Secondi di Pesce (fish dishes)11 Comments

Homemade Fish Fingers

StefanGourmet

Like so many things, homemade fish fingers are so much better than store-bought! They are quite easy to make and you get to control what goes in them. So only the freshest fish, homemade breadcrumbs and an organic egg. For these fish fingers I used fresh Atlantic wolffish (“zeewolf” in Dutch, also known as “seawolf”). Since you will use fresh fish rather than frozen, the fish will be that much more flavorful and succulent. I suppose fish fingers were invented for people who don’t like to recognize that they are in fact eating fish, but I like them anyway since … Continue reading Homemade Fish Fingers

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)10 Comments

Spaghetti with Red Wine and Leeks (Spaghetti Ubriachi)

StefanGourmet

I had some leeks and wanted to make a pasta dish with leeks. I looked for inspiration on GialloZafferano, the leading Italian cooking website (in Italian, although some of their YouTube vids including this one are also available dubbed in English), and my query for “porro” (leek) returned a recipe for spaghetti with red wine and leeks called Spaghetti Ubriachi (‘drunken’ spaghetti). The recipe looked very simple and worth trying, so I gave it a go. I was not disappointed: a lot of flavor in less than half an hour: a perfect weekday dish. I wouldn’t shy away from serving … Continue reading Spaghetti with Red Wine and Leeks (Spaghetti Ubriachi)

1. Antipasti (appetizers)14 Comments

Amazing Sous-Vide Vitello Tonnato

StefanGourmet

If you’ve never had vitello tonnato before, you probably think veal and tuna are an unlikely pair. But in fact this classic dish from the Piemonte region in Italy (called vitel tonnà in the Piemontese language) is a great combination. Traditionally, vitello tonnato is made by poaching the “girello” cut of “Fassone” veal (a prized Piemontese breed of veal) in a stock with aromatic vegetables and white wine, sliced thinly and served with a sauce of canned tuna, hard-boiled eggs, capers, anchovies, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and a bit of the cooking liquid. Girello (also known as tondino … Continue reading Amazing Sous-Vide Vitello Tonnato

Cooking18 Comments

Quiche Lorraine (Quiche Alsacienne)

StefanGourmet

A quiche is a savory pie with a custard-based filling. Lorraine is a region in north-east France that has mixed German-French history and is called Lothringen in German. The word “quiche” comes from German “Küchen” (pie). According to wikipedia there are three types of quiche: Lorraine: with bacon (lardons) only, Vosgienne: with bacon and cheese, and Alsacienne: with bacon, onions and cheese. There is even a “Syndicat National de Défense et de Promotion de l’Authentique Quiche Lorraine” (National Society for the Protection and Promotion of the Authentic Quiche Lorraine) that says that an authentic Quiche Lorraine may only contain shortcrust pastry, egg, bacon, crême fraîche, pepper … Continue reading Quiche Lorraine (Quiche Alsacienne)

Asian cuisine14 Comments

35aweek’s Potstickers (Guotie)

StefanGourmet

Pan-fried Chinese dumplings are called “guotie” in Chinese, which literally means “pan stick”. In North America these are known as potstickers, and I had  only had them there. The interesting thing about them is that they are pan-fried and steamed at the same time. When I read 35aweek’s recipe for what she calls “Best-ever potstickers”, I just knew I had to try making these. Since this was my first attempt at making Asian dumplings, I decided to use store-bought dough. I think I may have ended up buying wrappers that were slightly thicker than they should be, because the edges … Continue reading 35aweek’s Potstickers (Guotie)

Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)7 Comments

REMCook’s Breaded Chicken Breast Fried in Claried Butter

StefanGourmet

My favorite recipes are simple and elegant. The less ingredients, the better. When I recently blogged about my first homemade batch of clarified butter, Richard McGary commented “Now that you have your clarified butter, if you want to try something, get a boneless, skinless chicken breast; season it with a little salt and pepper; bread it in bread crumbs from fresh bread, not stale or dried bread; and sauté it in the clarified butter. This is a remarkably simple technique with minimal seasoning but the flavor you will get with the butter and bread coupled with the moist chicken is mind … Continue reading REMCook’s Breaded Chicken Breast Fried in Claried Butter

1. Antipasti (appetizers)13 Comments

Vongole with Pancetta

StefanGourmet

I was intrigued by PutneyFarms’s combination of clams with bacon, so I decided to give this a try even though I had never heard of this in Italy. Of course I did have to Italify things slightly by using pancetta rather than bacon and parsley rather than thyme. The combination of vongole with pancetta worked well: the tastes complement each other. It is nice to serve with crusty homemade bread to soak op the juices, although those turn out quite salty. This dish has a lot of taste for the small amount of work involved. Ingredients For 3-4 servings as an … Continue reading Vongole with Pancetta

