The Mighty Spice Cookbook

Spice up your life with The Mighty Spice Cookbook. 

In this book, John Gregory-Smith has travelled through Asia and North Africa to bring us delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes.

John Gregory-Smith loves spices so much that a few years ago decided to establish his own business, The Mighty Spice Company. His aim is to show everyone how easy it is to cook with spices and above all, how delicious they are.

The use of spices requires a delicate touch, as they can so often over-power a dish or shift it's balance. The recipes in this book contain no more than 5 different spices each.

The book is divided into chapters covering soups & salads, meat, fish, through to desserts. Heat and spice levels are also indicated. The recipes are clear and concise and we like the addition of side dishes from the book to combine with each recipe. At the back of the book there is also a detailed overview of all spices.

Publisher: Veltman Uitgevers

Author: John Gregory-Smith

Price: 19,99 euro

 


We Love Beef

We Love Beef shows how versatile beef is and how we should be using all of it from nose to tail.

In this book, two of Hollands most well known chefs, Alain Caron, known to most as a judge on the Dutch Masterchef and Richard van Oostenbrugge, excutive chef at restaurant Bord'eau at Amsterdam's De L'Europe Hotel have travelled to England to discover beef of superb quality and what can be done with it.

Each chapter in the book covers different sections of beef, for example the forequarter, hindquarter and offal. Why it's so useful is that special attention needs to be paid to the specific cuts when it comes to the cooking methods applied.

A brilliant addition to the book is the beef A-Z, with detailed information on the different cuts, their uses and cooking methods to achieve the best results.

Each chef has filled the book with personal recipes in each chapter.  There is a wonderful range of home-style and restaurant-style recipes.

A great book which will introduce readers and cooks to new ways with beef.

Publisher: Carrera Culinair

Authors: Alain Caron & Richard van Oostenbrugge

Price: 25,00 euro


Guest Chef Competition Bilder & De Clercq

Over the past few weeks Bilder & de Clercq has been running a Guest Chef competition. Via social media, advertisements in Het Parool newspaper and via their website, they were calling on the citizens of Amsterdam to send in their best recipes.

We, together with Rogier, one of the founders of Bilder & de Clercq, were appointed as judges for the competition.

After being inundated with entries, we set to work creating a shortlist of our top recipes. We did so with certain criteria in mind:
- would we as Bilder & de Clercq customers buy the dish
- does the dish have a minimal number of ingredients
- would it come in on budget in line with all our Bilder & de Clercq dishes
- do we think it could be a delicious dish

After bringing the list down to 5 potential dishes, we selected 3 who would battle it out to be champion.

Fidan Tekinerdogan: Via her blog Fidalicious, Fidan creates exciting healthy vegan dishes. We chose her dish as it had a interesting way of utilising an ingredient which is very much in fashion at the moment and one that we have also used in a few of the recipes we have created for B&DC.

Kevin Corcoran: Kevin has recently entered the food world by being one of the creators of Nieuw Mosterd (available at Bilder & de Clercq stores). Together with his friends they are making mustard sexy again, with brilliant flavours and hip packaging. Kevin brought us an Asian-inspired dish which was easy, satisfying and full of flavour.

Doree den Hollander: Doree is passionate about all things food and that certainly comes across when talking to her. Through her blog Cato Cheftt, she cooks, creates recipes as writes food stories. Her dish used ingredients that we know work and that are also popular with B&DC customers. Doree is looking to make a career out of food and we're sure that it will happen soon.

This past Sunday, the finalists arrived, ingredients in hand, at the store on the Ceintuurbaan to battle it out and recreate their dishes for us. We say battle, but in fact it was a relaxed and really fun evening. What was interesting to see was how all 3 finalists differed in their approach to cooking. Fidan brought glamour and charm to the kitchen - we're still impressed how she created her dish in such high heels!

Doree was focused and meticulous, taking care that all her mise-en-place (preparation) was done before she started cooking. Kevin was relaxed and chilled, with all his prep done in the blink of an eye and being ever the gentleman, allowing the ladies to cook first.

Once all the dishes were completed, we sat down to do our tasting. We were so impressed with the standard of cooking and the flavours, knowing then that we had made the right selection. For that reason, it was decided that all 3 dishes will feature in the stores along with a photo of their creator.

However, as with every competition, we had to pick one overall winner. And that was Doree. We found that all the elements to her dish were cooked well and the flavours and seasoning were spot on.

You may have realised that we haven't mentioned what the contestants cooked. That's because we want that to be a surprise. All will be revealed in the coming weeks when we recreate their dishes for the recipes cards and posters. Stay tuned......

