Double-baked goat cheese Souffle
This is one of our go-to recipes for a light lunch of vegetarian main course. The beauty is that it can be made ahead of time and the last baking done just before serving. It's light and full of flavour.
For 4-6 ramekin moulds
Ingredients
40g butter
40g flour
250ml warmed milk (1 cup)
250g soft goat cheese, crumbled
3 eggs, separated
250ml cream (1 cup)
6 Tbsp grated firm goat cheese
Method
Melt the butter, then stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in the warmed milk. Bring to the boil, still whisking. Remove from the heat and beat in the soft goat cheese. Beat in the egg yolks and seasoning to taste, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
Spoon into 4-6 well-buttered soufflé dishes and place in a baking pan of hot water. Bake at 220°C for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in their moulds. To bake a second time, lift the cooled soufflés out of their dishes into a buttered baking dish. Pour over the cream and generously sprinkle with the grated goats cheese. Bake at 230°C for 10 minutes or until puffed and golden.
We like to serve our souffles with a roasted beetroot. Here's the recipe:
Roasted beetroot salad
Ingredients
2kg mixed beetroot, washed
olive oil
garlic cloves, skin on
sprigs of rosemary and thyme
coarse sea salt and black pepper
Method
Line a roasting tray with a double layer of aluminium foil, making show the there is an overhang on the sides. Lay the beetroot in. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Scatter over the garlic cloves and herbs.
Gather the ends of the foil together making a parcel to enclose the beetroot. Ensure that it’s not too tight as the beetroot won’t cook.
Place in a 220°C oven for at least and hour, depending on the size of the beetroot, until tender. Allow to cool slightly. Peel the beetroot and slice into a bowl. Season with some more salt and pepper, a good quality olive oil and an aged balsamic vinegar. Add some chopped parsley or tarragon to finish. Serve with the goats cheese soufflé.
Fresh Herbs and Spices and the Noordemarkt
Saturday's are one of our favourite days of the week. After a slow start, there is nothing better than to wonder the small streets of the Jordaan and head over to the bustling Noordemarkt.
We've spoken before about the array of ingredients on offer. But, with the cold wintery weather, we are going to get some fresh herbs to make a big batch of soul-warming chicken soup and the best harissa you will ever taste!
There are beautiful bundels of soup herbs that you can buy to add to your pan of steaming goodness. They also make the most amazing table decorations if you're hosting a dinner. Another thing we're also going to be getting, which you don't see too often and will be the prefect addition to our soup is lovage (maggi in Dutch). It comes in herb and root form and is similar in flavour to celery. We'll put some of the leaves and the peeled root into the soup, but the root is also perfect grated into salads.
So if you're going to do groceries today, maybe add a few of these items to your list. Wishing you all a delicious weekend. Happy eating!
Grape Chutney
We brought the recipe for this delicious chutney back from our trip to South Africa last year. It makes the perfect accompaniment to a cheese board. In our quest not to waste anything, we often use up leftover grapes in this recipe.
Ingredients
5 Granny Smith apples
1 onion
100ml balsamic vinegar
150ml brandy
1,1 kg white or red grapes (preferably seedless)
175g brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
salt, to taste
Method
Peel and core the apples and finely chop the onion. Pick the grapes from the stalks and wash under cold water.
Place the apples, onions, balsamic vinegar and brandy together in a heavy-based pan. Place over medium heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook until the fruits break down and the chutney has become thick and pulpy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Spoon into sterile jars, allow to cool and store in a dark cupboard or in the refrigerator.
Bilder & de Clercq's 2016 Christmas Menu
Here is the easy and totally delicious Christmas menu we designed for Bilder & de Clercq. If you want a stress-free Christmas, order all your ingredients online now at bilderdeclercq.nl. Treat your family and friends to an unforgettable dinner.
Baby Beetroot
Autumn is the season for root vegetables and one of our favourites is beetroot. If you are able to find them, spend that little extra and treat yourself to a bunch or two. They are a bit of a pain to clean. Be sure to rinse them well to remove all the sand. Trim off the leaves, leaving a little bit of the stalk. If the leaves are fresh and in good condition, you can use them too. Just walk briefly until wilted and they make a great side dish.
