Eggs Cocotte Florentine with Samphire

A prefect hearty Sunday breakfast or brunch . We've given it a twist with the addition of salty samphire but feel free to use spinach if you can't find any.

English

Serves 2

Ingredients
100g samphire or 500g spinach
20g  butter
125ml crème fraiche
75g grated Parmesan
4 eggs
4 thick slices white or whole wheat bread
salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the roasting tray in the oven and half fill with hot water. Bring a small pan of water to the boil and cook the samphire for 1 minute or wilt the spinach in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Drain off the water and leave in the colander.

Grease 4 ramekins with butter and divide the samphire or spinach between them.

Beat the crème fraiche to loosen and season with salt and pepper. Spoon into the ramekins, grind over some pepper and sprinkle over half the cheese.

Press lightly with the back of a spoon to create a ‘crater’ and carefully break in the eggs, ensuring the yolk stays intact. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.

Place the ramekins in the roasting tray filled with hot water and cook 8-10 minutes for soft cooked or 20 minutes for hard cooked.

Toast the white or whole wheat bread until golden brown and cut into ‘soldiers’ (strips). Serve the eggs cocotte with the toast soldiers.

Nederlands

voor 2 personen

Ingrediënten
100g zeekraal of 500g spinazie
20g boter
125ml crème fraiche
75g geraspte parmezaan kaas
4 eieren
4 dikke sneden wit- of bruinbrood
zout en peper

Bereiding
Verwarm de oven voor op 180 °C. Zet de ovenschaal in de oven en giet deze voor de helft vol met heet water. Breng een pannetje water aan de kook en kook de  zeekraal voor 1 minuut of bak de spinazie in een beetje olijfolie met zout en peper tot geslonken. Giet het water af en laat de  uitlekken in een zeef.

Vet 4 ramekins in met boter. Schep de zeekraal of spinazie erin.

Klop de crème fraiche los en breng op smaak met een klein beetje zout. Schep de room in de ramekins, maal er wat peper over en bestrooi met de helft van de kaas.

Druk het zachtjes aan en breek de eitjes er bovenop, zorg dat de dooier heel blijft. Bestrooi met de rest van de kaas.

Zet de ramekins in de ovenschaal met heet water en bak au bain marie tot de eieren de gewenste gaarheid hebben , 8-10 minuten voor zachtgekookt, 20 minuten voor hardgekookt.

Plaats het wit- of bruinbrood in een broodrooster, toast ze goudbruin en snijd de toastjes in soldaatjes. Serveer de oeufs cocotte met de broodsoldaatjes.


Sabayon with Raspberries

Sabayon, in French or Zabaglione in Italian is a well known dessert of eggs yolks, sugar and usually an alcohol of some sort, whisked over a bain-marie until the eggs become light and fluffy. A delicious classic and a technique everyone should try and master.

English

Serves 2

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 punnet raspberries
45g sugar
6 tablespoons Marsala, sweet white wine, Grand Marnier of orange juice

Method
Place a small pot with some water on to boil. Turn the gas to its lowest setting; the water should not be allowed to boil anymore. Crack and separate the eggs, placing the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar and orange juice or alcohol of your choice. Whisk it well until frothy.

Set the bowl over the pot hot water (making sure the bowl is not in contact with the water) and whisk until the mixture is frothy and thick enough that it doesn’t fall back on itself, at least 5 minutes. Do not overheat the sabayon or it will turn into scrambled eggs! When the sabayon is ready, remove the bowl from the pan and whisk for a few more minutes until it cools down a bit.

Divide the raspberries between 2 bowls or glasses.

Spoon the warm sabayon over the raspberries. If you have a blowtorch, you can lightly caramelize the sabayon for an extra finish. Serve at once.

Nederlands

voor 2 personen

Ingrediënten
3 eieren
1 bakje frambozen
45g suiker
6 eetlepels Marsala, zoete witte wijn, Grand Marnier of sinaasappelsap

Bereiding
Zet een pannetje met een laag water op het vuur en breng aan de kook. Zet het vuur laag, water mag nu niet meer koken. Splits de eieren en doe de dooiers in een kom met de suiker en sinaasappelsap en /of alcohol. Klop goed met een garde.