Cooking24 Comments

The Proof of the Duck is in the Eating

StefanGourmet

I was intrigued by Conor’s Canard à l’Orange post. He cooks the duck breast on the skin side over low heat for 30-40 minutes to render the fat out of it, while I always do this as quickly as possible over high heat. My theory behind this was that this would lead to less overcooking of the duck meat, but since Conor knows his business I thought I needed to give his method a try. Empirical evidence is better than theoretical speculations. Or in other words, the proof of the pudding duck is in the eating. I started with a … Continue reading The Proof of the Duck is in the Eating

Secondi di Pesce (fish dishes)23 Comments

Scallops and Shrimp with a Vanilla Sauce, Pea Puree and Parsnip Puree

StefanGourmet

Wine is often paired with food, but it can be inspiring to take a bottle of wine as the starting point and try to cook something that will go well with it. Oak barrels can give a hint of vanilla to wines, and so I thought it would be fun to make a vanilla cream sauce to go with a creamy oaked chardonnay. It worked out really well, and the pairing was outstanding. The wine went well with the vanilla creaminess of the sauce as well as with the seafood. The combination of scallops with parsnip and peas is something … Continue reading Scallops and Shrimp with a Vanilla Sauce, Pea Puree and Parsnip Puree

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)12 Comments

Ravioli al Salmone Affumicato (Ravioli with Smoked Salmon)

StefanGourmet

I thought it would be nice to hot-smoke a piece of salmon, make fresh ricotta, make home-made ravioli and serve it with a pink sauce. Turned out I was right, as it was delicious. For an easier version you could buy the smoked salmon (either hot-smoked or cold-smoked will work) and the ricotta, but it will be tastier, more rewarding as well as more fun to do it yourself… Ingredients For 16 ravioli (3 servings as part of a larger menu) 125 grams (1/4 pound) fresh salmon fillet, preferably with skin as that is easier to handle (substitute with store … Continue reading Ravioli al Salmone Affumicato (Ravioli with Smoked Salmon)

Dutch cuisine23 Comments

Home-made Belgian Fries

StefanGourmet

Belgian Fries (known as “Vlaamse friet” or simply “patat” in the Netherlands) are very popular in both Belgium and the Netherlands. The main difference with French fries is that they are thicker. Belgian fries should be freshly cut, fried twice, fluffy on the inside, crispy on the ouside, have a distinct potato taste, and are 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Belgian fries are usually served in a paper cone when you buy them from a street vendor, but at home I just serve them on a plate. For the best taste, real Belgian fries must be fried in beef tallow … Continue reading Home-made Belgian Fries

Asian cuisine11 Comments

Gado-Gado (Indonesian Vegetables with Peanut Sauce)

StefanGourmet

  Gado-Gado is an Indonesian salad with a peanut sauce dressing that can be served as part of a “rijsttafel” (rice table, a spread of different Indonesian dishes to be eaten ‘family style’) or as a meal by itself. This version just has vegetables and eggs, but you could also add fried tofu and tempeh to add more protein and change it into a full meal. Unlike many salads, most of the vegetables in gado-gado are steamed or boiled rather than raw. Key to Gado-Gado is to use a good peanut sauce, which means home-made. The peanut sauce makes it quite … Continue reading Gado-Gado (Indonesian Vegetables with Peanut Sauce)

Asian cuisine16 Comments

Indonesian Peanut Sauce

StefanGourmet

Indonesia used to be a Dutch colony, and Indonesian food still plays a major role in the Dutch food culture. One of the most common Indonesian foods is “saté”, grilled marinated skewers of chicken or pork served with a peanut sauce that is referred to as “satésaus”. This sauce is even served with french fries (“patatje oorlog”, also with mayonnaise) and other snacks. Home-made peanut sauce has a more interesting taste and you can make adapt it to your own preference. Most satésaus is store-bought, but apart from finding the right ingredients it isn’t hard to make by yourself from scratch. … Continue reading Indonesian Peanut Sauce

Dutch cuisine19 Comments

Kale with Mashed Potatoes and Smoked Pork Sausage (Boerenkool met worst)

StefanGourmet

Since I had all this left-over kale from the kale salad with goat cheese I made recently, I decided to make a very traditional Dutch dish: boerenkool met worst. I’ve eaten this lots when I was a child, but never made it myself before since I never really liked it. I discovered that I actually quite liked this version, since it tastes a lot better when you remove the bitter stems from the kale. And perhaps my palate has evolved a bit, too? I’m not sure if the traditional smoked pork sausage (rookworst) is available anywhere outside of this country. … Continue reading Kale with Mashed Potatoes and Smoked Pork Sausage (Boerenkool met worst)

