Halibut with Seaweed Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 halibut fillets, about 150-175 g each
1 shallot
200 ml white wine, plus a little extra for the fish
60 g butter, at room temperature
small bunch basil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 bag dried mixed seaweed (about 50 g in weight)
30 g pickled ginger, finely chopped
mixed cresses, to garnish
olive oil, for greasing
salt
pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180° C. Finely chop the shallot and add it to a small pot with 200 ml white wine. Bring to the boil and cook until the liquid as reduced down to 1 tablespoon. Allow the shallot and wine to cool down. Soften the butter in a bowl. Finely slice the basil into thin strips (chiffonade), add it to the butter along with the shallot and white wine mixture, salt and pepper.
Mix the ingredients well. Spoon the butter on to a piece of cling wrap, shape into a cylinder and refrigerate until the butter has firmed up.
Place the seaweed in a bowl and add enough hot water from a recently boiled kettle so that the seaweed is completely covered. Stand for 15 minutes until the seaweed has softened. Drain off and set aside. Make the dressing for the seaweed salad; finely chop the pickled ginger. Add to a small bowl with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.
Grease a roasting tray with a few drops of olive oil. Lightly season the brill fillets with salt and pepper. Place in the tray, pour 50 ml white wine around the fish, cover with aluminium foil and place in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the fish is just cooked.
Dress the seaweed salad with the dressing and divide between 4 plates. Set the fish on top of the salad and sprinkle over the cresses.
Thinly slice the butter. Lay a slice on each piece of fish and serve straight away.
Tip: If there is any butter over, this can be stored in the freezer for use again.
To give the dish extra crunch, you can top the fish with rice vermicelli noodles which have been deep-fried until they have puffed up and become crispy.
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
Fromagerie Kef
Fromagerie Kef is one of our favourite cheese shops in Amsterdam. As you walk in, you are immediately hit with an intoxicating aroma of delicious cheeses.
The shop, which has been in existence for 62 years, stocks an array of local and international cheeses from small producers. The fridges and cheese cellar are always brimming with these edible gems. The cheese is often ripened in the shop, ensuring that when you purchase it, it will be at it's best for eating and enjoying.
We love that when you purchase your cheese, they are loving wrapped, including the name of the cheese. When you get home, it's like unwrapping little presents of joy. The shop also stocks bread from bakery Niemeijer, chutneys, wines and charcuterie to complete your cheese board.
The staff are always on hand to give you advice if you need it.
On Sunday's you can order small cheese platters to enjoy in the store with a glass of wine.
Fromagerie Kef is our preferred supplier for our caterings and dinners.
For more information please visit Fromagerie Kef.
Homemade Pasta with Shellfish
This is so indulgent and special that we've decided to give a large recipe as it should be enjoyed with special people.
Serves 8
Ingredients
Pasta
500g pasta flour, typo ‘00’
5 eggs
40ml olive oil
pinch of salt
Shellfish
2 x 450g lobsters, cooked for 7 minutes
500g vongole or clams
8 scallops or other shellfish available
8 razor clams
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
6 fresh basil leaves, finely shredded
Sellfish sauce
45ml olive oil
30g butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 stick celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
30g flour
1 tablespoon tomato puree
the pounded shells form the lobster
60ml brandy
300ml chicken or fish stock (or a shellfish stock if you have)
salt and pepper
a little cream, to finish
Method
Put the flour, along with the salt in a food processor. Add the olive oil and eggs and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Remove from the machine and knead to a dough. Allow to rest under an up-turned bowl for about 30 minutes. Roll through a pasta machine, until lovely and thin and cut into tagliatelle. Leave to air-dry on a lightly floured surface.
Prepare the lobster by removing the meat from the tail and claws and finely slice, ready to top the final dish. Set away in the fridge to keep cool. Save the shells for the sauce.
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes until soft. Stir in the tomato puree and allow to fry for a couple minutes. Then add the flour and pounded lobster shells and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Flambé with the brandy. Once the flame has subsided, add the stock and allow to reduce to a coating consistency. Pass through a fine sieve and season to taste. Reheat the sauce gently, adding a little cream.
Grill the razor clams for a couple of minutes. Toss with olive oil. Steam the clams open in white wine for about 3 minutes. The juices can be strained into the shellfish sauce for added flavour.
