Plenty More - Yotam Ottolenghi

As most of you know by now, we are HUGE Ottolenghi fans. We love his creative use of simple ingredients, especially vegetables and is combinations of Middle Eastern spices.

Plenty More has been out for a while now. It's the sequel to Ottolenghi's immensely popular Plenty. The book has been categorised into cooking methods, again with the most tantalising and beautifully photographed recipes.

The best way to review a book, in our opinion, is to cook out of it. And that's just what we did! We made the Fig Salad for lunch and it was just delicious. Here is the recipe:

Yotam Ottolenghi's Fig Salad

Ingredients
2 small red onions (200g in total)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
50g hazelnuts, skin on
60g radicchio leaves, roughly torn
40g basil
6 large ripe figs (300g in total)
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and black pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 220 C.

Peel and halve the onions, lengthways and cut each half into 3cm-wide wedges. Mix together with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and some black pepper and spread out on a baking tray. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking, until the onions are soft and golden and turning crispy in parts. Remove and set aside to cool before pulling the onions apart with your hands into bite-sized chunks.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160 C. Scatter the hazelnuts on a small roasting tray and toast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, roughly crush with the flat side of a large knife.

Assemble the salad on four individual plates. Mix the three leaves together and place a few on the bottom of each plate. Cut the figs lengthways into four or six pieces. Place a dew fig pieces and some roasted onion on the leaves. Top with more leaves and continue with the remaining fig and onion. You want to build up the salad into a small pyramid.

In a small cup, whisk together the remaining olive oil, vinegar and cinnamon with a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Drizzle this over the salad, finish with the hazelnuts and serve.

Chefs Notes
We loved the salad, fresh, sweet and full of flavour. We think it can do with a little mor roasted onion, but that's a personal preference.

Publisher: Fontaine Uitgevers

Author: Yotam Ottolenghi

Price: 29,95 euro

 


Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 50

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:

Pheasant BreastConfit Duck with Sweet Potato MashCranberry Clafoutis


Gravy

This is a recipe we've adapted from Jamie Oliver for making your gravy ahead of time. It's really brilliant!

Makes 1 litre

Ingredients
2 celery sticks, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly sliced
2 onions, peeled and quartered
5 fresh bay leaves
5 fresh sage leaves
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 star anise
2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
8 chicken wings
olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons plain flour
60 ml port
2 heaped dessert spoons cranberry sauce, for finishing

Method
Preheat the oven to 200º C. Put the vegetables, herbs and star anise into a roasting tray. Scatter the bacon on top. Cut the chicken wings in half to help release more of their flavour. Put them in the pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over a few pinches of salt and pepper then toss everything together and put the tray in the oven to cook for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Take the pan out of the oven, and put it on a hob over a low heat and use a potato masher break everything up. Keep mashing, moving and scraping all the goodness from the bottom of the pan as you go. Gradually mix in the flour to thicken the mixture. The longer you let everything fry, the darker your gravy will be. When the flour is combined add the port and cook until it has almost all but disappeared. Pour in 2 litres of hot water, turn the heat up and bring to the boil for 10 minutes, till thickened, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When it's reached the consistency you're looking for, check the seasoning then push it through a sieve into a large bowl. Really push and mash everything through so you get as much flavour as possible. Discard anything left behind. Once it has cooled down to room temperature put it into containers or freezer bags and pop it in your freezer. You'll finish it off on Christmas Day.

Finishing the gravy
To finish the gravy, take your it out of the freezer when you're ready to cook your turkey. That way, it will defrost as your turkey cooks. When the turkey is perfectly cooked, put a carving fork inside the cavity and use that to pick the bird up and tilt it over the pan so all of the juices inside run out.

Spoon away as much of the fat as possible, then pour your pre-made gravy into the pan with the rest of the turkey juices. Bring it to the boil over the hob and scrape all those flavourful bits and pieces from the bottom of the pan. Have a taste then add the cranberry sauce. It won't taste sweet but it will add a wicked background flavour.

Once your gravy is piping hot, strain it through a sieve and into a pan. Leave that on the lowest heat to keep warm until you're ready to serve. Skim away any fat that rises to the top and add any extra resting juices from the turkey 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


Bloempie

On a recent visit to the Zuidermarket, we discovered a new product called Bloempie.

As we approach the festive season, where parties are being hosted, you need look no further for something which is easy to serve but also looks and tates good.

Bloempie is a small sourdough bread 'pot' which can be served as a canapé or used, in it's larger form, as a starter.

The small versions are available already filled or unfilled, to which you can add your personal touch.

