Cape Seed Bread

This is a typical South African bread recipe. It's healthy and delicious.

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
1 cup bran
4 cups wholewheat flour
15ml sunflower oil
15 ml honey or brown sugar
15ml salt
100ml each sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and poppy seeds
3 cups lukewarm water
30g fresh yeast

Method
Mix the bran, flour, honey or sugar, salt and seeds together in a bowl.

Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 250ml lukewarm water, add to the fresh yeast and leave in a warn place until frothy. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the yeast mixture.

Now, using a wooden spoon, add as much of the remaining water as the flour will absorb. (The consistency should be that of a fruit cake).

Spoon into a well-greased 750g loaf pan. Cover and set aside to prove for about one hour until the mixture has risen to fill the pan.

Bake at 200º C for approximately 60 minutes until the bread is cooked through.

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

 

 


Wedding Cupcakes for Bernadette's son

A few weeks ago, on a gorgeous Indian summer's day, Bernadette's son walked down the isle with his beautiful bride.

We were asked if we would make cupcakes to serve to guests after the ceremony. As their colour scheme included lime green, we decided on using with that as our base.

After working on flavours and designs with them, we finally decided to start with green cupcake cases. These were filled with a light and airy lemon sponge, filled with homemade raspberry jam and topped with vanilla meringue buttercream, a raspberry and fresh mint.

This was also the perfect opportunity to put our new Magimix Patissier to good use. This machine is ideal for making cake batters, pastry, bread dough and meringues.

With it's powerful and quiet motor, it was a breeze preparing the sponge. We were loved the results and can't wait see what else this mixer can do.

During the ceremony, Mischa finished off the cupcakes and presented them on a special stand in the church gardens. The cupcakes went down a treat, rounding off what was a special and glorious day.

If you would like to order cupcakes from the Amsterdam Flavours Chefs for a special occasion, please contact us here.


Pumpkin Salad

This recipe is inspired by one of our favourite chefs of the moment, Yotam Ottolenghi.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 medium butternut, halved, seeds removed and each half cut into thirds (peel the skin off if you like, but we tend not to)
3 red onions, cut into wedges
50 ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle over the salad
4 Tablespoons white tahini (available from health food shops)
lemon juice, to taste
1 garlic cloves, crushed
50 g pine nuts
2 Tablespoons za'atar (a Middle Eastern spice mix of dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds)
small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
50 g rocket leaves
50 g baby spinach

Method
Preheat the oven to 220C.

Place the butternut and onion on an oven tray, add 40 ml olive oil, salt, pepper and the za'atar. Spread out evenly and roast for about 30-40 minutes until the vegetables have coloured and are cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions that they don't burn. Set aside to cool.

Make the dressing by mixing the tahini with lemon juice to taste, 2-3 tablespoons water, garlic and salt. Whisk until the sauce is the consistency of cream.

Heat a frying pan with the remaining 10 ml olive oil over medium heat and fry the pine nuts until golden. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

To serve, place the roasted pumpkin and onions on a serving dish. Drizzle over the tahini dressing and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley. Top with the rocket and spinach leaves, drizzle with olive oil 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


Duck Confit

Ingredients
4 duck legs
100 g coarse sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 head garlic, separated into cloves
8 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves, crumbled
700g duck or goose fat

Method
Rub the duck legs with the coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, one crushed garlic clove, four sprigs of thyme and the bay leaves. Pack tightly into a ceramic dish, skin side down, then drizzle over the brandy, cover the dish with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 150C. Scrape the marinade off the duck pieces.

Heat the duck or goose fat in a heavy ovenproof casserole dish, then add the duck, the remaining garlic cloves and the remaining thyme. Make sure that the duck is completely submerged in the melted fat.
Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 3½-4 hours, or until the meat is very tender when pierced with a skewer and the fat in the skin is completely rendered.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool uncovered. Strain half of the fat and bring to the boil in another pan, then pour into a clean ceramic dish large enough to hold the duck without it touching the sides. Leave to set in the fridge.
Once the duck is cool, place into the prepared ceramic dish and strain over the remainder of the melted fat and place into the fridge for 1-2 hours to set. (This can be stored in the fridge for up to one month.)
To serve, preheat the oven to 200C. Scrape off the fat from the duck legs, then place into a roasting tray. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and golden-brown. 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


Egg en cocotte

Serves 2

Ingredients
50 g samphire
knob of butter
125 ml crème fraiche
50 g grated Parmesan
2 free range organic eggs
2 thick slices white or whole meal bread
salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the roasting tray in the oven and half fill with hot water. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the samphire for 1 minute. Drain off the water and leave in the colander.

Grease 2 ramekins or oven-proof cups with butter and divide the samphire between them.

Beat the crème fraiche to loosen and season with salt and pepper. Spoon into the ramekins, grind over some pepper and sprinkle over half the cheese.

Press lightly with the back of a spoon to create a ‘crater’ and carefully break in the eggs, ensuring the yolk stays intact. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.

Place the ramekins in the roasting tray filled with hot water and cook 8-10 minutes for soft cooked or 20 minutes for hard cooked.

Toast the white or whole wheat bread until golden brown and cut into ‘soldiers’ (strips). Serve the eggs cocotte with the toast soldiers.

