Tomato, Basil and Parmesan Quiche

Ingredients
Pastry
280 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
140 g cold butter, cut into pieces
a pinch of salt

Filling
300 g cherry tomatoes
10 ml fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
drizzle olive oil
50 g parmesan, grated
2 eggs
250 ml cream
small bunch basil leaves, shredded, plus a few small ones left whole for scattering

Method
Heat the oven to 120 C. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and lay on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Sprinkle with thyme leaves, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and bake for 1 hour until slightly dried and the flavour concentrated.

To make the pastry, tip the flour, a pinch of salt and butter into a bowl, then rub together with your fingertips until completely mixed and crumbly. Add 8 tablespoons cold water, then bring everything together with your hands until just combined. Roll into a ball and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a round about 5cm larger than a 25cm tin. Use your rolling pin to lift it up, then drape over the tart case so there is an overhang of pastry on the sides. Using a small ball of pastry scraps, push the pastry into the corners of the tin. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 180 C.

Lightly prick the base of the tart with a fork, line the tart case with a large circle of greaseproof paper or foil, then fill with dried beans or rice. Blind-bake the tart for 20 minutes, remove the paper and beans, then continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the tart case from the oven.

While the tart is cooking, beat the eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add the cream, then stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. When the case is ready, sprinkle half the cheese over the base, scatter over the tomatoes, pour over the cream mix, then finally scatter over the rest of the cheese. Bake for 20-25 mins until set and golden brown. Leave to cool in the case, trim the edges of the pastry, then remove from the tin. Scatter over the remaining basil and serve in slices with a green salad.

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


Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 10 - 2015

As you may know by now, we are the chefs behind Amsterdam hotspot, Bilder & de Clercq. Every week we develop 3 new recipes for the stores and we'll be keeping you updated with the week's newest recipes. This weeks new recipes are:

Mushroom RisottoGuinea Fowl with PumpkinB&DC's Reuben Sandwich


Bagels with Pastrami and Sauerkraut

Bagels are continually gaining popularity in Holland. They should be dense and chewy, as bagels are first boiled and then baked. Combined with a pastrami (which is beef that has been brined, spiced, smoked and steamed) and a few other delicious things, you're on to an absolute winner.

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 bagels
100 g sliced pastrami
3 pickled gherkins
about 50 g of sauerkraut
3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise mixed together with piccalilli (according to your taste)

Method
Slice the bagels in half. Spread the tops and bottoms with the piccalilli mayonnaise.

Lay the sauerkraut on the bottom half of the bagel. Top with the sliced pastrami.

Slice the gherkins lengthways and place on top of the pastrami. Replace the caps of the bagels and serve.

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


Prawns with Sumac and Grilled Fennel - Persiana

Persiana has taken the culinary world by storm. Sabrina Ghayour grew up in an Iranian family and was brought up on Persian food. Through hosting supper clubs, at which she served her style of Middle Eastern cuisine, her first cookbook was born.

We absolutely adore this type of food. It's about bringing people together over large plates, helping themselves and interacting with others. The recipes make use of easily available ingredients but combining them in amway to achieve authentic flavours.

We cooked her recipe for Prawns with Sumac, Coriander, Lemon and Garlic. An absolute winner of a dish. We made a couple of adjustments - you'll find our feedback under the original recipe.

Prawns with Sumac, Coriander, Lemon and Garlic

Serves 4

Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil
grated rind of 2 lemons and juice of 1/2
2 tablespoons sumac
5 large garlic cloves, bashed, peeled and thinly sliced
1 x 20 g packet coriander, stalks and leaves finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
800 g large raw peeled tiger prawns

Method
Select a wide, shallow vessel in which to make your marinade. Put in the olive oil, then add the lemon rind, sumac, garlic and coriander. Season well with a generous amount of sea salt and black pepper, add lemon juice and mix the ingredients together well.

Place the prawns in the marinade and mix well to ensure they are evenly coated, then cover the dish with clingfilm and marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator if you can. Of course you can cook the prawns immediately, but a little marinating time will allow the flavours to permeate the prawns. As the marinade contains acid (lemon juice), I would not recommend marinating the prawns for longer than a few hours, as it may partially cook them (although they will be perfectly safe to eat).

Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, shake off the excess marinade from each prawn and place it straight into the frying pan. Cook the prawns for 2-3 minutes on each side until they turn pink and serve immediately.

Chefs notes: we adjusted the recipe a little to suit our tastes. We used 3 instead of 5 cloves of garlic, chopping them finely. We brought the amount of sumac back to a heaped teaspoon instead of 2 tablespoons and we served our prawns with grilled fennel, so that we had a vegetables accompaniment. 

Publisher: Good Cook Publishing

Author: Sabrina Ghayour

Price: 24,95 euro


Gebroeders de Wolf

How do you turn a problem into a solution? Ask Gebroeders de Wolf.

There is an overflow of wild geese in Holland, especially around Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Their size and numbers pose a threat to departing and arriving aircraft. Once way to deal with the problem is  a mass cull, but we all need solutions that have benefits as well.

Martijn van de Reep en Tom Zinger began their charcuterie company in 2014. They hunt wild geese and turn this delicious and very underrated meat into true delicacies.

We came across their stall at the Indie Brands market in The Foodhallen. Their range consists of dried and smoked sausages, smoked goose breast, terrine, pate and the one that we love best, the rillettes, in which goose meat is slowly cooked in goose fat, picked and potted - so delicious and indulgent. Flavourwise, it's comparable to duck with a slight gamey flavour.

For more information or to see when they'll next be at a market near you, visit their Facebook page.


