Croissant Bread Pudding

Serves 4

Ingredients
100 g golden raisins
sweet sherry, vin santo or marsala, for soaking the raisins
6 croissants
4 eggs
500 ml cream
100g sugar, plus extra for sprinkling over the pudding
1 vanilla pod
20 g butter
250 ml milk
pinch of salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 180° C.  Place the raisins in a pot and add enough of your chosen alcohol to just cover the raisins. Bring to just below boiling point and set aside to allow the raisins to swell up. Slice the croissants and grease a roasting dish with the butter.

Scatter half the raisins over the roasting dish with some of some of the alcohol.

Place the croissants in the roasting dish and scatter over the remaining raisins. Place the eggs, 400 ml cream, the milk, sugar, the seeds from the vanilla pod and a pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk the ingredients well together. Pour the mixture over the croissants, sprinkle generously with more sugar and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Bake the bread pudding in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the egg mixture has set. Remove the dish from the oven and serve with the remaining cream.

Tip: Also delicious served with vanilla ice cream. If there is any pudding left over, it can still be enjoyed the following day either served cold or reheated for 30 seconds in the microwave.

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


Confit Duck with White Beans

A delicious, comforting and easy recipe for cold winter days.

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 confit duck leg
1 medium carrot
1 medium onion
3 sprigs thyme
150 g piece pancetta
2 tins white beans
1 vegetable stock cube
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
1
Preheat an oven to 200˚ C. Peel the carrot and chop finely along with the onion. Cut the pancetta into small cubes. Dissolve the stock cube in 600 ml hot water. Drain the liquid from the beans.
2
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil and fry the confit duck legs, skin-side down, until golden. Remove from the pan and place in a roasting dish.
3
Add the onion, carrot, pancetta and thyme to the pan and fry gently for 12 minutes. Add the stock and boil until the liquid has reduced by half. Place the duck in the oven for 10 minutes.
4
Add the white beans to the pan and warm up. If necessary, season with salt and pepper. Pick the parsley leaves and finely chop.
5
Mix the parsley through the beans and spoon on to a plates. Lay the duck on top and serve.


Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 4

Ingredients

sunflower oil
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
1 red or green chili pepper
5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 small can of tomato puree
2 tins of peeled tomatoes
1 kg chicken thighs, cut into cubes
10 curry leaves (optional)
4-6 tablespoons yogurt
Bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
Steamed rice, Naan bread and poppadums, to serve

Method

Slice the onion. Heat 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a pan. Add the onions and fry on a medium heat for a good 15-20 minutes until they are soft and caramelized. In the meantime finely chop the chilli ginger and garlic. Add to the onion and fry for 2 more minutes.

Add the chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and sugar to the onions and fry 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and fry for another 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Place the sauce in a bowl and blend with a stick blender until smooth.

Add 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil to the same pan and fry the pieces of chicken until they are lightly coloured, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce and curry leaves, if you using them and some salt and cook gently, cover for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and tender.

Stir the yogurt and half the chopped coriander through the tikka masala. Garnish with the remaining coriander and serve with steamed rice, Naan bread and / or poppadums.