Season the scallops with salt and pepper and pan-fry in a hot non-stick pan with a little olive oil for 1½ minutes per side until beautifully coloured and still slightly rare in the middle.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the tagliatelle. Once the it rises to the surface, cook for 1 more minute then drain and mix with the shellfish sauce.
Serve the pasta in bowls, topped with some lobster meat, a couple of clams, a razor clam and a seared scallop. Sprinkle with the parsley and basil and serve immediately.
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
Marie-Stella-Maris Archives
In 2010 the United Nations declared access to clean drinking water and sanitation to be a basic human right (Resolution 64/292).
Resolution 64/292 inspired the creation of MARIE-STELLA-MARIS in 2011. MARIE-STELLA-MARIS strongly believes in the idea of taking care of one another and spreading creativity, personality and style to realize our social objectives.
Through sharing our personal interests and by offering a broad range of water and care products they aim to change the life of others. For each product purchased, MARIE-STELLA-MARIS donates a fixed amount towards clean drinking water projects worldwide.
The MARIE-STELLA-MARIS Archives store in Amsterdam is a must visit.
For more information please visit MARIE-STELLA-MARIS
Babas au Rhum
Makes about 16
Ingredients
100g raisins
1¼ cups rum
100g butter, softened to room temperature
25g fresh yeast or 10g dried yeast
250g flour, sifted
25g sugar
generous pinch of salt
4 eggs
50g melted butter, for greasing
Syrup
1 liter water
500g sugar
Method
Soak the raisins in the rum.
Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons warm water. Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the sugar and salt, 2 eggs and the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is elastic, then add the other egg. Work this in and then add the final egg and work it in. Finally add the softened butter and the drained raisins.
Brush 16 dariole moulds with the melted butter. Divide the dough into 16 small pieces and put a piece into each mould. Leave in a warm place until the dough has risen to fill the moulds. Preheat the oven to 200°C and then bake them for 15-20 minutes. Turn the babas out immediately onto a rack and allow to cool completely.
Prepare the syrup by boiling together the water and sugar. Add the remaining rum. Dip each baba into the boiling syrup and leave submerged until no more air bubbles are released. Drain and place on a cake rack resting over a dish. As the rum syrup collects in this dish, repeatedly spoon it over the babas to keep them very moist.
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
Pepin Condé Cabernet Sauvignon - Red Wine
Origin:
Stark-Condé Wines is a family business that produces high-quality artisan wines in Stellenbosch, South Africa. American born and raised José Condé earned his stripes working in the art and design world for 15 years. In 1997, he moved with his wife and two daughters to South Africa, where, together with his father-in-law Hans Schroder (owner of Neil Elis Wines), founded in Stark-Condé Wines in 1998. The name of the company is a combination of the surnames of co-owner and winemaker José Condé and of his wife. Pepin Condé is a trademark of Stark-Condé. The name is derived from the local wine maker's childhood pet name: (José) Pepin Condé...
The brand stands for high-quality wines made from specific vineyards outside the usual wine region of the Stark-Condé wines. These specially selected vineyards all produce top quality grapes with their own character. For this wine, mainly cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes from a well known vineyard on the Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch are used, supplemented with grapes from Helderberg and Jonkershoek Valley. The average height of the vineyards is 250 m and the average age of the vines is around 15 years.
Production:
This wine is classicly vinified. The destalked and crushed grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks and pumped 3 times daily so that the juices come into contact with oxygen. After the alcoholic fermentation, the grape must is compressed and transferred back into the stainless steel tanks where it undergoes the malolactic fermentation. Part of the wine fermentation takes place in oak barrels. The assembled wine is matured for 12 months partly in French and partly in American oak barrels. Before bottling, the wine is lightly filtered.
Taste impression:
Typical classic 'Stellenbosch' Cabernet wine, intensely aromatic, plenty of ripe dark fruit, powerful, fleshy and full, with prominent tannins and a very pleasant 'spicy touch'. Serve at: 15-17 ° C. Ageing potential: a few years after the harvest at best.
Culinary advice:
Ideal accompaniment to meat dishes with a powerful, rich flavour: beef, game, lamb, grilled meat, from the braai or barbecue, roasted in the oven or the rotissoire, or in stews... Also delicious with ripe, hard farmhouse cheeses.
Buy or taste this wine? For more information visit Wijnkoperij De Gouden Ton
Every two weeks we will be giving away a bottle of the featured wine. To stand a chance of enjoying a bottle, fill out the contact form including the name of the wine and we will let you know if you have been selected.