 


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.


Sea Bream with Anchovy-Tarragon Dressing and Beetroot

Serves 4

Ingredients
750g cooked beetroot (try and get an organic brand if you can)
salt and black pepper
olive oil, for dressing
4 Sea Bream fillets (Dorade), about 150g each, skin on
2 packs mixed cresses (shiso purple, pea tendrils)

Anchovy Dressing
6 anchovy fillets, drained
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1-2 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
150 ml olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped tarragon

Method

Cut the beetroot into cubes. It can be gently heated up in a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.

For the anchovy dressing, put the anchovies, garlic and white wine vinegar into a food processor and whiz to a rough puree. With the motor running, slowly trickle in the olive oil until amalgamated. Transfer the dressing to a bowl and stir in the chopped tarragon.

Remove the pin bones from the sea bream fillets. Heat a frying pan till hot and add a little olive oil. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and place them in the hot pan, skin side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the skin is crisp. Turn over in the pan, turn the gas off and allow to cook through in the residual heat, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, transfer to a greased baking sheet and finish off in a 180° C oven for a couple of minutes or until the fish is opaque.

To serve, spoon the beetroot around the plates. Place a fish fillet on top and scatter the mixed cresses around. Spoon over the anchovy dressing 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

Wine advice: Centanni - Il Borgo


Centanni - Il Borgo - White wine

Origin:
The family business Centanni was founded in 2008 and is located in one of the cultural  and wine producing centers of the Marches (Marche): Montefiore dell'Aso, Ascoli Piceno. The family has always been very attached to the beautiful country, to the rhythm of the seasons and to the beauty that this region produces. Their company, the Azienda Agricola Centanni, therefore, is a daring project that connects a respectful, sustainable and organic viticulture from traditional, indigenous grape varieties with innovative techniques and artistic design. Centanni is the first winery in Marche that closes its wines with a glass stopper (Vinolok) as a guarantee of a clean, fresh and cork-free wine.

Preparation:
The perfectly ripe grapes are picked and brought straight to the wine cellars, ensuring that contact with oxygen is kept as low as possible. Fermentation takes place for 20 days at 10 ° C. The young wine is aged for five months in stainless steel tanks and then bottled.

Taste impression:
Straw-yellow colour. Very aromatic. Fresh, soft and delicate taste, good structure and a lively acidity.

Culinary advice:
A very versatile wine, especially with dishes featuring white meat, fish or fresh cheeses.

Buy or taste this wine? For more information visit Wijnkoperij De Gouden Ton


Featured wine: Enate - Tempranillo Joven - red wine

Origin:
Enate is located in the village of Salas Bajas, in Somontano. despite the relatively young age of this winery, founded in 1991, is already one of the most prestigious wineries in Spain. The purpose of Enate is to produce high-quality and premium wines from the best grapes of Somontano, with respect for the ancient local traditions and using the latest technology. The D.O. Somontano Located in the northeast of Spain, in the province of Huesca. It is also a fairly recent D.O. (1984), but also one of the most dynamic and respected in Spain. The vineyards for this hip tinto are 550-600 meters above sea level, protected through the Pyrenees. The humidity is low, partly due to the drying effect of soft winds. The soil consists of a mixture of sand and clay, poor and water permeable. Due to the height is the difference in temperature between day and night very large, 35 ° C during the day, 17-18 ° C at night. This gives the grapes additional complexity, power and aromatic taste.

Preparation:
The hand-picked grapes are de-stemmed, lightly crushed and fermented in stainless steel tanks at 24 ° C. After malolactic fermentation the young wine is clarified and stabilized to maintain the youthful and fruity character

Taste impression:
Beautiful, inviting color. very aromatic, with hints of red fruit (cherries, currants, strawberries), caramel and licorice. Fresh and lively in turn, round and soft on the tongue, mouth-filling, warm and fruity, with ripe and pleasant tannins and a creamy, mild finale.

Culinary advice:
This exuberantly fruity young wine is an excellent companion for example tapas! Particularly recommended for fish or shrimp croquettes, sausages (chorizo ), Spanish spiced meatballs, (...) but also at the table with pasta, rice dishes and even grilled lamb chops or meat skewers. In short, a versatile food wine for cozy, informal moments of pleasure, alone or - even better - in a group.

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.


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


Bilder & de Clercq's new recipes week 41

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:

Pumpkin sage risottoSausages with white bean mashHeritage carrots with goats cheeseVeal with Marsala sauce