Mussels in Brussels

By Bonnie Fishman / San Francisco Bay Area

Steamed mussels in Brussels

And that’s not all. Fish and chips in London, croissants and baguettes in Paris, Belgian chocolate and waffles in Brussels. I just returned from a whirlwind trip to three major European cities. Of course, I chose the hotels based on their breakfast buffet reputations. Did I go to tour museums? No. Did I go to see famous churches? Nah. Did I go to see historic buildings and squares? Not really. I went for two main reasons: to eat and because I was able to travel after a long illness. I pounded the pavement every day to suss out great food, look at crafts and fashions from other countries and most importantly, just to be there.

I traveled with my sisters, Nancy and Marcia, and our cousin, Jeri, from suburban Detroit. We had a blast. Lots of walking, eating, and laughs. Two of our favorite meals were in London. The first was at Veeraswamy, the oldest Indian restaurant in the United Kingdom. The famed restaurant was celebrating its 100th birthday when we were there. The food was extraordinary– inventive, unusual flavors, and beautifully presented.

The author in Veeraswamy in London

I ordered the best possible dish baked in banana leaves. It was a potpourri of several recipes, a mini tasting menu on one plate if you will. Nothing on the menu resembled anything that we’re used to in the United States. When the manager caught wind of the fact that I was going to include the restaurant in a magazine food column, he comped our table with two beautiful desserts. Don't ask me what I ate because it didn't have the taste or texture of anything familiar. I didn’t care for it, but I appreciated the effort that it took to create.

A variety of dishes baked in a banana leaf: crab cake, potato balls, eggplant, ground lamb, chicken curry, marinated pineapple, chutney, surrounding rice pilaf

Beautiful desserts at Veeraswamy

Another great London meal was at Nopi, Yotam Ottolenghi’s flagship restaurant. This was my second visit, and it did not disappoint. If you are unfamiliar with Ottolenghi, he is a very popular Israeli chef and author, with 11 bestselling cookbooks under his belt. The mostly Mediterranean bent of the cuisine speaks to me as it is one of my personal favorite food profiles. He creates magic particularly with vegetables. The evening we dined there, I had crispy oven-roasted celeriac with almond cream. Don’t ask.

Oven-roasted celeriac with almond cream at Nopi in London

Moving on to Paris from London through the Chunnel, we were greeted by rainy weather for our brief two days in one of my favorite cities. It didn’t stop us from walking a few blocks to the famed Café Les Deux Magots, where, back in the day, great minds and literati hung out, such as Hemingway, Camus, and Sartre. I had dessert for dinner: a warm pear tart. I devoured it guilt-free. Hey, I was in Paris, right?

Warm pear tart for dinner at the famed Les Deux Magots in Paris

A new day, a new culinary adventure. After visiting the spectacular Museé D’Orsay, we trekked through the pouring rain to have an ooh-la-la tres Français late lunch at the quintessential Cocorico, right behind the museum. I felt like I had walked into a French movie - the atmosphere, the vibe, the diners, the aromas, the beautiful yet understated plates of food. We were tucked into a corner booth and devoured classic French fare.

Roasted cockerel at Cocorico in Paris

My sister Marcia and I shared cockerel, a young rooster, roasted to perfection. I ordered it because the gentleman next to us was delicately dissecting the bird, using his fork and knife, like the French do, surgically separating the meat from the bone. His technique was mesmerizing.

The next morning, we boarded a train to Brussels. It is true: Belgium is known for four culinary items: chocolate, waffles, mussels and frites (French fries).  I have never seen so many chocolate shops in a row, street after street. They were all beautiful and alluring. How does one choose? Me, I’m a purist, dark chocolate with nuts. I’m not a particular fan of filled truffles. The four of us did take a chocolate class learning how to make said truffles.  It’s a lot of fuss to temper the chocolate, keeping it shining after the delicacies have set. The one main thing I learned was let someone else make them!

Bonnie filling truffle molds with tempered chocolate

Bonnie filling the truffles with chocolate ganache

Waffles are a different story. I could eat them every day. There were plenty of waffle shops too. We took a waffle class, where we learned what makes Belgian waffles different from American waffles. The Belgians use a waffle iron with deeper holes; the egg whites are whipped and folded into the batter separately; and oil is used instead of melted butter. This creates a lighter, crispier textured waffle. The Belgians also make a divine yeast waffle, sweeter and denser than the traditional product.

(from L to R): Bonnie, Nancy, Marcia, and Jeri getting ready to make waffles in a cooking class in Brussels

Finished product: Belgian waffle smothered with Nutella and fresh fruit

I have an embarrassing confession. Keep in mind I’m the only professional chef in the class. I made two HUGE mistakes while we were preparing waffles. The first one is I overfilled the waffle iron with batter, and it squished out all over the place. Second, I forgot to oil the iron, so my waffle was not coming out of that pan even if you begged it. The class assistant spent the next 20 minutes scraping it out. I’m glad it wasn’t me! Unbeknownst to her, I was eating the scraps that she tossed aside.

Now let’s talk mussels with fries or moules-frites. We stumbled across Cave du Roy, which was built in the 15th century, an underground vaulted cellar that housed a fabulous cozy restaurant specializing in mussels. They offered various preparations, but I stuck with the classic: mussels steamed with garlic butter and white wine. The food arrived in a huge metal pot. When the top was removed, we were bathed in the most beautiful aroma. The delicious frites were on the side.

The cozy vaulted cellar restaurant Cave du Roy in Brussels

Moules-frites at Cave du Roy

I have attempted to recreate this dish at home and share it with you. The biggest difference is the quality of the mussels. The Belgian ones are harvested from the North Atlantic Sea. They were plump and juicy. The ones I was able to procure here in my town are puny. I hope you all have better success in finding wonderful mussels to cook at home!

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Classic Mussels in Garlic & White Wine

  Yield: 4-6 entrées

4 lb. mussels, scrubbed & debearded if necessary

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 oz. butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

pinch of chili flakes

3/4 c. dry white wine

1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley

Allow the mussels to soak in a large bowl of water for 20 minutes to ensure that the sand is removed from the shells. Drain the mussels in a colander.

In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter with oil over moderate heat. Sauté the garlic and shallots for 5 minutes.  Add the wine and chili flakes. Bring the wine to a boil; boil for 3 minutes.

Add the mussels. Place the top on the pan. Cook the mussels, shaking the pan a couple of times or stir with a large spoon. When the mussels have opened, 5-7 minutes, they are done. Mix in the parsley.

Distribute the mussels in individual serving bowls. Pour liquid over the top. Serve with fresh or toasted baguette slices.

Yank the “beard” down the side of the mussel and pull it out. Discard.

After sautéing the garlic and shallots, let wine come to a boil.

Sprinkle on chopped parsley just before serving.

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Bonnie Fishman attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. Later, she owned and operated Bonnie’s Patisserie in Southfield, Mich. and Bonnie’s Kitchen and Catering in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She has taught cooking for over 35 years and created hundreds of recipes. She is now living in Northern California.