De Foodhallen
De Foodhallen, Amsterdam's brand new and first permanent indoor market, is open. With it's bustling and vibey atmosphere, this is definitely the place to be seen.
Housed in an old tram depot in Amsterdam West, the Hallen and Foodhallen have been stunningly renovated and preserved.
We visited on a Saturday morning and had the privilege of first visiting the Local Goods Market. We tasted and we talked. We love the passion and enthusiasm these small local producers have for their products and we discovered some really fantastic new things. We'll be giving the ones really liked more attention in coming columns.
De Foodhallen itself is a melting pot of deliciousness; a culinary journey round the world. There is something on offer for everyone - hotdogs, hamburgers, Vietnamese, Turkish, Spanish and of course, home-grown Dutch.
The idea is a simple one. Choose what you want to eat from one of the many Artisan kitchens, grab a drink and a table in the middle of the hall and enjoy. We didn't get a chance to taste everything, so we will be going back to try some more and write about them in more detail.
We do hope, however, that they add a permanent market like one sees in Southern Europe selling vegetables, meats. etc. That would really be the icing on the cake.
For more information please visit Foodhallen
Greek yoghurt with Dried Figs in Port
This is the one of the easiest and most delicious desserts around. You can rustle it up in no time at all. Serve it in a large bowl in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.
Ingredients
large tub Greek yoghurt
dried figs
port
honey
toasted walnuts, chopped (optional)
Method
If you have 10 minutes free, take a bunch of dried figs, remove the hard stalks and and place them in a jar. Cover them in port (you don't need to use the most expensive). You can add some spices to flavour if your wish, fennel seeds, star anise or cinnamon sticks. Close the lid and leave to stand. In fact the longer you keep them, the better they become.
Place the figs with the port in a saucepan, bring to a boil and allow to reduce gently until the figs have softened and the port has become syrupy and sticky and is coating the figs. Allow to cool.*
Pour the yoghurt into a serving bowl. Drizzle with honey, top with the sticky port figs and if you wish, scatter with chopped walnuts.
* The figs are perfect to use this way in salads or served with a beautiful blue cheese.
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
Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken
Serves 2
Ingredients
Salad
2 chicken breasts
1 ciabatta roll
3 baby gem lettuces
1 tin anchovies, use as many as you like in the salad
50-75 g Parmesan, grated
olive oil
Dressing
150 ml sunflower oil
25 ml olive oil
10 ml fresh lemon juice
2 ml salt
5 ml sugar
few drops tobasco sauce
25-50 ml red wine or rice vinegar
2 ml Dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 egg yolks
salt freshly ground black pepper
Method
Begin with the dressing. Put all ingredients, except oils in a blender and mix. Slowly add the oils until emulsified. If too thick, thin with a little water.
Preheat the oven to 180° C. Cut the ciabatta into 3 cm cubes and place in a roasting tray. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt. Mix the ingredients together and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and crunchy.
Slice the chicken breasts lengthways in half. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Slice off the bottom end of the baby gem and discard. Separate the leaves, rinse them gently under cold running water and dry off in a clean tea towel or in a salad spinner.
Place a grill pan over a high heat. Grill the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden and cooked through.
Using a large bowl, mix together the salad leaves, dressing, anchovies, croutons and ¾ of the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the salad between 2 plates. Lay 2 chicken breast halves on each salad and finish by scattering with the remaining Parmesan.
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
Mendo Bookshop
MENDO is a candy store for book aficionados. Browse the latest and greatest on fashion, photography, architecture, interior, traveling, food and graphic design.
Led by its founders, Roy Rietstap, Joeri Worm and Joost Albronda, MENDO has become the home-base for inspirational and creative books on fashion, photography, architecture, interior and graphic design. Since its inception in 2002 MENDO evolved into the book candy store of Amsterdam. Both the physical and online stores are frequented by book lovers around the globe. MENDO derives its existence to three strong pillars, being a well-balanced selection of creative books, a personal approach and a stunning environment.
The interior of the store was designed by Concrete Architectural Associates. The walls are not made of bricks, but of thousands of black MENDO books. The intimacy of the scenery, combined with the stunning publications by some of the best publishers in the world, makes MENDO without a doubt one of the most unique and inspiring stores in the Netherlands.
MENDO is located in the Berenstraat, one of the 9 Streets in the heart of Amsterdam. Visit them to find unique culinary books. They also have stores at citizenM in London and New York City.
For more information please visit Mendo.