Zet de kom boven op de pan met warm water en klop het mengsel schuimig tot het dik genoeg is  zodat het niet meer inzakt, minstens 5 minuten. Laat de sabayon niet te warm worden, dan wordt het roerei!

Verdeel de frambozen over 2 kommen.

Lepel de warme sabayon over de frambozen. Mocht uw een gasbrander hebben, dan kan de sabayon van boven licht gegratineerd worden. Serveer meteen.


Courgette Carbonara

Serves 2

Ingredients
150 g  spaghetti (regular, wholewheat or spelt)
2 courgettes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
3 eggs
50g grated Parmesan
50g grated Pecorino
1 small bunch of basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Coarsely grate the courgettes and finely chop the onion and garlic. In a bowl, whisk together 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sweat the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for a further 1 minute. Add the grated courgette and fry for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the spaghetti in the pan boiling water according to the instructions on the pack. Pick the basil leaves. Drain the spaghetti, reserving a cup of the cooking water.

Mix the spaghetti with the courgette mixture. Remove the pan from the heat, add the eggs and half of each cheese. Mix all the ingredients well and add some of the pasta cooking liquid to create a ‘creamy’ pasta. Add some extra salt and pepper if necessary.

Divide the pasta between 2 bowls. Scatter over the basil leaves and sprinkle with the remaining cheeses.

 


Madeleines

Matcha (green tea) Madeleines

Makes about 12

Ingredients
100g caster sugar
100g flour
1 egg
Lemon zest and juice of ½ lemon
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon matcha powder
100g butter and some extra for greasing the tin

Method
1 Preheat oven to 200 C˚. Melt the butter in a small pan and grease the baking tin. Sprinkle lightly with some flour, shaking off the excess. Mix the dry ingredients together.
2 Whisk the eggs and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Fold the dry ingredients carefully carefully through the beaten eggs followed by the melted butter. Let stand for 15 minutes.
3 Fill each mold in the Madeleine baking tin ¾ full with the batter. Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes or until cooked through. Leave them to cool for 1 minute in the tin and then gently remove. Put them on a rack to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar.


Mushroom Carbonara

A vegetarian version of one of our favourite pasta dishes.

Serves 2

Ingredients
500 g mixed mushrooms
200 g tagliatelle
3 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic
4 eggs
250 ml cream
75 g grated Parmesan
Olive oil (3 tablespoons)
Salt
Pepper

Method
1
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Finely chop the garlic. Wipe the mushrooms clean with a piece of kitchen paper and remove the hard stalks. Cut the mushrooms in half, if necessary.
2
Heat a frying pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Strip the thyme leaves off the stalks. Fry the mushrooms for about 4 minutes until golden brown. Add the garlic and thyme leaves to the pan for the final minute of cooking.
3
Place the tagliatelle in the pot of boiling water and cook for about 4-6 minutes or until al dente. Drain the pasta off and return to the pot. Separate the eggs; place the yolks in a small bowl and whisk together with 200 ml of the cream, salt and pepper.
4
Mix the tagliatelle with the egg and cream mixture, the fried mushrooms and half the Parmesan, until the egg yolks warm through and begin to thicken and coat the pasta (you might need to do this over a very low heat). Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pasta into a bowl and scatter with the remaining Parmesan.


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


Shakshuka

One of our favourite vegetarian dishes to come from the Middle East, Shakshuka is dish of eggs poached in a pepper and tomato stew. To spice things up a bit, we add a little harissa.

Serves 4

Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
1-2 tablespoons harissa
1 tin tomato puree
2 red peppers
2 yellow peppers
2 onions
3 cloves garlic
2 tins peeled tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 eggs
1 small tub Greek yoghurt

Method
1
Slice the peppers and onions into thin strips and finely chop the garlic.
2
Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the peppers for about 10 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute. Add the harissa, the tin tomato puree and the cumin to the pan and fry for a further 10 minutes.
3
Add the tin of tomatoes, salt, pepper and 200 ml water to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
4
Make 8 ‘wells’ in the sauce. Gently crack the eggs into the wells. Place a lid over the pan and cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until the egg whites have set and the yolks are still soft. Swirl the egg white through the sauce using a fork so that it sets quicker, if you wish. Season with salt and pepper.
5
Place the Greek yoghurt in small bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
6
Divide the sauce and eggs between 4 plates. Serve with the Greek yoghurt.

