Babylonstoren
Earlier this year, to celebrate 10 years of working together, we travelled to Mischa's home town of Cape Town in South Africa.
We were greeted by warm summer sunshine, the most amazing food and gorgeous wines. For some time now, we had heard about the beautiful wine estate of Babylonstoren, situated between Franschoek and Stellenbosch. Driving up on the long dirt road on a scorching hot Sunday afternoon, with vineyards on either side and the mountains ahead of us, we were certainly in for a treat.
The manicured and sculpted gardens, also referred to as the Versaille of Africa, welcomed us. The fertile land produces the most amazing, ripe and varied ingredients which are used in their two restaurants, The Greenhouse, which offers a more laid back and relaxed atmosphere and their fine-dining restaurant Babel.
Hours can be spent wandering through the gardens and surroundings. If you have more time, and the budget, you can also stay in the Farm Hotel, which is tailored to be your home away from home. There's also a spa where you can be pampered and rejuvenated.
The shop sells the most beautiful local produced - think artisan breads baked right on the premises, meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables. Not to mention their own label wines, books and other beautiful items.
The only way to best appreciate this magnificent part of the world is not by reading the written word, but by experiencing it trough photos and images, or better yet, by going and visiting it for yourself.
For more information, visit Babylonstoren.
Bilder & de Clercq's New Recipes Week 24 - 2016
As the chefs of Bilder & de Clercq, we develop new recipes for them every week. We'll keep you updated with the week's newest recipes. This weeks recipes are:
Partners Dinner
Amsterdam Flavours would not be what or where it is today without the support of our esteemed partners. ArcLinea, Smeg, Wusthof, Le Creuset, Magimix, Baden Baden Interior, Sonos, Leica and Quooker have teamed up with us to create an all-round culinary experience. And it shows at what we have managed to a put together at our new home at the Westergasfabriek.
As a thank you for their ongoing support, we hosted a dinner in their honour last week. A small way we can show our appreciation and how much they mean to us. It was a lovely informal evening with good food, good wine and good conversation. We have decided to make this a yearly event - isn't that what family's do?
A special thank you must go out to Cichi Dining Experience for the beautiful table settings.
Magimix Patissier
The kitchen all-rounder
All Magimix food processors are manufactured in France and equipped with a powerful, ultra quiet induction motor. Serrated Sabatier stainless steel blades are also made in France and stay sharper for longer.
Just 3 buttons to access all functions. The motor automatically adjusts it's power for each task. A recipe book full of ideas is supplied with each machine. A blade safe storage box provides compact storage for main blades, whisks & discs.
When used with the stainless steel bowl, the dough/pastry blade is perfect for kneading bread or pastry dough in less than 1 minute.
Fitted with the master blade, the Blender Mix converts your food processor into a blender. By changing the flow of the ingredients, this simple tool adds yet another function to your Magimix.
The multipurpose metal master blade is ideal for doing a host of things. From mincing meat, crushing ice, pureeing soups and much more. Made from Sabatier steel, the master blade will help you achieve professional results everytime.
You can also convert your Patissier into a Citrus Press. Just pop the included attachment on the main bowl and you are ready to juice oranges, limes, lemons and any other citrus fruit.
The whisk attachment is perfect for getting fluffy egg whites (up to 12 eggs) for mousse, meringue and macarons. It can also whip cream effortlessly for that professional result.
Magimix innovation now allows you to dice. The first of it's kind on the market, the dicing kit can be used to make cubes out of just about anything from onions to potatoes to carrots and much more. Leave the Magimix off and use it as a kit for French Fries!
Convert your Patissier into a juicer with the Juice Extractor kit. Juice any vegetable for healthy drinks without additives. It is also great for berries and cooked vegetables. The removeable ring allows for easy cleaning.
The Patissier comes with 2 slicing and 2 grating discs. Ideal for slicing and grating any fruit or vegetable with ease.
Chefs Opinion
The Magimix Patissier is a new addition to our kitchen. We have used it to make cakes and pastries with fantastic results and we look forward to creating new and delicious dishes with it in the near future.
For more information, visit Magimix.
Hotel De Hallen
Sleep and eat in a former tram depot!
Vondel Hotels' sixth hospitality project is Hotel De Hallen, which opened in April 2014. The new hotel is situated in one of Amsterdam’s finest industrial heritage sites. The blue steel and rusty highlights of this former tram depot become an inspiration to each and every one of the guests. Imagine spacious surroundings with an abundance of plants, brought to perfection with modern and vintage furniture and design and decorated with a selection of contemporary art, handpicked by the owner Arjen van Den Hof. The modern facilities and quality of service are outstanding. Hotel De Hallen is a must see, the perfect place for a nice stay in Amsterdam and for social and corporate events. The former tram depot has been restored preserving the original elements and formed into a hotel with 55 rooms, a beautiful lobby, meeting room in boardroom set up, bar, terrace and restaurant Remise47. In this restaurant with French/International cuisine guests and locals enjoy classic and modern signature dishes, matching wines and surprising cocktails. The fashion and museum districts, Amsterdam’s breath-taking canals and the Jordaan district are all within walking distance.
Hotel De Hallen is part of a former tram depot that dates back to 1902 and is situated in Amsterdam West. Along with architect Andre van Stigt, they tried to keep elements of the former depot visible to give an industrial touch to the look and feel for the hotel. In addition to the hotel, the 2,700-square-metre De Hallen project includes a library, cinema, boutiques and covered food market.
For more information please visit: Hotel de Hallen
Green smoothie
Ingredients
3 apples
1 small cucumber
1/2 pineapple
small bunch parsley
1/2 cup natural yoghurt
Method
Peel the apples, remove the core and seeds and chop up. Peel the pineapple, remove the core and chop roughly.
Peel the cucumber and cut into chunks. Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into tall glasses and serve garnished with fresh strawberries.
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
Restaurant Keizersgracht 238
Restaurant Keizersgracht 238
Marvel at evocative views of Amsterdam’s most romantic canal while dining at Restaurant Keizersgracht 238. Its elegant ambience comprises a charming terrace along the canal, garden seating, an open kitchen, and unique artwork.
Savor a culinary experience during lunch or dinner in Restaurant Keizersgracht 238 offering grilled specialties and local market-fresh ingredients products with a wide open window to the world. Entrées include fresh whole lobster from the grill with lime mayonnaise, fennel salad, basil oil, and new potatoes, as well as Côte de Boeuf and dry-aged Weiderund entrecote, each served with our 238 herb butter, béarnaise sauce, and onion rings. Meals can be perfectly paired with a bottle from our distinguished wine list. Superb cuisine, a distinctive selection of wines and a unique atmosphere make Restaurant Keizersgracht 238 an ideal choice for dining.
For more information please visit Restaurant Keizersgracht 238.
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
ELLE Eten Magazine No.3 - 2014
Since April 2013, ELLE Eten magazine features one of our Bilder & de Clercq recipes. For each edition, we hand pick a recipe. This edition features our marinated strawberries with mint and 'clotted' cream.
Bilder & de Clercq's new recipes week 31
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:
