Pear and Saffron Chutney

Autumn is the prefect time to use pears, which are fully in season. Other than poaching or roasting them, why not turn them into a chutney. This also makes a great gift to give to others.

This recipe has been adapted from renowned British chef, Jason Atherton.

Makes about 1 kg

Ingredients
160 g onions, diced (about 2 onions, depending on their size)
200 g apples, peeled, cored and diced (about 2 apples)
200 g sultanas or golden raisins
1 Tablespoon orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
40 g finely chopped fresh ginger
200 ml white wine vinegar
1 kg pears, peeled, cored and diced
350 g caster sugar
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, infused in 1 Tablespoon warm water

Method
Place all the ingredients except for the pears, sugar and saffron in a large pot. Bring to the boil, stirring often and cook until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds. Add the sugar and the saffron and cook for further 5 minutes.

Add the pears and cook gently, uncovered for about 1-2 hours or until the chutney is thick and syrupy. The chutney is ready when you can draw a line across the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Spoon the chutney into sterilized jars and seal while still hot. Store in a cool place.

We also make the pear chutney ourselves. Please contact us if you like to order. Subject to availability.

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


Magimix Le Mini Plus Food Processor

It was in France, in the heart of Burgundy, a region noted for its gastronomy, that Magimix invented the food processor 40 years ago.

Magimix products are designed to make life simpler for the serious cook. Most have their roots in professional products designed for commercial use.

For this reason they work well and are Built Better to Last Longer.

Thanks to Magimix innovations, the most demanding tasks can be accomplished quickly, easily and quietly.

The Magimix Le Mini Plus food processor is the perfect gadget. It's size is ideal for small kitchens and small families, making it easy to store in any cupboard (but why would you want to hide it when it looks so good on your kitchen counter top).

This is in every aspect a multi-purpose machine. It blends, chops, purees, juices and grates. With it's powerful motor, no job is too big. It comes with 2 bowls, one of 600 ml for small amounts and one of 1,7 litres, 2 grating attachments (fine and coarse) and an egg white beater and citrus juicer.

As a proud partner of Amsterdam Flavours, Magimix, in conjuction with us, is a giving away a Le Mini Plus Food Processor. Would you like the chance to win this brilliant machine? It couldn't be easier. Like our Facebook page and share the competition post and you will automatically go through to the draw. Good luck!

The lucky winner is: Rob Smelt!

For more information please visit magimix.nl

 


Pompon, dahlia's in season

Pompon is our favourite Amsterdam flower shop. They are our preferred supplier for floral decorations used at our dinners, parties and weddings.

For more information, visit PomPon.

 


Suite 1888

Ready for some supreme relaxation in a city that is always on the go? The ground floor of our 19th-century townhouse in Amsterdam’s stately eastern district is a haven of calm and comfort for visitors to the vibrant Dutch capital. Our luxurious Bed & Breakfast with its own garden near Oosterpark is only a ten-minute walk from the Hermitage museum, Artis Zoo and Carré theatre. Typical Amsterdam cafés and restaurants with popular outdoor terraces are just around the corner. After a busy day of sightseeing, an opulent bath, good glass of wine and heavenly bed await.

Welcome to Suite 1888.

This special bed & breakfast is situated in an authentic Amsterdam townhouse dating from 1888. Spanning the entire ground floor, the suite offers full privacy. It has been renovated and decorated to exude the original historical style, while also incorporating full modern conveniences. Enjoy the decadence of two large en-suite rooms, a cherrywood floor, high ceilings, a sumptuous couch, king-size bed and deluxe bathroom with bath and rain shower. The bedroom and bathroom have views onto the garden, which is exclusively for guests. The patio, bathed in evening sunlight, is a pleasant spot for a breather after the bustle of the city.

There are flowers, there’s wine, fresh fruit, art, literature and more. Owned by an artist and an architect, this residence combines allure and comfort. For those who prefer a lazy start to the day, breakfast is available, but you can also opt to go local at one of the cozy parkside cafés nearby. With a tram stopping practically outside the front door, the main museums and historical city centre are less than fifteen minutes away.

For more information please visit: Suite 1888


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

 


Bilder & de Clercq's new recipes week 39

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:

Parsnip SoupDuck with Red CurryBasque Chicken


Toms

'One for One'

In 2008, American traveler Blake Mycoskie befriended children in a village in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One.

The company has since expanded into eyeware and coffee. With every pair purchased, Toms will help give sight to a person in need.  With every pack of coffee purchased, TOMS will give one week of clean water to a person in need.

The company recently opened a store in Amsterdam. We're all about giving back and helping those in need. Go in an show your support. Not only will you be treating yourself, but you'll be helping someone in the process, One for One.

For more information please visit TOMS.