4. Dolci (dessert)12 Comments

Pear Tart

StefanGourmet

I’ve been baking pie crusts from scratch for years, but I was never completely satisfied with the results. Thanks to tips from CampariGirl and Emmy as well as using proper (pastry, low-gluten) flour I am now finally happy. I made this pear tart based on CampariGirl’s recipe for peach tart and the crust was perfect: crunchy and flaky, even under the moist filling. This is a a very simple but lovely dessert: tender fragrant sweet pears on a great crust. Nothing fancy, but who needs fancy if simple tastes this good? Feel free to make this with another type of seasonal fruit like apples … Continue reading Pear Tart

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)8 Comments

Butternut Squash Lasagne (Lasagne alla Zucca)

StefanGourmet

Pumpkins and Butternut Squash are in season again, and M&M inspired me to make butternut squash lasagne. I used her recipe for Roasted Carrot and Butternut Squash Lasagna as a starting point and made my own version. Often I find dishes with pumpkin or butternut squash to be lacking in taste, but this turned out really well. This was also the first time I made fresh wholemeal pasta, since I agree with M&M that it complements the squash nicely. You could also make it with white flour only as the difference in taste was quite subtle. Making lasagne from scratch … Continue reading Butternut Squash Lasagne (Lasagne alla Zucca)

Basics10 Comments

Home-made Beef Gravy

StefanGourmet

When preparing meat and gravy, you always have to decide whether you want most of the taste to be in the meat or in the gravy.  It is very simple really: all the flavor that goes into the gravy, will go out of the meat. You can’t have both, unless you cheat a little by using other meat to flavor your gravy. And that’s exactly what this recipe is for, or for cases when you just want the gravy and don’t need the meat. Of course you can buy gravy in the store, but home-made is so much better and really … Continue reading Home-made Beef Gravy

Secondi di Pesce (fish dishes)8 Comments

Sole Meunière

StefanGourmet

The best way to prepare really fresh sole is to simply fry it in butter. In French this is called Sole Meunière. Of course it is much easier to fry the sole perfectly in clarified butter than in regular butter, so I decided to celebrate my first batch of clarified butter by making sole meunière. This recipe is remarkably simple, but if you have fresh sole it will also be remarkably delicious! Ask your fish monger to make the sole ready for pan-frying. This means removing the head and and cleaning it, as well as removing the skin. Season the … Continue reading Sole Meunière

Basics59 Comments

Clarified Butter

StefanGourmet

So far, I have been too lazy to had never seen the need  make clarified butter. I mostly used a mixture of olive oil and butter when I wanted to brown something. The butter did burn once in a while when I wasn’t being  careful with the heat, but I didn’t really know how to clarify and just didn’t bother. I finally did give it a try, and it turned out to be quite easy and make a huge difference: both easier and better browning! So from now on I will be clarifying butter, and I urge you to not … Continue reading Clarified Butter

Eating1 Comment

Dining in Amsterdam: Bistrot Neuf

StefanGourmet

Bistrot Neuf is a brasserie-style French restaurant with classic French food like oysters, lobster, snails, bouillabaisse, cote de boeuf (prime rib), crème brûlée, and a nice wine list with many wines by the glass. The latter is not surprising as it is next to, and affiliated with, wine store Chabrol. The wines are mostly from France with some from other ‘old world’ wine countries. Wine is always expensive in Dutch restaurants, often marked up to 3 times the retail price or more, and unfortunately Bistrot Neuf is no exception to that rule. Expect to pay at least 50 euros for … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Bistrot Neuf

Cooking10 Comments

Kale Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese, Bacon and Walnuts (Salade de Chèvre Chaud aux Lardons)

StefanGourmet

I remember being surprised when I read about kale salad for the first time on Emmy Cooks, since kale is usually eaten cooked in the Netherlands with mashed potatoes and smoked pork sausage (boerenkool met worst). Fresh kale is also mostly available in winter, not the best season for eating salads. When I was travelling in the USA, I found kale to be used for salads everywhere and even made my own ‘Trail Mix’ version of Emmy’s kale salad a few times. Since it is unseasonally warm at the moment and therefore suitable weather for a salad and I saw a … Continue reading Kale Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese, Bacon and Walnuts (Salade de Chèvre Chaud aux Lardons)

Asian cuisine15 Comments

Noodle Soup with Beef and Cabbage

StefanGourmet

Our trip to France disrupted my usual routine to decide every Friday what to eat for the upcoming week and to do all of the grocery shopping needed for that. So on Tuesday after work there were no groceries in the fridge for cooking, nor a plan. So I went to the supermarket (since specialty stores like butchers were already closed) and had to decide on the spot what I wanted to make with the produce available. I bought some wet-aged south american sirloin and Chinese cabbage to stir-fry and serve with rice. When I came home, I decided to … Continue reading Noodle Soup with Beef and Cabbage