The filled versions are available in the following:
- Grilled pepper, ricotta, anchovy and basil
- Salt cod with garlic, tomato and celery
- Provolone cheese fondue with chives
- Porcini ragout with parsley
- Lamb with peas, cream and tarragon

You'll also find an array of dried sausages and salami's at their Zuidermarket stall.

For more information, please visit Bloempie or visit the Zuidermarket.

 


Sole and Scallop 'Roulades' with Samphire and Beurre Blanc

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients
4 sole fillets, skinned and cleaned (ask your fishmonger)
4 scallops, cleaned
200 g samphire, rinsed
small pot caviar (we use herring caviar)
salt and pepper
extra splash of white wine for cooking the roulades

Beurre Blanc
150 mlwhite wine or ½ white wine and ½ white wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 piece of mace
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons cream or crème fraiche
150-200 g butter

Method
Heat a frying pan over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season the scallops lightly with salt and pepper and fry for about 1 minute on each side until golden. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

Lay the sole fillets on a work surface and season lightly. Roll a cooled scallop in each and place in a roasting dish (This can be done ahead of time and placed in the fridge). Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Make the beurre blanc. Pour the wine into a thick-based pan. Add the shallot, mace, cloves and bay leaf and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons.

Add the cream and allow to cook for a moment, lower the heat slightly and “mount” the sauce by whisking in the cold butter in small pieces, moving the pan from the heat when necessary so that the butter thickens and emulsifies. Season with salt and pepper, strain the liquid through a fine sieve and return to the pan. Leave in a warm place till needed.

Pour a splash of white wine around the fish and cook in the oven for about 10 minutes until the sole fillets are just cooked and the scallop warmed through. In the meantime, stir fry the samphire in a frying pan with a splash of olive oil for about 3 minutes until it still has a little bite and is bright green.

To plate, place a 'nest' of samphire on each plate. Set a roulade in the middle of each, top with a small teaspoonful of caviar and spoon the beurre blanc around.

NOTE: It’s best to finish the sauce with the butter just before you need it.

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


Cotes du Rhone blanc Les Travers - White Wine

Origin
Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Blanc – AOC
Flavour profile
Soft, elegant, aromatic. A real winter wine.
Grape variety
30% Clairette, 20% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanche, Marsanne and Viognier (may vary per vintage year)
Vineyard
Les Travers includes several lots on the hills of Cairanne and on the flat Plan de Dieu. For this white Les Travers the grapes are harvested in vineyards with a bottom of clay and limestone on the flanks of the 'coteaux' and alluvial sand in the Valley. The average age of the vines is more than 30 years.
Vinification
The grapes are 100% hand-picked and carefully selected in the vineyard. Upon arrival in the wine cellars, they are immediately pressed and pneumatically cooled for the must to settle. 80% of the fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at 18 ° C and 20% in new oak barrels, with regular bâtonnage. To maintain the necessary freshness in the wine is typically a malolactic fermentation not desired.
Taste/nose
Very bright and sparkling colour, yellow with a green tang. In the nose, floral aromas dominate, complemented by nuances of exotic fruits, pear, melon and tangerine with a hint of vanilla. Notes of almond paste and honey are not far away. Spicy, fruity and round in the beginning, dry and smooth on the tongue, beefy and greasy in the beautiful long finish.
Serve with
In the Rhône Valley this organic wine is often served with oysters and other shellfish. Classically combined with sea fish, poultry or white meat. Particularly good with poultry paté or terrine.
Serving Temperature
8-12 °C
Culinary Advice
Delicious served with our Sole and Scallop Roulade.

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

 


Leica T

Good photos are an extremely important part of our website. They should be sharp, clear, naturally-coloured and be inviting enough that you, our reader, would want to cook our recipes or visit the places we do.

When we were searching for a camera, we had only one brand in mind. Leica, is known for their superb quality, beautiful design and practicality. We were overjoyed when they joined us as a partner. All our photos for Amsterdam Flavours are taken using a Leica T camera.

It's made of a light but robust sleek aluminium body which is small enough to carry around with you and fit into any bag. Despite it's small size, it's big on functionality. It's packed with capabilities like wifi and a built in 16 GB memory. It's 16,5 megapixel ensures sharp and clear results, which are easily viewed on the large touch screen.

For us, it's the lenses that make all the difference. We believe Leica's lenses to be the best and they always help us achieve the shot we want.

As we continue to grow Amsterdam Flavours, we look forward to seeing what else we can achieve with our Leica T.

For more information, please visit Leica.

 


Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 49

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:

Cod ChowderSmoked HalibutSausages with Balsamic OnionsBrocolli Soup with Gorgonzola


Vyne & Envy

It was a cold and damp midweek evening when we made our way for a drink and dinner at two Amsterdam institutions.

Walking down the Prinsengracht, rain drizzling overhead, we were in much need of a good glass of something to drink and a delicious dinner after what had been a few very busy weeks.

