Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 3 - 2015

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:

Confit Guineafowl with Celeriaccrepes suzetteSpaghetti with kale, tomato and smoked mackerel


Dutch Homemade

For anybody like us with a sweet tooth, this store is chocolate heaven.

From the moment your walk in, your attention is grabbed by the brightly coloured macaroons, lined up neatly in rows like marching soldiers.

The beautifully sculptured chocolate bonbons, we're told, are all made using single origin chocolate, which is more difficult to work with than a more generic brand. Single origin is an important theme running through the selection of chocolates. Because the cocoa beans come from a single plantation in a specific country, each has their own characteristics, comparable to a good wine or coffee.

You'll find unusual varieties from as far away as Vietnam, Brazil and the Caribbean.

For more information, please visit Dutch Homemade.


Club Sandwich - Amsterdam Flavours Style

All too often, we are served sandwiches consisting of limp bread and flavourless, uninspiring fillings. So, we've taken it upon ourselves to change all that and show you with just a little care and attention, that a sandwich and be exciting and leave you wanting more.

Serves 3

Ingredients
9 slices white spelt bread
2 free range or organic chicken breasts
100 g smokey bacon rashers
2 avocados
1 small red onion
50 g rocket
mayonnaise, for spreading
salt and pepper
olive oil

Method
Heat a grill pan over high heat and grill the bread on both sides. Halve the avocados, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Mash roughly using a fork and season with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Finely slice the onion and halve the chicken breasts horizontally, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and fry the bacon until crispy. Remove on to a plate. Fry the chicken in the same pan with the bacon fat for about 3 minutes on each side.

Lay out the slices of grilled bread. Spread the mashed avocado on the first layer and top with the crispy bacon. On the second slice of bread, spread generously with mayonnaise. Top with a handful of rocket leaves and some red onion. Slice the chicken breasts and lay them on top.

Place the chicken layer on top of the avocado layer, topping the sandwich off with the remaining grilled bread and securing it with a skewer.

Serve on wooden board or plates and dig in!

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


Chocolate Guinness Cake

Nigella Lawson is famously known as The Domestic Goddess. Her cakes and dispelling baking myths have made her a household name. Recently someone told us we had to make her Chocolate Guinness cake. So we did. The combination of chocolate and Guinness makes a deep, dark cake, which is moist and delicious. And now we're sharing the recipe with you.

Ingredients
250 ml Guinness
250 g unsalted butter
75 g cocoa powder
400 g castor sugar
142 ml sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
275 g plain flour
2 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
for the topping
300 g cream cheese
150 g icing sugar
125 ml cream

Method
Preheat the oven to gas mark 180°C and butter and line a 24cm springform tin with baking paper.

Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter and heat until the butter has melted. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the buttery Guinness pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.

Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.

When the cake's cold, place it on a flat platter or cake stand and start with the icing. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar and then beat them both together. This can also be done in a processor, putting the unsieved icing sugar in first and blitz to remove lumps before adding the cheese. Add the cream and beat again until it makes a spreadable consistency.

Ice the top of the cake 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 1 - 2015

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:

Roasted Cauliflower and hazelnut saladPuy Lentil Soup with Sausage and baconSea Bream with anchovy dressingSpinach and chicken curry

 


Dr. Blend

If you find yourself in the Jordaan and are looking for healthy juices, smoothies, salads and sandwiches, then we have just the medicine.

Dr Blend serves up the right dose of vitamins in tasty combinations. The juices and smoothies are made to order using organic fruit and vegetables and are available in interesting combinations. In fact all items on the menu are made using fresh organic produce.

The place has a great vibe with what can only be described as a homely-industrial feel.

For more information, please visit Dr. Blend.

 


The 'Lachende Pinda'

We paid a visit the Sunday Market at the Westergasfabriek yesterday and were struck by a stall called The 'Lachende Pinda' (the laughing peanut). Tamara is originally an artist but found a passion for cooking and produces the most delicious home made Indonesian delicacies.

She also gives table d'hôte dinners in her studio for those looking for that home-cooked, authentic Indonesian meal. A great way for locals and visitors to the city to meet.

We tasted her peanut soup and it was absolutely delicious! Not only are her products good, but we loved her enthusiastic personality and the passion she has for what she does.

For more information, visit tamaratantico.