Lemon cakes

Ingredients
butter for greasing the tin
5 eggs
300 g castor sugar
140 ml cream
finely grated zest of 3 lemons
25 ml dark rum
pinch of salt
80 g unsalted butter, melted
240 g flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

For the glaze
50 g apricot jam, warmed
finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 3 tablespoons juice
150 g icing sugar

Method
Preheat the oven to 180° C. Lightly grease the loaf tin (26 x 9cm) with butter and line with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cream, lemon zest, rum, salt and melted butter. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then whisk into the egg mixture until smooth.

Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and gently level the surface. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, turning the tin around halfway through cooking. Test the cake by inserting a small knife or skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean, then the cake is cooked. Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Lightly brush the cake all over with the warm apricot jam. Leave for 5 minutes. Mix the lemon zest and juice with the icing sugar in a small pan and heat until lukewarm and smooth. Brush the lemon glaze evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Leave for a few minutes to set.

Place the cake on a baking tray in the oven, turn off the heat and leave for 3 - 5 minutes to dry the glaze - it will become translucent. Allow to cool before slicing.

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

Curious to taste these delicious lemon cakes? Like & share the Amsterdam Flavours facebookpage and maybe you will be the lucky winner of two lemon cakes. THE WINNERS ARE: Jan Kleijn, Jaqueline Kalma en Marianne Bitter. Congrats and enjoy! You can send your home adres to: info@amsterdamflavours.com


Caulils

Caulils delicatessen & catering is the place in Amsterdam for the conscience connoisseur.

They stand for pure, refined and responsible ingredients.

All their products have been selected with passion and care, with a sincere love for food. They sell fantastic raw-milk cheeses, various meats, unique wines and many other desirable ingredients.

They also offer a catering service ranging from breakfast and high tea to dinners and parties.

For more information please visit Caulils.

 


Fattoush

Ingredients
2 pita pocket breads, cut into strips about 2 cm wide, then toasted and crumbled
2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tomatoes, diced (let them drain a minute or two if extra juicy)
1/2 cucumber, diced (same size as tomatoes)
small bunch coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
small bunch coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (leaves only, no stems)

Dressing
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped (depending on how garlic you like it)
1 teapoon salt
lemon juice, to taste
1 teaspoon Sumac, plus more for sprinkling at the end if desired)
125 ml extra virgin olive oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C. While the oven heats, mash together the chopped garlic and salt using a mortar and pestle, or the side of a knife. Put the garlic paste in a small bowl, then the add lemon juice and 1 teaspoon Sumac. Whisk in the olive oil and set dressing aside. (You can also make the dressing in a glass jar and shake to combine.)

Cut the pita into strips about 2 cm wide and arrange on baking sheet. Bake until the pita strips are crisp but only just starting to brown, less than 10 minutes. Watch carefully as they can go from crisp to overly brown rather quickly.

Remove the outer leaves from the Romaine, trim the stem end and then wash and dry with paper towels. Cut  the Romaine into quarters lengthwise, then turn and chop crosswise into small pieces. (If you have a salad spinner, you can chop the Romaine first, then wash it.) Put chopped lettuce into salad bowl large enough toss all ingredients.

Chop tomatoes, spring onions, cucumbers, mint, and parsley and add to the lettuce. Add about half of the dressing and toss, then add the crumbled pita chips and toss again with more dressing. (You may not want to use all the dressing, but this salad should be quite wet.) At this point the salad should sit for a few minutes (or longer) to let flavours blend and so the pita chips absorb some of the dressing. To serve, arrange the salad on a platter and sprinkle with a bit more Sumac.

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


Private dining in the Jordaan

Imagine an intimate dinner in a traditional Amsterdam canal house in one of the city's most beautiful areas, the Jordaan.

From the moment you enter, you will be welcomed with a drink and small bites. Then, once you have taken your seat at the long dining table, relax and enjoy a delicious dinner and fine wines.

If you would like to host an evening for up to for 14 - 16 people in a relaxed and homely environment, contact us below. We have a set menus from which to choose with accompanying wines, however, we are more than happy to tailor the food and wine to your wishes.

Contact us for more details.

 


Spaghetti Vongole

Serves 4

Ingredients
400 g spaghetti
1 kg vongole or clams
1 red chilli pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch parsley
olive oil
120 ml white wine
salt and ground black pepper

Method
Place the vongole in a bowl of cold water to soak. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Remove the seeds from the chilli and chop finely together with the garlic.

Place the pasta in the pot of boiling water and cook for about 10-12 minutes until al dente.