Sous Vide Cooking

Grant Sous Vide machines recently joined us as a prestigious partner. Founded in 1952 and based near Cambridge, UK, Grant Sous Vide water baths and modular cookers are used all over the globe by some of the world’s most prestigious catering establishments and venues. Their machines are used by some of the worlds most well known chefs including Marcus Wareing, Ashley Palmer-Watts and Angela Hartnett, MBE.

As we are in the process of creating our new catering and dinner menus for Spring, we thought that our new sous vide machine would offer us the inspiration needed.

But what is sous vide cooking? Sous vide is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal cooking times, at an accurately regulated temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 55 °C  to 60 °C for meats and higher for vegetables. The intention is to cook the item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside and retain moisture.

We are still in the testing fase, but the results are promising. Keep an eye on the site, we'll be publishing some of our sous vide recipes soon.


Root Vegetable Soup

A deliciously healthy soup to keep you warm during these cold days. This soup also suitable as part of a detox diet.

Serves 2

Ingredients
50 g red lentils
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, bruised
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch chilli powder
salt and pepper
750ml - 1 litre chicken or vegetables stock
5 cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
4 tablespoons olive oil
freshly chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons coconut milk to garnish*

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the sweet potato, carrots, parsnip, onion, garlic, chilli to taste, turmeric and cumin on an oven tray. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Roast for 30-40 minutes in the oven or until the vegetables are soft. In the meantime, heat a pot with 1 tablespoon olive oil and gently fry the ginger off for about 1-2 minutes. Add the stock and lentils and simmer gently until the lentils are cooked, about 15-20 minutes.

Once the vegetables are cooked, add them to the stock and mix well. Blend until smooth using a stick blender or in a blender. Return to the pot, reheat and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If the soup is too thick, add a little extra water or stock to thin it down.

Serve in bowls garnished with chopped parsley and coconut milk.

*To increase the health factor, sprinkle the soup with a few chopped peanuts and chia seeds before serving.

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 

 


My Little Patisserie

Authentic French delicacies in Amsterdam? Yes it's true!

My Little Patisserie is a Parisian style bakery in the heart of De Pijp district in Amsterdam, specializing in classic French Pastries. Think of Choux buns, Eclairs and Mille-Feuilles.

All pastries are made fresh every morning by the French owner in her boutique using only the best ingredients.

You can also sit down in the shop and enjoy a coffee with your pastry.

For more information, please visit My Little Patisserie.


Potato Rosti with Poached Egg, Smoked Salmon and Hollandaise

This is our prefect recipe to make for that someone special in your life. We advise giving it a practice beforehand, so that you can execute all the elements perfectly.

Serves 2

Ingredients
Hollandaise Sauce
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
a little salt and pepper
200 - 250 g butter, chopped

Rosti
3 nicola potatoes
salt
pepper
olive oil
30 g butter

2 eggs
splash of white wine vinegar
1 pack smoked salmon
small bunch fresh chives, finely chopped

Method
Start by making the Hollandaise. Place the egg yolks in a Bain Marie pan or a small bowl. Beat well. Add the water, lemon juice and salt and beat together over hot water (au Bain Marie) until it thickens. Gradually beat in the butter, a couple small pieces at a time. Make sure to soften the butter slightly in your fingers before adding. Continue until all the butter is used and the mixture becomes thicker. If you feel the bowl is becoming too hot, remove from the heat for a short time to cool it down. It must be hot enough to cook the eggs and emulsify the butter, but not too hot so that the eggs scramble!

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Check the balance of flavour and add more lemon if desired. Keep warm over the hot water, but keep an eye on it. It might have to be stirred from time to time. If it gets too thick before serving, add a splash of cold water to thin it down.

Now for the rosti's. Peel the potatoes and coarsely grate them. Place the grated potatoes in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the liquid. Place the potato in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a small frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place the grated potato in the pan, pressing it down. Fry on a medium heat until golden brown. When the edges of the rosti begin to colour, add half the butter around the edges of the pan. Carefully flip the rosti over and continue frying until the other side is golden. Repeat with the remaining potato and keep both rosti's warm in the oven (100° C).

Bring a small pot of water to the boil. Add a splash of white wine vinegar and turn the heat down, so that the water gently simmers. Break the eggs into 2 cups. Use a whisk to stir the water vigorously, forming a 'whirlwind'. Carefully add the eggs to the pot so that the yolks become enveloped in the egg white. Cook the eggs for 2- 2 1/2 minutes. The yolks should still be soft.

To serve, place a rosti on each serving plate. Drape the salmon on top of each rosti. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain on a tea towel. Sprinkle each egg with a touch of salt and pepper. Lay the eggs on the salmon, spoon over the Hollandaise sauce and finish with the chopped chives.

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 

 


United Pancakes

United Pancakes brings the classic and much loved Dutch pancake into the 21st century. They've been open for 3 months and are redefining the way we eat pancakes. They are making pancakes accessible to everyone.

United Pancakes was born out of the fact that there were no artisan pancake restaurants. They noticed a gap in the market and so this brand was born.

All their products are organic and everything is homemade. Flour comes from their own mill and is available to purchase in the their little shop together with homemade apple and pear syrups, old fashioned Dutch candy and their own branded aprons, t-shirts a baby ware.

The restaurant has a great intimate atmosphere with rough bare brick walls and lots of old wood. It's also an ideal place for kids and the staff are friendly and very attentive.

A new addition are pancakes to go, which is great if you need your pancake fix but don't have the time. It's cooked fresh to order then filled with the topping/flavouring of your choice to enjoyed on the go. We took ours to go as we didn't have much time and it was without doubt one of the most delicious pancakes we've had in a while. We will be back!

For more information, please visit United Pancakes.