Wildflower is regarded as Perth’s best modern fine dining restaurant. According to the website, every dish celebrates the local resources honoring the six seasons of the Noongar calendar. It is amusing to me that it is apparently necessary in Australia … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Wildflower
We are spending the Dutch winter in the Australian summer, and this is the first time I am not cooking at home for Christmas. I have very limited cooking equipment in the camper, and when I did the shopping for … Continue reading Tagliatelle with Rock Lobster (Tagliatelle all’Aragosta)
O.MY is the restaurant of brothers Blayne (chef, on the left) and Chayse (sommelier, on the right) Bertoncello in Beaconsfield, about 45 minutes from downtown Melbourne. They started the restaurant back in 2013, when they were only 19 and 23 … Continue reading Dining in Australia: O.MY
Hogget Kitchen is a ‘farm to table’ restaurant that is located in the Wild Dog winery, just outside of Warragul in Victoria, Australia. The restaurant has a great view of the vineyards. The blackboard in the restaurant doesn’t list the … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Hogget Kitchen
When I posted the recipe for Cod with Macadmia, Lemon, and Broccolini, I already mentioned it could also be prepared with sea bass. I like the version with (European) sea bass, sometimes also referred to by its Italian name branzino, … Continue reading Sea Bass with Macadamia, Lemon, and Broccolini
As we were strolling down the Esplanade in Lakes Entrance, Victoria, Australia, we saw a restaurant called Sodafish on a boat and had a look at the menu. We were surprised to see a degustation menu with wine pairing. The … Continue reading Dining in Australia: Sodafish
Saint Peter is a fine dining restaurant in Sydney that specializes in fish. Saint Peter is another name for the fish also know as John Dory. All the dishes include fish, even the dessert. The restaurant prides itself for using … Continue reading Dining in Sydney: Saint Peter
My friend Irene got me some organic pears from the tree in her garden. They were not the typical pears that are used to make poached pears in the Netherlands (stoofpeertjes), which turn red when you cook them. But they … Continue reading Poached Pears with Lemon Syrup
Librije is the restaurant of chef Jonnie and maitre/sommelier Thérèse Boer (despite the same last name we are not related) in the city of Zwolle, which has held three Michelin stars since 2004 and is the only restaurant in the … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Librije*** (2024)
Slow-roasting cauliflower means to roast it in the oven for 2 to 3 hours at 160C/320F. Then it gets a completely different texture, flavor, and color. We love slow-roasted cauliflower and I have already published several recipes on this blog … Continue reading Pasta with Slow-Roasted Cauliflower
Tataki is a Japanese method of preparing fish or meat. The protein is seared only on the outside and then served sliced with an acidic dressing. The most common versions are tuna and beef. Last year during the wine trip in Australia, I had kangaroo tataki and liked it very much. Kangaroo fillet is very well suited for this prepartion, as the meat is very tender and flavorful. If you can’t find kangaroo, you could also use venison backstrap for a very similar effect. Ponzu is a citrus-based dressing that should be made with a Japanese citrus fruit like yuzu. … Continue reading Kangaroo Tataki with Ponzu Dressing
Every year when Gambero Rosso announces the winners of the tre bicchieri (3 glasses) in their Vini d’Italia guide, I check if there are any wines that I would like to try. Only 400-500 wines win a tre bicchieri award … Continue reading Vermicelli al Sugo di Sgavajone
Ron Blaauw is a famous Dutch chef who used to have a two Michelin star restaurant, but now has four branches of “Ron Gastrobar“, of which the original one near the Vondelpark in Amsterdam has held a single Michelin star … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Ron Gastrobar* (2024)
This ravioli dish is one of my favorite ‘battle horses’, an Italian term (cavallo di battaglia) for a dish that is always a success when I prepare it for guests. I also prepared this for my friends Robert and Melvin … Continue reading Meat Ravioli with Butter and Sage (Ravioli di Carne con Burro e Salvia)