In the meantime, begin with the sauce. Drain the water from the vongole. Heat a pan with 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the chilli and garlic and fry for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the vongole and white wine. Mix well, bring to a boil and cover the pan with a lid. Cook the vongole for about 3-5 minutes until they have all opened, shaking the pan every so often.

Finely chop the parsley and stir through the vongole. Season with salt and pepper. Drain the spaghetti and combine with the vongole. Divide between 4 plates and finish with a good drizzle of olive oil.

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

 


The perfect green salad

The perfect green salad relies on the freshness of it's ingredients, the variety of lettuces and herbs you add and of course the perfect balance between a good olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice.

Start with a selection of leaves and herbs, preferably from the market. Examples are butter lettuce, cos, frisse, chicory, rocket and watercress. Bring in some freshness with herbs - mint, flat leaf parsley, onion cress, chives and basil.

You can add some texture if you like in the form of green asparagus (lightly blanched or grilled) or croutons.

Place all the ingredients for your salad in a large bowl. It's important to have room to lightly toss your salad with the dressing so that each leaf is evenly coated and not bruised by being over-worked.

The next important step is the dressing. The dressing should never overwhelm a salad, but compliment it's ingredients. The simplest and best form is a vinaigrette made from good olive oil, good vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper.

 

Basic vinaigrette dressing
2 tablespoons vinegar or 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
90 ml extra virgin olive oil

Method
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar or lemon juice with the salt, pepper and mustard if using.
Gradually whisk in the oil in a steady stream until the vinaigrette is blended and thickened. Taste for seasoning. If the dressing separates, bring it back together by whisking rapidly.

Once you have your dressing made, pour it over the salad at the very last moment just before serving. Remember the word 'dressing' says it all - it should just be a light coating around the leaves and not flood the salad. Remember too that if the dressing is added too long in advance, the vinegar or lemon juice will begin cooking the leaves and they will turn limp and soggy.

Your salad can be put together with whatever you have or is in season. Feel free to add other ingredients to turn it in to a more substantial meal. Think too about adding different flavours to your vinaigrette in the form of chopped garlic, shallot, herbs or flavoured vinegars.

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


Smashed avocado and baked egg

Ingredients
4 slices bread of your choice
2 haas avocados
2 eggs
olive oil
salt and pepper
sprinkling of ground cumin

Method
Halve the avocados, remove the stones and scoop out the flesh. Coarsely mash in a bowl with fork and season with salt and pepper. If you wish, you can add a few drops of lemon juice.

Toast the bread until golden and crispy. Heat a non-stick frying pan with a splash of olive oil. Fry the eggs until cooked to your liking (we prefer sunny side up with a soft yolk). Season with a little salt and pepper.

Spread the mashed avocado on the toast and top with the fried egg. Sprinkle with a touch of ground cumin, 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

 


Blackberries from the oven

Ingredients
150 g black berries
125 g mascarpone
2 eggs
1 vanilla pod
30 g flaked almonds
1 small bunch mint
castor sugar
butter, for greasing the dish

Method
Preheat the oven to 220° C. In a bowl, mix together the 2 egg yolks with the mascarpone, seeds from the scraped vanilla pod and about 1-2 tablespoons sugar, or to your taste.

Grease an oven dish with butter. Scatter the base of the dish with the blackberries. Sprinkle the berries with sugar to taste, depending on how sour they are. Spoon over the mascarpone-egg mixture and scatter with the flaked almonds.

Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until the mascarpone is lightly coloured and set.

Finely chop the mint and sprinkle over the dish as it comes out of the oven.

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 36

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:

Cauliflower tagineSausages with lentils

Macaroni with ham and cheeseSteak with blue cheese


Scallops with Garlic Butter and Spinach

For 2 as a starter

Ingredients
4 scallops
2 cloves garlic
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
1 lemon
300 g baby spinach
30 g butter
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Heat a wok with 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir fry the spinach for 2 minutes until wilted. Drain as much liquid from the spinach as you can. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Lightly season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Fry the scallops for 1 minute on each side until golden brown and still slightly translucent in the middle. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with aluminium foil.

Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper and place on a medium heat. Finely chop the garlic and parsley.

Add the butter to the pan and as soon as it begins to foam, add the garlic and parsley. Swirl the pan to mix the ingredients.

Season with salt, pepper and ± 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Return the scallops to the pan with the butter.

Divide the spinach between 2 plates and place the scallops on top. Spoon over the garlic butter and serve with a wedge of lemon. Delicious with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

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