Bernadette Evers, Author at Amsterdam Flavours

Pistachio-Olive Oil Cake

A delicious and unusual cake with a flavour of the middle east. The cake gets it's beautiful green colour from the pistachios and the olive oil keeps it moist. It's quite a rich cake, so a small piece will suffice. We usually serve it as part of a dessert with a parfait or some marinated pineapple. Yum!

Serves 8-10

Ingredients
50 g fine polenta
200 g ground pistachio nuts
50 g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
125 ml olive oil
100 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs
200 g caster sugar
juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 orange
icing sugar for dusting

Method
Preheat the oven to 160 C. Mix the polenta, ground pistachios, flour and baking powder together.

Add the olive oil to the melted butter. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then slowly whisk in the olive oil and butter. Whisk in the pistachio mixture, then add the lemon juice and zest and orange juice.

Pour into a greased and lined 24 cm springform tin and bake for about 40 minutes. The cake should be slightly underdone in the middle, so that if you insert a skewer it will come out with a little of the mixture sticking to it. While cooling down, the cake will finish off cooking through. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.

Once completely cooled, cut into slices and dust with icing sugar.

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

by Bernadette Evers

DutchDeluxes

Founded in 2013, Dutchdeluxes is a design label based in the creative heart of the Dutch design city Eindhoven.

Driven by passion and fun, it brings extraordinary crafted ‘handmade in Holland’ food platters, bread boards and amazing aprons to the market. Classical elements are combined with sleek shapes in an innovative way.

The use of primary colours is fundamental for its design. Next to the range ‘Fashionable kitchen stuff & tableware’ the company is known for its collection ‘Incredible Interior Stuff’, 'Le Chique Bath furniture’ and ‘Just Good Side tables’.

We love the sleek simplicity and eye-catching design of our DutchDeluxes bread boards. Not only are they a novel wat for serving bread, but canapés work just as well for a cocktail party. Their size ensures that they look impressive and you don't constantly have to refill them, you'll always get enough canapés on.

For more information visit www.dutchdeluxes.com.

If you would like to spoil yourself with DutchDeluxe items, they're available at Baden Baden Interior in Amsterdam.

by Bernadette Evers

Het Weekend van de Rollende Keukens

This year, as in previous years, sees a new edition of Het Weekend van de Rollende Keukens - a 5 day festival of food trucks, music and fun.

Taking place at The Westergasfabriek, this festival brings together a myriad of food trucks serving an eclectic mix of different styles of food from around the world. There has been an worldwide explosion in the popularity of food trucks and street food and Holland has been no exception.

The festival has however been a victim of it's own success, drawing huge crowds and making it at times difficult to see what's happening and get some food. But, that shouldn't put you off. As long as the weather's good, there's no better way to spend a day or evening out with friends.

The festival runs from Wednesday 13th May until Sunday 17th May 2015. We hope to see you there!

by Bernadette Evers

Cooking Workshop at Groot Kruivestein

Yesterday, we were fortunate enough to be the first people to make use of the beautiful new kitchen and dining space at Groot Kruivenstein, in Langbroek near Utrecht.

This location is perfect for dining and meetings, set over beautiful lush grounds away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The interior and furnishings have been tastefully planned and thought out, with a unique eye for detail. Jan Steengracht and his wife Maud have created something really special.

Jan, by trade, is a designer working with metal. Pieces of his work complement the spaces, from door handles in the kitchen to lighting. Maud has used her interior design skills to created a homely ambience with beautiful fabrics and pieces of furniture.

We were hosting a cooking workshop and lunch for a group of ladies who had come to celebrate a special birthday. We enjoyed an afternoon cooking delicious food with seasonal ingredients. Dishes included bruschetta with buratta and grilled courgette, bruschetta topped with veal sweetbreads fried in buerre noisette with capers, lemon and parsley. Main was a pan-fried sea bream anchovy dressing and roasted asparagus. Dessert was a rhubarb and strawberry Eton mess and caramelised lemon tart.

by Bernadette Evers

Pea and Mint Soup

Make the most of seasonal fresh peas in this bright and vibrant soup. If you can't find fresh peas. frozen work just as well.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
olive oil
850ml vegetable or chicken stock
400 g fresh or frozen podded peas
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
salt and pepper
50 g fresh ricotta, thinned with a little milk, to garnish
pea shoots, to garnish

Method
Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil an fry the onion for about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and add half the mint and bring to the boil. Add the peas and bring to the boil again.

Stir in the remaining mint and season with salt and pepper. Blend the soup in a liquidiser until smooth as you like. Taste and check the seasoning, adjusting with salt and pepper if necessary. Return to the pan and reheat.

Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the ricotta and pea shoots.

by Bernadette Evers

Tomato Shallot Sauce

This is a super delicious sauce to serve with roasted beef. We usually serve it with a roasted Simmenthaler beef fillet. It requires a little care and time to make, but the results are so worth it.

Serves 6

Ingredients
6 shallots, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
35 g unsalted butter
8 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and roughly chopped
sprig of tarragon
sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
250 ml red wine
200 ml dry Madeira
100 ml Port
300 ml veal or chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Gently cook the shallots and garlic in 20g of the butter until very soft. Purée in a blender and place in a clean pan with the tomatoes, tarragon, thyme and bay leaf. Cook gently for five minutes or until the tomatoes start to break down.

Add the red wine, bring to the boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in the Madeira and Port, boil and reduce again by half. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Skim and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and pour into a clean pan, bring to the boil and cook for about two minutes or until the desired consistency is achieved. Whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and keep warm until ready to use.

by Bernadette Evers

Artichokes Barigoule

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients
12 small violet artichokes
1 lemon
100 ml olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small carrot chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
3 pieces of orange peel
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
200 ml white wine
small bunch of basil leaves, picked and torn
100 ml chicken or vegetable stock stock
selection of fresh herbs: chervil, fennel, basil
salt and pepper

Method
With a small knife, trim the hard leaves off the artichokes, remove the centre hairs and rub the artichokes with lemon juice.

Heat the oil in a deep casserole and fry the onions and the carrot until soft but not coloured. Stir in the tomatoes, orange peel, herbs and spices. Add the artichokes.

Pour in the wine and add enough water to cover the artichokes halfway, sprinkle over the torn basil and cover the pan with a lid. Cook slowly until tender, 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes.

Remove the artichokes from the pan, reduce the cooking juices and add a little chicken or vegetable stock to intensify the flavour. Season with salt and pepper and finish off with fresh herbs.

by Bernadette Evers

Apple Pancakes

Serves 4

Ingredients
for the pancakes
¾ cup milk (about 200 ml)
1½ tablespoons vinegar
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil

caramelized apples
2 tablespoon butter
2 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup maple syrup

Method
Whisk together the milk and vinegar and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

While the milk is curdling (the milk will literally start to separate. Don't be alarmed, this is supposed to happen!), whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk egg and oil into milk. Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until combined (don't over-mix, it should still have some lumps).

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and grease with some sunflower oil. Pour large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan. Cook about 2 minutes until bubbles form and the edges start to look "dry". Use a spatula to flip the pancakes and cook another 1-2 minutes on the other side. Set the pancakes aside and repeat with remaining batter.

Using the same pan, add the butter, apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir over medium heat 3-5 minutes until apples are tender. Add the maple syrup. Serve the apples over the warm pancakes.

by Bernadette Evers

Melksalon

From 1 to 30 april this year something new is taking place in Amsterdam. The pop up Melksalon (Milk Shop) opens its doors! This temporary pilot and design store brings consumers, dairy farmers, dairy processors, designers and scientists together to rediscover the value of milk. There will be lectures, organized design sessions, movie nights and city walks. Chefs will also provide a series of special dinners. At the same time the Melksalon is a store and milk bar where you can walk in and taste different kinds of milk.

History and background
On 1 april, the European milk quota, which restricts the amount of milk that dairy farmers can produce was lifted. The Melksalon pop-up store also facilitates, at the perfect moment, a dialogue as to the relevance of milk in today's modern society.

Around 1900 many milk parlours were found on the streets of Amsterdam, where the city's inhabitants enjoyed a glass of milk from local farmers. Nowadays, we buy milk from the supermarket, but milk has always played an important role in Dutch history, (food) culture, the economy, innovation and the landscape. Yet, few realise the rich influence milk has had. Milk in the supermarket is often an anonymous bulk product. At the same time, there is a strong public debate going on about the consumption of milk, the influence on the environment and landscape, and the price one pays.

We enjoyed a tasting of 4 different milks, each with their own flavour, sweetness and richness. We also tried the steamed buns, made using a milk-based dough, the one filled with a braised Asian beef and the other with sweet peas.

A great new addition to Amsterdam. Go and visit while it still lasts.

For more information, please visit Melksalon.

by Bernadette Evers

Sausages Rolls

Ingredients
500 g sausage mince
1 egg
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
40 ml Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
sea salt and cracked black pepper
250g puff pastry
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
sesame seeds to sprinkle

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Combine the mince, eggs, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Roll out the pastry to 3 mm thick and cut into 12cm x 24 cm pieces or cut each ready-rolled pastry sheet in half.

Divide the sausage mixture into six equal portions, roll into sausage shapes and place down the centre of each piece of pastry. Roll to enclose, placing the pastry seam underneath.Cut the sausage rolls into thirds and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Brush with the egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

by Bernadette Evers