffy and browned, about 20--25 minutes. Serve with butter and syrup.
For a 3- to 4-quart pan use
1/3 cup butter, 4 eggs, 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, and salt to taste.
For a 4- to 4 1/2 quart pan use 1/2 cup butter, 5 eggs, 1 1/4 cup flour, 1 1/4 cups milk, and salt to taste.
The Buytaerts
Cloquet, Minn.



Peg Coucke
AARDAPPEL TAART (Potato Tart)
Serves 4 to 6 persons

Ingredients:
3 pds peeled potatoes
1/4 pd smoked ham
1 leek (onion can be substituted)
1/2 pint heavy cream
2 pie crusts
nutmeg, salt, pepper to taste
Preparation:
Press 1 pie crust into a Flan Pan-or use a deep dish pie pan
Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes
Cut smoked ham into thin slices
Par boil then lightly saute leek
Add ham slices to sauted leek
Add potato cubes to the ham and leek
Season with nutmeg and pepper (very light with salt) Place ingredients in Pie Pan or Flan and cover with cream Cover with strips of 2nd pie dough (strips only!) Bake at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes (till potatoes are done)
Goes very well with Sausage




From Regine
You can try your regular waffle iron with these but the Belgian Wafflers they sell in stores nowadays work better.
Do not use the Mickey Mouse shape wafflers as they burn the waffles.
Quarter Pound Waffles
1lb Margarine sticks at room temperature.
2 1/2 cups of sugar
4 cups of flour
6 to 12 eggs (the more eggs, the fluffier the waffle) at room temperature
vanilla to taste (I wish I could find the vanillated sugar they have in Belgium)
a pinch of salt
Cream together the sugar and the butter/margarine sticks. Separate the egg yolks from egg whites into a different bowl. Add the yolks to the creamy mixture and mix together. Add the flour, salt and vanilla and blend in. Beat the egg whites until they're very stiff. Fold into the dough.
Preheat your waffler, and spray with PAM. Put one spoonful in the middle of your iron and bake until gold. The dough will not be runny. The tecture should be less sticky than cookie dough however.
The wafflers might not register the right time, so you have to check.


From Neil
This is our recipe for Belgian Lukken cookies make in a Lukken iron (Lukijyer)

6 eggs
1 pound butter
2 pounds flour
1 pound brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
pinch of salt
roll into balls and place into the iron until golden brown makes over 130 cookies


From Debra Hittlet Jones
I use a non stick pizzelle iron to make the thin cookies, for thick cookies a waffle iron will work
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE STARTING
In memory of Alice (Lupant) Hittlet
GRANDMAS GAULLETS
1 dozen eggs
1 pound real butter (not margarine), softened
3 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 3/4 cups white flour
4 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons vanilla
(makes about 12 dozen thin gaullets.)
Mix in order, thoroughly. Refrigerate dough overnight or at least several hours (it is easier to work with) Preheat iron to medium (if you do not have heat settings on your iron, simply preheat.
Place about a teaspoon and a half in center of bottom grid of iron, if you have an iron that makes multiple "cookies" put a teaspoon of dough in each area.
Close iron and cook until golden brown. It will take about 30 seconds for thin cookies and up to 2 minutes for waffle thick cookies.
You will need to use a spray cooking oil such as PAM to keep the cookies from sticking. I use a non-stick pizzelle iron for convenience, it is very similar to the old iron that my Grandma used. The exception is that my iron is electric, poor Grandma had to stand over an open flame.
These gaullets take several hours to cook (12 dozen !), make sure you have enough time before you start.
    I purchased my iron from LATOZ HARDWARE, 147 NORTH STATE STREET, WESTVILLE ILLINOIS 61883 USA PHONE 1-217-267-3121. They have an assortment of irons and are quite familiar with Belgian cookie making.



From Dorothy Smith
Et-su-put
This is how my mother made it. I also follow the same
  In a 6 quart kettle place a 3 pound pork roast with enough water to cover
cookover medium or low heat until the meat falls off the bone.
Remove meat from water and cut or chop in small pieces
return to kettle
add 6 0r 8 medium potatoes cut in medium chunks,
1 pound of carrots cut in chunks
bring to a boil on medium heat cook for about 10 minutes
then add a medium heat of cabbage
cook till the cabbage is done.
My family really loves this. When I visit my children and grand children the first thing they say is Please make Et-su-put while you are here.