As we entered Vyne wine bar, we were surprised to see it very quiet. Maybe it was the weather or the upcoming festive season that people of 'waiting' for all the parties. The buzzing atmosphere we missed of people enjoying a drink was more than made up for by the friendly and charming Charlene.

We browsed through the extensive wine list, around 350 wines to be exact, while she poured us each a glass of Colmei Valdobbiadene Prosecco. You'll find a good selection of G&T's on the menu and their new wine cocktails. If you find it hard to chose a particular wine, you can always order a wine flight (red or white) put together by their sommelier.

And while you're having a drink, there is also a little bites menu with tapas style offerings, cheese platters and shrimp croquettes.

We then made our way a few meters up the road to Envy. This is a restaurant that serves what they call delicatessen dishes. In a nut shell, it's small dishes designed for sharing. Diners can either order a la carte, or can be surprised by the Chef's Menu.

The restaurant has two types of seating, high tables for those wanting a quick bite and low tables for those diner who want a leisurely evening it. A great concept and idea, we think.

The friendly restaurant manager gave us a warm welcome and we were immediately greeted with glass of Cava and a charcuterie platter comprising lavender Brandt & Levie sausage paired with Dijon mustard, heavenly Iberico ham and Spanish salame Ventricina. Nice bread and olive oil completed the scene.

Our first course comprised 3 different dishes - oyster ceviche, cucumber, burnt onion, dill and yoghurt pastilles. Fantastically clean and refreshing with sweet and sour notes from the cucumber and pickling liquid. This is a great way of eating oysters. The next dish was seared squid with chiparones (baby squid), olive cake, aioli and squid ink pasta. The seared squid was beautifully cooked, firm but tender. The chiparones were almost raw, just have seen the pan and the olive cake was sweet and light (made with an almond base) adding an interesting contrast to the dish. Thirdly we were served langoustines with Hollandaise, curry oil, curry crumble and enoki mushrooms. A stunning combination of sweet langoustines, rich Hollandaise and with a perfume of curry. The sweet crumble with curry was a nice idea, while the roasted enoki gave the dish a savoury note. With so many different ingredients and flavours, you would imagine that it would be a nightmare to pair with one wine, but this was done well with a Gruner Veltliner.

The following set a dishes comprised a steak tartare with potato mousseline, herring caviar, grilled leeks and a 60 C cooked farmhouse egg yolk. The steak tartare was well seasoned and tender counter-balanced with the soft mousseline and salty bursts from the herring caviar. The 60 C egg yolk was both firm and soft, adding a richness to the dish.

The next dish was grilled fillet of plaice young garlic foam, sweet and sour fennel, roasted onion cream, ciabatta toast and rocket cream. Despite the many bold flavours being used, the dish was light and fresh. The plaice was perfectly cooked and the delicous rocket cream added some pepperiness to the dish.

These dishes were paired with a Portugese Valporeria, a white wine made using 5 different grape varietys. The wine was powerful enough for the steak tartare, but smooth and elegant as well to pair with the fish.

We next moved on to an intriguing and super-delicious combination of foie gras with raspberry and hazelnut. Baring in mind what we had already eaten, it too wasn't as simple as it sounds. Grilled foie gras was, raspberry meringue, fresh raspberries, raspberry gel, a 'bon bon'of foie gras, hazelnut creme and shiso purple. The plate looked liked a dessert, too pretty to eat, but we attacked the plate. Who would have thought that fresh, sharp raspberry was so good with foie gras? Throw in some hazelnut and sweet meringue and it's a marriage made in heaven.

We just about had space left for dessert and an espresso. Coffee Bay then arrived at our table - the chefs interpretation of coffee and Bailey's. A caramel tuile, cold Bailey's granite, chocolate crumble, creamy Bailey's bon bons,deep-flavoured coffee meringues, stroop waffels, chocolate mousse, hazelnut crumble and finished off with grated tonka beans. This dish balanced sweet and bitter flavours with cold textures and crunch. A good ending to the meal.

The service was impeccable. Our waiter was friendly, enthusiastic and very knowledgable. There is a relaxed vibe in the restaurant where both locals and visitors will feel comfortable. The food is delicious, imaginitive and well executed. The chefs put everything on a plate for a reason. As there are so many small components to each dish, we feel that sharing plates are not always ideal for allowing the diner to taste all the components and get the full effect intended.

Envy should without doubt be on your restaurant list, whether you're looking for a leisurely night out or a quick bite with great food.

For more information, please visit Vyne.

For more information, please visit Envy.


Residence Magazine - December 2014

Residence Magazine featured us  under smaakmakers in their December 2014 edition.

Residence Magazine December