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


Baked apples

Ingredients
4 apples
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
50 g demarara sugar
30 g dried apricots and 30 g dried cranberries
50 g butter
250ml creme fraiche
splash of marsala
icing sugar, to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Mix the sugar with the spices. Mix half the sugar-spice mix with 80 ml water and 80 ml Marsala in a roasting tray. Remove the cores from the apples using an apple corer.

Chop the apricots into small cubes and mix with the dried cranberries. Mix together with the remaining sugar and spice mix in a small bowl.

Fill the apples with the apricot-cranberry mixture. Place a cube of butter on each, lay them in the roasting tray and bake them for 30-40 minutes, basting with the juices now and again.

Whisk the creme fraiche with a splash of Marsala and icing sugar to sweeten until slightly thickened. Serve the apples warm with the Marsala creme fraiche.

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


Weekend Canapés

The weekend is a great time to visit the market and different specialty food shops. Here are 2 simple and delicious recipes to serve with drinks. Click here to find out how to make crostini's.

Mushroom and Taleggio Crostini

Ingredients
15 g dried porcini
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
500 g mixed mushrooms
salt and pepper
100 ml cream
300 g Taleggio cheese

Method
Soak the porcini in warm water for about 10 minutes.

Finley chop the garlic, slice the mushrooms. Squeeze the water out of the porcini and chop them up too.

Heat a frying pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil and fry the mushrooms and porcini over high heat. Add the garlic about half way through the cooking. Season with salt and pepper and add enough cream to bind the mushroom mixture, about 100 ml.

Slice the taleggio. Top the crostini with some mushroom mixture, a slice of Taleggio and place in a hot oven until the cheese has melted, about 3 minutes. Serve while still warm.

 

Veal Sweatbreads with Capers

Ingredients
500 g veal sweetbreads
seasoned flour, for dusting
olive oil, for frying
100g unsalted butter
4 tbsp capers, drained
squeeze lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped parsley

Method
Bring a pot of seasoned water, flavoured with a bay leaf, some sprigs of thyme and parsley stalks to the boil. Add the sweetbreads and poach gently for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot, weight between 2 plates and allow to cool. Once the sweetbreads have been weighted down and cooled, peel the skin off using a small kife. Lightly dust the sweetbreads with seasoned flour.

Heat a frying pan and add enough oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Add the sweetbreads and fry undisturbed until golden and crusty underneath. Turn and repeat with the other side.

Add the butter to the pan and cook until dark and nutty, flipping the sweetbreads in it. Add the capers, lemon juice to taste, parsley and a pinch of salt.

Spoon on to crostini 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


Roasted Chicken with Heritage Carrots and Fennel

Serves 4

Ingredients
1,8 kg whole free range or organic chicken
1 lemon
1 small bunch thyme
5 cloves garlic
olive oil
50 g butter
salt and pepper
2 bunches heritage carrots (12-16 carrots)
2 fennel bulbs

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C - 200 C. Cut the lemon into quarters.  Fill the cavity with the lemon segments, thyme and garlic cloves. Rub the butter all over the chicken and drizzle with some olive oil.

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper making sure you don't forget to season in the cavity as well. Place in a roasting dish, breast side down and roast for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, peel the carrots and slice diagonally. Trim the hard outer layer away from the fennel and roughly slice. After the 45 minutes, take the chicken from the oven, turn over and baste with the juices in the pan. Add the carrots and fennel around the chicken, mixing them well with the juices. Add a little salt and pepper. Return to the oven for a further 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and golden brown.

Remove from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving with the roasted carrots and fennel.

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

 


Salmon Ceviche with Fennel Salad

Serves 2 

Ingredients

For the ceviche
250g salmon fillet, skinned
2 tbsp rock salt
1 tbsp red chillies, finely diced
75ml pink grapefruit juice
1 tbsp lime zest
150ml lime juice (about 5 limes)
20g caster sugar
30 coriander leaves, finely chopped

For the salad
1 fennel bulb, finely sliced (using a mandolin if possible)
110g rocket leaves

 

Method
For the ceviche, lightly sprinkle the salmon fillet with rock salt. Transfer to the fridge and leave for 20 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the fridge, carefully wash off all the salt and pat it dry.

In a small bowl, mix the chillies, grapefruit juice, lime zest and juice together and add the sugar. Add the coriander at the last minute and toss to combine.

Slice the salmon at an angle - each piece needs to be about 2-3mm thick.

Lay four slices evenly in a straight line onto each serving plate.

Spoon all but two tablespoons of the ceviche dressing over the salmon. Set aside for about 30 minutes.

For the salad, soak the sliced fennel in iced water for 2-3 minutes, before removing and draining. Mix with the salad leaves and the reserved two tablespoons of the ceviche dressing.

Place the fennel salad on top of the salmon 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


Green smoothie

Ingredients
3 apples
1 small cucumber
1/2 pineapple
small bunch parsley
1/2 cup natural yoghurt

Method
Peel the apples, remove the core and seeds and chop up. Peel the pineapple, remove the core and chop roughly.

Peel the cucumber and cut into chunks. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into tall glasses and serve garnished with fresh strawberries.

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