This pasta dish was inspired by a fish stew from Burgundy called Pôchouse. The fish is poached in white wine and the poaching liquid is reduced together with fish stock and then turned into a creamy sauce by adding crème … Continue reading Fresh Pasta with Pikeperch and Cream
This was a very special wine lunch at In Den Rustwat (IDRW) in Rotterdam, organized by Fred Nijhuis. Fred is a wine writer who specializes in Italy and was the guide for the wine trips to Lombardia, Piemonte, and Campania. For this wine dinner … Continue reading Lunch with Very Old Wines at In Den Rustwat
Pasta alle Cenere literally means “pasta with ashes”. This name does not refer to the flavor, but to the appearance of the dish. It is pasta with a sauce of gorgonzola (Italian blue cheese), black olives, and cream. Freshly ground … Continue reading Ravioli alle Cenere
During the wine tour of Australia last year we had lunch at the Nick O’Leary winery in the Canberra district. Both the wines and the restaurant are recommended. One dish we all liked very much was deep fried cauliflower. We … Continue reading Fried Cauliflower with Coconut Milk and Smoked Paprika
For me there is no right or wrong when it comes to cooking. It is not about following rules, it is about getting the results you want. Why insist on following a rule, if you can’t taste the difference anyway? … Continue reading Salt Before Or After Sous Vide?
Lars Amsterdam is the restaurant of chef Lars Scharp, located in same building as the Residence Inn by Marriott Amsterdam Houthavens, with a sunset view of the Amsterdam harbor (Houthavens). Lars opened in 2018 and has held a Michelin star … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Lars Amsterdam*
Lazio, the Italian region of which Rome is the capital, has four famous simple classic pasta dishes with similar ingredients: Recently my friend Melvin pointed out that there is a fifth one called Zozzona, which I had never heard of … Continue reading Pasta alla Zozzona
This salad with lukewarm salmon is so simple it is hardly a recipe, but it is so good that I wanted to share it with you anyway. It is a perfect summer dish that is quick and easy to prepare. … Continue reading Sous Vide Salmon with Arugula
Restaurant Vista is located at the Hollands Diep estuary in the historic town of Willemstad, just south of Rotterdam. The restaurant opened in 2016 and has held a Michelin star since 2018. It has a terrace with a nice view … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Vista*
Chinese Char Siu BBQ Pork is one of my favorite dishes. Most of my cooking starts with natural ingredients, rather than using store-bought. Pesto for instance, is so much better if you make it yourself than store-bought, also because most … Continue reading Char Siu Marinade From Scratch
After having made fresh Mexican chorizo, I looked for recipes to use it. One of my favorite blogs with Mexican recipes is Irene’s My Slice of Mexico and that’s where I found this recipe for green beans with chorizo. It … Continue reading Green Beans with Mexican Chorizo (Ejotes con Chorizo a la Mexicana)
The chorizo we know here in Europe is Spanish chorizo, which is a dry cured pork sausage with smoked paprika as the dominant spice. Mexican chorizo is different because it is wet (or fresh, only lightly cured) rather than dry, … Continue reading Homemade Mexican Chorizo
When planning our trip to Sicily, the first thing I decided was that I wanted to return to La Madia after the wonderful dinner we enjoyed there in 2013. Chef Pino Cuttaia still holds two Michelin stars. The restaurant looked … Continue reading Dining in Italy: La Madia** (2024)
Signum is the restaurant of chef Martina Caruso in the Signum Hotel on Salina, one of the Aeolian islands between Sicily and Naples, which has held a Michelin star from 2016. The restaurant and hotel are only open in the … Continue reading Dining in Italy: Signum*
This is the third and final part of the tour to Campania that I organized as a member of the Dutch association of Vinologists (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). After a day of getting to know the wines of Sannio, we continued … Continue reading Campania Wine Tour Part 3: Irpinia
This is the second part of the tour that I organized as a member of the Dutch association of Vinologists (Verenigde Vinologen Nederland). After a day of getting to know the wines of Sannio, we continued our exploration of Campanian … Continue reading Campania Wine Tour Part 2: Costa d’Amalfi
