Author: StefanGourmet

According to Collins Dictionary, a gourmet is "a person who cultivates a discriminating palate for the enjoyment of good food and drink". That's quite a good description of me, although I do not only enjoy good food and wine, but also like to cook and select matching wines. I'm a guy (1974) from the Netherlands, living near Amsterdam. On this blog I intend to share my experiences with cooking, eating at restaurants, visiting wineries, and related topics.
Bread6 Comments

Italian bread

StefanGourmet

Whenever I have guests over for dinner I always bake this bread. Even though it’s straightforward bread, since it’s fresh out of the oven it has a great taste, texture and smell and is therefore always very well-received. I use my breadmaker to make the dough, but use the oven to bake it for a superior crust and shape. It is not a lot of work at all to make your own bread if you own a breadmaker to make the dough for you, but you do need to consider that it will take about 5 hours from start to … Continue reading Italian bread

2. Primi (pasta, risotto), Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)6 Comments

Pheasant: stock, smoked breast, leg ravioli

StefanGourmet

Some people do not like it when you can see that the meat or fish you are eating came from an animal or fish. Well, until science comes up with a better solution it always does! Just looking at a clean, preferably square, piece of meat won’t change that. On the contrary, I like to use the full animal and make the most of it. The bones etc. carry a lot of flavor that should not be wasted. For a dinner party I bought a pheasant and used all of it. First I cut off the breast fillets and the … Continue reading Pheasant: stock, smoked breast, leg ravioli

1. Antipasti (appetizers), Secondi di Pesce (fish dishes)14 Comments

Perfect sous-vide seabass

StefanGourmet

I have been trying to make the ‘perfect’ seabass with tender moist flesh and crispy skin for a long time, and now I’ve finally found the way to do it! When cooking the seabass in a hot non-stick frying pan, I ended up either with a crispy skin with flesh that was a bit overcooked and a bit dry (not terrible, but as always I am striving for perfection 🙂 or with tender moist flesh and flabby skin. Please note that the fish should be very fresh (‘sushi grade’) for this recipe. Continue reading “Perfect sous-vide seabass”

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)6 Comments

Pasta from the oven with eggplant and mozzarella (Paccheri alla parmigiana)

StefanGourmet

Today I felt like cooking something vegetarian. I had bought an eggplant and buffalo mozzarella, and had some very nice Paccheri di Gragnano lying around (given to me by Gennaro Esposito, the chef of our favorite restaurant in Italy (Torre del Saracino) during our last visit). The combination of eggplant, mozzarella, basil and tomato is classic. There are many different versions, the most common being melanzane alla parmigiana. This version has a different texture because of the use of pasta. Instead of Paccheri, you can use any kind of large pasta shape that can be stuffed such as shells or … Continue reading Pasta from the oven with eggplant and mozzarella (Paccheri alla parmigiana)

EatingLeave a comment

Amsterdam dining: Utrechtsedwarstafel

StefanGourmet

Even though are favorite way of dining is to let the chef decide what to cook and the sommelier which wines to serve with it, we had never yet tried Utrechtsedwarstafel because of the pricetag (between 65 euros for 3 course with basic wines and 125 euros for 5 courses with premium wines) and mixed reviews on Dutch leading restaurant review site Iens. But since their formula is exactly the way we like it, we decided to give it a try and go for the full treatment (5 courses with premium wines). We had high expectations of the wine pairings, … Continue reading Amsterdam dining: Utrechtsedwarstafel

Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)3 Comments

Dry-aged MRIJ T-bone steak sous-vide

StefanGourmet

MRIJ stands for Maas-Rijn-IJssel, a breed of cattle named after the region in which it was bred: where the three rivers Maas (Meuse), Rijn (Rhine) and IJssel (Issel) meet. This piece of T-bone steak is very tasty for two reasons: (1) because the MRIJ breed has a lot of intramuscular fat (aka ‘marbling’) and because it has been dry-aged. The intramuscular fat makes the beef more juicy and carries a lot of taste. Dry-aging means that the beef has been hung to dry for several weeks, thus concentrating the flavor and taste and allowing the beef’s natural enzymes to break … Continue reading Dry-aged MRIJ T-bone steak sous-vide