Delicious served with fresh bread or pita.

 


Double-baked goat cheese Souffle

This is one of our go-to recipes for a light lunch of vegetarian main course. The beauty is that it can be made ahead of time and the last baking done just before serving. It's light and full of flavour.

 For 4-6 ramekin moulds

Ingredients
40g butter
40g flour
250ml warmed milk (1 cup)
250g soft goat cheese, crumbled
3 eggs, separated
250ml cream (1 cup)
6 Tbsp grated firm goat cheese

Method
Melt the butter, then stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in the warmed milk. Bring to the boil, still whisking. Remove from the heat and beat in the soft goat cheese. Beat in the egg yolks and seasoning to taste, then fold in the beaten egg whites.

Spoon into 4-6 well-buttered soufflé dishes and place in a baking pan of hot water. Bake at 220°C for 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in their moulds. To bake a second time, lift the cooled soufflés out of their dishes into a buttered baking dish. Pour over the cream and generously sprinkle with the grated goats cheese. Bake at 230°C for 10 minutes or until puffed and golden.

We like to serve our souffles with a roasted beetroot. Here's the recipe:

Roasted beetroot salad

Ingredients
2kg mixed beetroot, washed
olive oil
garlic cloves, skin on
sprigs of rosemary and thyme
coarse sea salt and black pepper

Method
Line a roasting tray with a double layer of aluminium foil, making show the there is an overhang on the sides. Lay the beetroot in. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Scatter over the garlic cloves and herbs.

Gather the ends of the foil together making a parcel to enclose the beetroot. Ensure that it’s not too tight as the beetroot won’t cook.

Place in a 220°C oven for at least and hour, depending on the size of the beetroot, until tender. Allow to cool slightly. Peel the beetroot and slice into a bowl. Season with some more salt and pepper, a good quality olive oil and an aged balsamic vinegar. Add some chopped parsley or tarragon to finish. Serve with the goats cheese soufflé.


Chocolate Mousse

There are certain recipes one needs to have in their repertoire and a good chocolate mousse is one of them. Here is our recipe that we have been making for years.

Serves 4

Ingredients
175 g dark chocolate (minimum 50% cocoa solids), chopped
60 ml strong black coffee
4 eggs, separated
15 g butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 15 ml liqueur of your choice
45 g castor sugar

Method
Heat the chocolate in the coffee over a low heat, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Simmer until slightly thickened but still falling easily from the spoon. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolks, one by one, in to the hot mixture so that they thicken slightly. Beat in the butter and vanilla or liqueur. Let the mixture cool until just warm.

Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Add the sugar and continue whisking for 30 seconds to make a light meringue. Fold into the warm chocolate mixture. Pour into pots or glasses and chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. Serve lightly dusted with cocoa powder of with whipped cream.

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

 


Shakshuka

Shakshuka is an Israeli breakfast dish consisting of eggs poached in a sauce of peppers and tomato. In recent years it has become more famous and found it's way into many new restaurants and cafes around the world. Here's how to make it yourself.

Serves 2

Ingredients
olive oil
1 teaspoon harissa paste
1 onion
1 red pepper
1 yellow red pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tin tomatoes
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt
pepper
4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt, to serve
coriander or parsley leaves to serve, optional
crispy bread or pita's, to serve

Method
Slice the onion and peppers into thin strips and finely chop the garlic.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the peppers and onions for about 10 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute. Add the harissa, cumin and smoked paprika powder to the pan and fry for a further 3 minutes.

Add the tin of tomatoes, salt, pepper and 100 ml water to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Make 4 ‘wells’ in the sauce. Gently crack the eggs into the wells. Place a lid over the pan and cook over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes until the egg whites have set and the yolks are still soft. Swirl the egg white through the sauce using a fork so that it sets quicker, if you wish. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the Greek yoghurt in small bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Divide the sauce and eggs between 2 plates. Serve with the Greek yoghurt. Delicious served with fresh bread or pita.

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