Place the beetroot on an oven tray lined with foil. Lay the beetroot on top, add some fresh thyme, whole unpeeled garlic cloves, a good drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Wrap the ends of the foil tightly together and place in a 210 C oven for about 1-1,5 hours until tender. Allow to cool slightly and then peel of the skin with the help of a small knife. Serve as is or with a balsamic and olive oil dressing. The uses for beetroot are seemingly endless.
Roasted Pumpkin and Harissa Hummus
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
5-6 tbsp tahini paste
1-2 tbsp harissa (we buy ours fresh from the Noordermarkt)
2 x 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
olive oil and smoked paprika, to finish
crisp breads, crackers and fresh vegetables, to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Place the butternut and garlic cloves on an oven tray. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss the ingredients well together and roast for about 45 minutes or until the butternut is really tender. Leave to cool.
Place the butternut into a Magimix (food processor) with any juices from the tin. Add the garlic cloves, squeezed out of their skins. Add the remaining ingredients, season with salt and blend to a paste. Add a little extra olive oil if needed.
Scrape the hummus into a bowl. Drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve with crostini, crisp breads, crackers and an assortiment of crudités (raw vegetables).
We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours
Filled Focaccia
We're all thinking of ways to enjoy summer eating, whether that be in our outdoors. Here is a great recipe/idea for summer eating. You can practice your bread making skills and use your favourite vegetables or whatever is season.
Make a batch of focaccia.
Use an array of your favourite vegetables. We like a combination of peppers, courgettes, aubergine and red onion. Cut each into bite-sized pieces. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill in a grill pan until the vegetables have bar marks and are tender and cooked through. You can also finish them off in the oven to get them more tender.
Once they and the bread have cooled down, slice the bread in half. Spread with pesto (either homemade or shop bought). Top with the grilled vegetables and then tear some buffalo mozzarella over. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Dot a few fresh basil leaves over and a handful of rocket leaves. Close the bread to form a giant sandwich. Cut into pieces and serve.
Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 28 - 2016
As the chefs of Bilder & de Clercq, we develop new recipes for them every week. We'll keep you updated with the week's newest recipes. This weeks recipes are:
Ice Tea
Quench your thirst on warm summer days with this easy and delicious ice tea recipe.
Ingredients
4 organic Rooibos tea bags
1,2 liters boiling water
about 3 Tbsp castor sugar
slices of lemon or orange, mint leaves and ice cubes, to serve
Also delicious mixed with a little mango, pineapple or orange juice.
Method
Allow the tea to infuse in the water for about 5-10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and stir in the sugar until dissolved. The amount of sugar you add is up to you. You can either add more or less or leave it out completely.
Allow the tea to cool and refrigerate until chilled.
To serve, fill long glasses with ice, lemon slices and mint leaves. Pour over the chilled tea and enjoy.
Babylonstoren
Earlier this year, to celebrate 10 years of working together, we travelled to Mischa's home town of Cape Town in South Africa.
We were greeted by warm summer sunshine, the most amazing food and gorgeous wines. For some time now, we had heard about the beautiful wine estate of Babylonstoren, situated between Franschoek and Stellenbosch. Driving up on the long dirt road on a scorching hot Sunday afternoon, with vineyards on either side and the mountains ahead of us, we were certainly in for a treat.
The manicured and sculpted gardens, also referred to as the Versaille of Africa, welcomed us. The fertile land produces the most amazing, ripe and varied ingredients which are used in their two restaurants, The Greenhouse, which offers a more laid back and relaxed atmosphere and their fine-dining restaurant Babel.
Hours can be spent wandering through the gardens and surroundings. If you have more time, and the budget, you can also stay in the Farm Hotel, which is tailored to be your home away from home. There's also a spa where you can be pampered and rejuvenated.
The shop sells the most beautiful local produced - think artisan breads baked right on the premises, meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables. Not to mention their own label wines, books and other beautiful items.
The only way to best appreciate this magnificent part of the world is not by reading the written word, but by experiencing it trough photos and images, or better yet, by going and visiting it for yourself.
For more information, visit Babylonstoren.