From John A Buytaert
Cloquet, MN
Pom Koek (Belgian Coffee Cake)

Mix together dry ingredients
3 cups flour
 1/2 cup sugar
1 t soda
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1 t salt
Mix together
1 cup honey
1 cup hot coffee
1 egg
1/3 cup Mazola oil
Mix with dry ingredients, using a spoon. Bake in 9x4x2" pan Butter pan and put a piece of waxed paper in bottom so the cake will come out easily. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. You cannot see when it is done; use a tooth pick to see if center is done. Serve with butter, sliced thinly.
Margaret Dens Buytaert
born: Kieldrecht-1898
died: Superior, Wis. - 1966



From John A Buytaert
Cloquet, MN
Belgian Pasty
(Sent to miners at noon for a hot lunch)
Crust:
6-7 cups floor (If too rich, add more flour)
1# lard (or shortening, although lard does give a better flavor)
3 tsp salt
Mix above together for crust. Water it -- 1/2 glass or so, sprinkle it on, using a fork to sprinkle from a glass. (too much water = a hard crust)
 Filling:
 Add: 1 3 suet and 3# steak or pie meat, cubed into small pieces
1 potato per pasty
Onions -- spread across middle-- quite fully Salt and pepper between layers of meat and potatoes. Add a pat of butter to the top of each pasty before folding. Use a pie tin (makes two pasties, halves) Start with one crust. On crust, place a layer of potatoes, then meat, then onions, then meat, with potatoes again on top to preserve moisture. Fold crust to make two pasties per pie tin. Seal and flute edges. Make slits in top crust.
Bake at 325-350F for a good hour (test potatoes with a fork for doneness)
Can be frozen, too. Some people like to add carrots and/or rutabagas also.
Crust mixtures keeps a long time, unrefrigerated.
Margaret Dens Buytaert
born: Kieldrecht, 1898
died: Superior, Wis., 1966



From Pascal Janssens
Meatcake with Black Cherries Sauce

1/4 kg minced veal
1/4 kg minced porc
2 slices of bread
salt, pepper, nutmeg
30 gr. butter
1 egg-yolk

  Preparation
1. Soak 2 slices of bread without the crusts in milk.
2. When the bread is soaked, let it leak out a while to remove superfluous water.
3. Mix the minced porc and minced veal with the soaked bread, the yolk, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
4. Fashion the meat to an oblong ball.
5. Let brown 30 gr. butter in a fire-resisting dish in the oven.
6. When the butter is brown, put the meatball in it.
7. Let bake at moderate temperature while drenching the meat from time to time whit the melted butter.
8. Cut the meat into slices of approx. 4 mm.

  For the sauce:
Let boil Black-Cherries in a pot adding some Maizena to bind the sauce.


From Ruth Hoefs
Kent, Washington
Blood Sausage Candy
1 pound of milk chocolate
1 square of unsweetened chocolate
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of chopped nuts, any kind will do
1 pound of powdered sugar, approximately
In double boiler melt chocolates together. In a little bowl beat the egg and than add to melted chocolates.
Add the teaspoon of vanilla, nuts, and powdered sugar. Mix in enough powdered sugar to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Hands work best in mixing in the powdered sugar.
Roll into logs, about an inch around. Place on wax paper on cookie sheets and refrigerate untill firm. Slice into thin slices. Freezes very well.
Makes a generous 2 pounds.


From Regine
 
Chicons au Gratin
Belgian Endives au Gratin
   
1 or 2 endives per person
enough ham slices to roll the endives(not too thick, but not too thin)
butter/margarine
flour
milk
grated Swiss cheese
salt, pepper, nutmeg
  Cut the bottom part of the endives, and boil them in salted water, until tender.
Prepare a bechamelle sauce,
Melt some butter/margarine in a saucepan
Add some flour and stir.
Add as much milk as you will want to have sauce, a little at a time.
Cook to consistency.
Add grated Swiss cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. (yes, nutmeg - you can leave it out if you would rather not have any)
Drain the endives
Roll each endive in a slice of ham. Place in a rectangular baking dish. Pour the bechamelle over the rolled slices of ham. Sprinkle more Swiss cheese over the sauce. Dot with butter/margarine. Place under the broiler until golden.
 
Taste wonderful with mashed potatoes. (To make mashed potatoes the Belgian way, you also put some nutmeg in with the salt and pepper) I hope you will enjoy these as much as I do. Endives are a little bitter, but cooked they are sometimes a mixture of bitter and sweet.



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