Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 45
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:
Fromagerie Kef
Fromagerie Kef is one of our favourite cheese shops in Amsterdam. As you walk in, you are immediately hit with an intoxicating aroma of delicious cheeses.
The shop, which has been in existence for 62 years, stocks an array of local and international cheeses from small producers. The fridges and cheese cellar are always brimming with these edible gems. The cheese is often ripened in the shop, ensuring that when you purchase it, it will be at it's best for eating and enjoying.
We love that when you purchase your cheese, they are loving wrapped, including the name of the cheese. When you get home, it's like unwrapping little presents of joy. The shop also stocks bread from bakery Niemeijer, chutneys, wines and charcuterie to complete your cheese board.
The staff are always on hand to give you advice if you need it.
On Sunday's you can order small cheese platters to enjoy in the store with a glass of wine.
Fromagerie Kef is our preferred supplier for our caterings and dinners.
For more information please visit Fromagerie Kef.
Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 44
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:
De Foodhallen
De Foodhallen, Amsterdam's brand new and first permanent indoor market, is open. With it's bustling and vibey atmosphere, this is definitely the place to be seen.
Housed in an old tram depot in Amsterdam West, the Hallen and Foodhallen have been stunningly renovated and preserved.
We visited on a Saturday morning and had the privilege of first visiting the Local Goods Market. We tasted and we talked. We love the passion and enthusiasm these small local producers have for their products and we discovered some really fantastic new things. We'll be giving the ones really liked more attention in coming columns.
De Foodhallen itself is a melting pot of deliciousness; a culinary journey round the world. There is something on offer for everyone - hotdogs, hamburgers, Vietnamese, Turkish, Spanish and of course, home-grown Dutch.
The idea is a simple one. Choose what you want to eat from one of the many Artisan kitchens, grab a drink and a table in the middle of the hall and enjoy. We didn't get a chance to taste everything, so we will be going back to try some more and write about them in more detail.
We do hope, however, that they add a permanent market like one sees in Southern Europe selling vegetables, meats. etc. That would really be the icing on the cake.
For more information please visit Foodhallen
Reizende Sterren
Street food is becoming ever more popular and more accessible. Reizende Sterren (Rising Stars) is a book documenting the growing number of mobile kitchens and food trucks in the Netherlands.
The chapters begin by telling the story behind each of the talented and passionate entrepreneurs; their reasons for choosing to do what they have.
Each featured kitchen has supllied a recipe for their signature dish, so you cooking some delicious street food at home.
Think, slow-cooked pork belly with cauliflower cream,puffed quinoa and mustard oil from Smokey Goodness or The Thriller Burger from the Thrill Grill.
This book is ideal for those who love fast food with a twist!
Publisher: Uitgeverij Komma
Author: Monica Abdoel
Price: 29,95 euro
Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 43
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:
Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes week 42
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:
The Mighty Spice Cookbook
Spice up your life with The Mighty Spice Cookbook.
In this book, John Gregory-Smith has travelled through Asia and North Africa to bring us delicious and easy-to-prepare recipes.
John Gregory-Smith loves spices so much that a few years ago decided to establish his own business, The Mighty Spice Company. His aim is to show everyone how easy it is to cook with spices and above all, how delicious they are.
The use of spices requires a delicate touch, as they can so often over-power a dish or shift it's balance. The recipes in this book contain no more than 5 different spices each.
The book is divided into chapters covering soups & salads, meat, fish, through to desserts. Heat and spice levels are also indicated. The recipes are clear and concise and we like the addition of side dishes from the book to combine with each recipe. At the back of the book there is also a detailed overview of all spices.
Publisher: Veltman Uitgevers
Author: John Gregory-Smith
Price: 19,99 euro
We Love Beef
We Love Beef shows how versatile beef is and how we should be using all of it from nose to tail.
In this book, two of Hollands most well known chefs, Alain Caron, known to most as a judge on the Dutch Masterchef and Richard van Oostenbrugge, excutive chef at restaurant Bord'eau at Amsterdam's De L'Europe Hotel have travelled to England to discover beef of superb quality and what can be done with it.
Each chapter in the book covers different sections of beef, for example the forequarter, hindquarter and offal. Why it's so useful is that special attention needs to be paid to the specific cuts when it comes to the cooking methods applied.
A brilliant addition to the book is the beef A-Z, with detailed information on the different cuts, their uses and cooking methods to achieve the best results.
Each chef has filled the book with personal recipes in each chapter. There is a wonderful range of home-style and restaurant-style recipes.
A great book which will introduce readers and cooks to new ways with beef.
Publisher: Carrera Culinair
Authors: Alain Caron & Richard van Oostenbrugge
Price: 25,00 euro
Guest Chef Competition Bilder & De Clercq
Over the past few weeks Bilder & de Clercq has been running a Guest Chef competition. Via social media, advertisements in Het Parool newspaper and via their website, they were calling on the citizens of Amsterdam to send in their best recipes.
We, together with Rogier, one of the founders of Bilder & de Clercq, were appointed as judges for the competition.
After being inundated with entries, we set to work creating a shortlist of our top recipes. We did so with certain criteria in mind:
- would we as Bilder & de Clercq customers buy the dish
- does the dish have a minimal number of ingredients
- would it come in on budget in line with all our Bilder & de Clercq dishes
- do we think it could be a delicious dish
After bringing the list down to 5 potential dishes, we selected 3 who would battle it out to be champion.
Fidan Tekinerdogan: Via her blog Fidalicious, Fidan creates exciting healthy vegan dishes. We chose her dish as it had a interesting way of utilising an ingredient which is very much in fashion at the moment and one that we have also used in a few of the recipes we have created for B&DC.
Kevin Corcoran: Kevin has recently entered the food world by being one of the creators of Nieuw Mosterd (available at Bilder & de Clercq stores). Together with his friends they are making mustard sexy again, with brilliant flavours and hip packaging. Kevin brought us an Asian-inspired dish which was easy, satisfying and full of flavour.
Doree den Hollander: Doree is passionate about all things food and that certainly comes across when talking to her. Through her blog Cato Cheftt, she cooks, creates recipes as writes food stories. Her dish used ingredients that we know work and that are also popular with B&DC customers. Doree is looking to make a career out of food and we're sure that it will happen soon.
This past Sunday, the finalists arrived, ingredients in hand, at the store on the Ceintuurbaan to battle it out and recreate their dishes for us. We say battle, but in fact it was a relaxed and really fun evening. What was interesting to see was how all 3 finalists differed in their approach to cooking. Fidan brought glamour and charm to the kitchen - we're still impressed how she created her dish in such high heels!
Doree was focused and meticulous, taking care that all her mise-en-place (preparation) was done before she started cooking. Kevin was relaxed and chilled, with all his prep done in the blink of an eye and being ever the gentleman, allowing the ladies to cook first.
Once all the dishes were completed, we sat down to do our tasting. We were so impressed with the standard of cooking and the flavours, knowing then that we had made the right selection. For that reason, it was decided that all 3 dishes will feature in the stores along with a photo of their creator.
However, as with every competition, we had to pick one overall winner. And that was Doree. We found that all the elements to her dish were cooked well and the flavours and seasoning were spot on.
You may have realised that we haven't mentioned what the contestants cooked. That's because we want that to be a surprise. All will be revealed in the coming weeks when we recreate their dishes for the recipes cards and posters. Stay tuned......