Peel the fresh gray shrimps by hand and let them marinate for
1 hour in the beer. Cook 4 eggs hard in 10 minutes. Allow to
cool, peel and cut into slices.
Sift the shrimp from the beer. Bring the beer to the boil with a
chopped shallot and leave to reduce by half.
Strain again and make a sabayon with two egg yolks. Mix the
sabayon with a tablespoon of mustard, chopped parsley and
season with salt and pepper.
Take individual baking dishes in pottery and fill them with a
layer of marinated gray shrimp, slices of egg, the beer
sabayon and finally a layer of grated Gruyère.
Place the saucers under the grill for 2 minutes until the cheese
turns color. Serve with baguette. It is legally required to drink
white beer from Hoegaarden with this dish.
eggs Meulemeester
eggs
unpeeled prawns
Hoegaarden white beer
shallot
The story behind this dish is just wonderful.
Meulemeester was a brewer from Brussels. He was in
fierce competition with Beulemans, head of another
brewing family. Surely son and daughter of both fell in
love with each other? Romeo and Juliette in Brussels.
In 1910, a theater play was written around this theme,
which proved enormously successful, especially in
Brussels and Wallonia. The caterer on duty had designed
this dish especially for the actors. A quick bite in the
break as it were. However, it has become a 'hype' in that
period and a fixed value in the Brussels culinary heritage
until today.
There are quite a few variants on the theme "Eggs
Meulemeester". In some recipes that circulate on the
internet, the gray shrimp is replaced by langoustines or
crayfish. Sometimes there is no beer involved and the
sabayon is replaced by full cream or a bechamel. One
joker even claims that red bell bell pepper and salami
belong in this dish. To my surprise, his (or her) recipe is
diligently copied by peers. But who is right? Only
Meulemeester can know.
eggs
unpeeled prawns
Hoegaarden white
beer
shallot
The story behind this dish is just
wonderful.
Meulemeester was a brewer from Brussels.
He was in fierce competition with
Beulemans, head of another brewing
family. Surely son and daughter of both fell
in love with each other? Romeo and Juliette
in Brussels.
In 1910, a theater play was written around
this theme, which proved enormously
successful, especially in Brussels and
Wallonia. The caterer on duty had designed
this dish especially for the actors. A quick
bite in the break as it were. However, it has
become a 'hype' in that period and a fixed
value in the Brussels culinary heritage until
today.
Peel the fresh gray shrimps by hand and let
them marinate for 1 hour in the beer. Cook 4
eggs hard in 10 minutes. Allow to cool, peel and
cut into slices.
Sift the shrimp from the beer. Bring the beer to
the boil with a chopped shallot and leave to
reduce by half.
Strain again and make a sabayon with two egg
yolks. Mix the sabayon with a tablespoon of
mustard, chopped parsley and season with salt
and pepper.
Take individual baking dishes in pottery and fill
them with a layer of marinated gray shrimp,
slices of egg, the beer sabayon and finally a
layer of grated Gruyère.
Place the saucers under the grill for 2 minutes
until the cheese turns color. Serve with
baguette. It is legally required to drink white
beer from Hoegaarden with this dish.
eggs Meulemeester
taste and tradition
There are quite a few variants on the theme
"Eggs Meulemeester". In some recipes that
circulate on the internet, the gray shrimp is
replaced by langoustines or crayfish.
Sometimes there is no beer involved and the
sabayon is replaced by full cream or a
bechamel. One joker even claims that red
bell bell pepper and salami belong in this
dish. To my surprise, his (or her) recipe is
diligently copied by peers. But who is right?
Only Meulemeester can know.
