Hello Design*Spongers, we’ve missed you. We’ve had a whirlwind of events going on, but are so happy to be back today with another turn-of-the-globe entertaining idea. This time when we spun, fate brought us right back to Europe with Belgium. Belgium: Beer . . . chocolate . . . french fries (dipped in mayo) . . . waffles. Yes, we really like Belgium.
The scene is a reunion of two friends reminiscing about their first encounter while traveling in Belgium. The setting is a rooftop deck on a chilly fall afternoon, perfect weather for warm indulgent food and autumnal tones and textures. On the table, a burnt orange underlay was topped with a vintage cream crewel tablecloth for a dainty, European flair.
We gave the table more depth by layering the tablecloths with rich fabric and a reddish color for the underlay. The lacy white-on-red made the table pop with texture and feel like a Belgian grandmother’s tablecloth. A nice contrast to the hearty array of Belgian beers these friends brought to their reunion: Chimay, Matilda, Duvel, Prior 8 and more.
An iconic Belgian dish is moules frites. Mussels are prime in the autumn/winter months and it was definitely a no-brainer for these friends to share them again as they had on their journey. The mussels were cooked in white wine, butter (don’t even ask how much!), chopped garlic and shallots. The prep process was a bit time consuming, but so worth it. Between soaking, debearding and scrubbing, they take about an hour to prepare but only 3 minutes to cook! (Great recipe found here.) Sprinkle with chopped parsley for a pretty garnish.
We went hunting for traditional beer steins and found the most amazing ones from a vintage collector. eBay had some nice steins as well, and they really brought an old Belgian flair to the table. We love how beautiful they are and have decided to start our own collection. A much fancier way to drink a brewski than from a bottle, don’t you agree?
CLICK HERE for the rest of the post, a delicious dipping sauce recipe and salty Belgian chocolate ice cream recipe after the jump!