Eating4 Comments

Dining in Paris: l’Astrance***

StefanGourmet

Paris is a 5-hour drive and it is one of our favorite cities in the world, so we like to visit once every one to two years. There is only one surprising thing that is less great about Paris: so far we’ve not been very lucky finding a restaurant there that we really liked. We tried a two-star restaurant that was good but too expensive and a bit boring, and the other restaurants we tried were all mediocre. I had had my eyes on l’Astrance for some years, but so far never managed to secure a reservation. l’Astrance has the reputation … Continue reading Dining in Paris: l’Astrance***

Asian cuisine4 Comments

Japanese Mixed Grill

StefanGourmet

This is one of my favorite dishes from “Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art” that is surprisingly easy to make and absolutely delicious. As often in Japanese and Italian cooking, the key is in the quality of the ingredients. I used very fresh line-caught sea bass from the North Sea. You just wrap the ingredients in foil and cookt them in a hot oven for a bit, that’s all! It may not look like much in the photo, but you better believe me that the taste is outstanding. I adapted the recipe and made it even more simple, since there is … Continue reading Japanese Mixed Grill

Asian cuisine13 Comments

Japanese Simmered Eggplant

StefanGourmet

I made this simmered eggplant dish as a side for the wagyu teriyaki. I adapted the recipe for Spicy Eggplant from “Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art” and the result was delicious. If you serve it in a nice bowl (as you should with any Japanese food), the result will be impressive even though it’s quite easy to make (if you had already made the dashi anyway, that is).  I used a western eggplant rather than small Japanese eggplants (which are not available around here), and I replaced the dried red peppers with shichimi togarashi because that is what I had on … Continue reading Japanese Simmered Eggplant

Asian cuisine12 Comments

Wagyu Flank Steak Sous-vide Teriyaki

StefanGourmet

Recently I tried wagyu flank steak sous-vide for the first time, and liked the results with 24 hours at 56C/133F, but decided that I wanted to try 48 hours at 55C/131F as well since I was expecting that would be even better. Turns out my expectation was correct! This time I made it teriyaki style and it was outstanding. Please note that you could use the same method to prepare regular steak teriyaki, the only difference is that the steak would only need 4 hours or so at 55C/131F instead of 48. In this recipe, the teriyaki sauce is not … Continue reading Wagyu Flank Steak Sous-vide Teriyaki

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)23 Comments

Pappardelle ai Funghi Porcini (Pasta with Fresh Porcini Mushrooms)

StefanGourmet

Right now porcini mushrooms (also known as cepes in Frech or eekhoorntjesbrood in Dutch) are abundant in Dutch forests. Since good quality fresh porcini mushrooms are usually next to impossible to find, I jumped at the chance to get some to make pappardelle ai funghi porcini. Fresh porcini mushrooms should be firm and the spores (underneath the cap) should be white as shown in the photo. Stay away from porcini that are soft or have yellow spores, since they will become mushy and smell badly when you sauté them. Even in Italy I noticed that such bad porcini mushrooms are … Continue reading Pappardelle ai Funghi Porcini (Pasta with Fresh Porcini Mushrooms)

Asian cuisine11 Comments

M&M’s Ginger Glazed Salmon

StefanGourmet

Fellow food blogger Meatballs & Milkshakes is a good source for reliable recipes. And so I was intrigued a while ago when I saw a recipe for Ginger Glazed Salmon that she called her favorite salmon recipe, and is basically salmon teriyaki with the addition of ginger and sake substituted by red (?!) wine. But since I trust M&M I decided to give it a try anyway and I was glad I did, because it was great! Not only is the sauce very good, also the way of cooking the salmon medium rare in a low oven is given sous-vide … Continue reading M&M’s Ginger Glazed Salmon

4. Dolci (dessert)9 Comments

Home-made Ginger & Honey Ice Cream

StefanGourmet

  This recipe comes from the booklet that came with the ice cream maker. It’s so original and good that I keep making it, with as the only tweak that I add some fresh ginger juice. Ginger in sweet syrup (Dutch: stemgember) and sweet ginger syrup (Dutch: gembersiroop) are available in nearly every supermarket in the Netherlands, but I am not sure if it is as easily available elsewhere. Ingredients   35 grams (1 1/4 oz) sweet ginger, chopped 1 1/2 Tbsp ginger syrup 1 Tbsp honey 70 grams (2 1/2 oz) sugar 250 ml (1 cup) whipping cream 250 … Continue reading Home-made Ginger & Honey Ice Cream