Secondi di Pesce (fish dishes)13 Comments

Sous-vide cod with braised fennel and white wine sauce

StefanGourmet

Last night after the delicious ravioli with gorgonzola and witlof we had this simple but good dish that went nicely with the same wine (Erbaluce di Caluso). This was my first attempt at sous-vide cod and it turned out perfectly cooked with a great texture. However cod is so flaky that it seems impossible to sear the fish after cooking sous-vide without breaking it apart. Perhaps I’ll try pre-searing next time. Ingredients For 2 servings: 250 grams (1/2 pound) cod fillet 125 ml (1/2 cup) white wine 125 ml (1/2 cup) home-made fish stock 1 fennel bulb 1 shallot 1/2 … Continue reading Sous-vide cod with braised fennel and white wine sauce

Basics30 Comments

How to make fish stock

StefanGourmet

Homemade fish stock is an essential ingredient for seafood risotto, soups and sauces. It is easy to make and handy to keep deep-frozen. Ingredients For 1 liter (1 quart) of fish stock: 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of fresh fish bones and heads of white fish (fatty fish such as salmon gives a different flavor) 450 grams (1 pound) of mixed aromatic vegetables such as carrots, leeks, celery stalks, onions, fennel trimmings 1 tomato 1 sprig thyme 1 bay leaf some pepper corns olive oil Preparation Make sure to remove the gills and eyes from the fish heads and soak the … Continue reading How to make fish stock

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)4 Comments

Ravioli al Radicchio (witlof/chicory/belgian endive) e Gorgonzola

StefanGourmet

I had some left-over gorgonzola and had bought some witlof (chicory, belgian endive) and decided to try something new: ravioli with a filling of gorgonzola and witlof. It turned out great and is definitely a keeper! The Italian version of witlof is radicchio and red instead of white, but they are related to each other and the taste is very similar. The wine pairing with the 2009 Orsolani Erbaluce di Caluso La Rustìa was also excellent: this dish needs a dry white wine with a light bitter tone (preferably mineral like this erbaluce di caluso) to go with the witlof … Continue reading Ravioli al Radicchio (witlof/chicory/belgian endive) e Gorgonzola

2. Primi (pasta, risotto), Basics48 Comments

How to make fresh pasta

StefanGourmet

With some practice, fresh pasta is quite easy to make and does not take that much time. Especially if you are not making a large quantity. The taste and especially the texture are better from what you can buy in a store, and the best thing is: you can make your own stuffed pasta such as ravioli and tortellini. Store-bought ravioli stuffing very often mostly consists of bread crumbs and other ‘fillers’. Home-made stuffed pasta is always a big hit at my dinner parties because of the wonderful light texture of the  pasta and the delicious filling. Some people think … Continue reading How to make fresh pasta

1. Antipasti (appetizers), Contorni (side dishes)1 Comment

Beetroot with blue cheese

StefanGourmet

I usually make this as an antipasto, but tonight I thought it would be a nice side for the rack of lamb. It seems very simply, but the combination of beetroot and blue cheese tastes heavenly! Raw beetroot that you cook in the oven has more and a better flavor than already cooked beetroot from the supermarket. It’s not a lot of work, so give it a try! Ingredients for 2 servings 2 beetroot Good blue cheese such as roquefort or gorgonzola piccante to taste Good balsamic vinegar to taste Preparation Wrap each beetroot into aluminum foil and cook them … Continue reading Beetroot with blue cheese

Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)12 Comments

Sous-vide rack of lamb

StefanGourmet

As a secondo after the primo of gnocchi al gorgonzola, we had another favorite: rack of lamb! The Dutch lamb from my local butcher is still very tender even though it’s almost December. Ingredients for 2 servings 1 rack of lamb with 6-8 ribs 3 sprigs rosemay salt, freshly ground black pepper olive oil 75 ml (1/3 cup) red wine 75 ml (1/3 cup) lamb stock Preparation Preheat water bath to 54.5C/130F. Rub the rack of lamb with salt, freshly ground black pepper and some olive oil and seal in a bag with the rosemary sprigs (one on each side). … Continue reading Sous-vide rack of lamb

General5 Comments

Why a blog?

StefanGourmet

I’ve always enjoyed sharing my enthusiasm for cooking, good food and wine with others. It gives me a big thrill when my sharing leads to someone trying something new or developing an interest for wine or cooking. I’ve had a home page on the internet since 1995, where I’ve shared some of my recipes almost from the start. Back in those days the ‘easiest’ way to create a page was to write HTML code using Notepad, so it was quite laborious to share stuff and that is part of the reason why I did not post regular updates. The other reason … Continue reading Why a blog?