Author: Michiel and Jeen

Sharing our love for good food and excellent wine with you: mushrooms, sauces, forgotten vegetables, pies and tartelettes. Join us and Cook and Drink with us!

Fairy Ring Mushrooms with Tarragon and Fennel

17 August 2023

July was sunny and very warm in some parts of Europe, but not in the Netherlands. Moderate temperatures, a bit of sunshine, sometimes, and lots of rain. Not ideal for sunseekers but very promising for mushroom lovers.
Let’s enjoy one of our favourites, the Fairy Ring Mushroom, a very common mushroom in many countries. It’s a small, very edible mushroom, available from early spring until late autumn. Its taste is a bit sweet (the mushrooms contain a sugar called trehalose) and perhaps that’s why some people suggest using them to make sweet mushroom cookies.

In this recipe we enhance their specific sweetness by combining them with tarragon and fennel. Both come with their own sweetness plus a hint of liquorice and anise. Flavours that go very well with fish, veal and mushrooms. A delicious, aromatic and surprisingly light dish. We served the mushrooms and vegetables with veal rib eye.

Wine Pairing

A glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay could be nice, but we prefer an unoaked Merlot. A fruity red wine with an intense colour and flavours of strawberries and raspberries. For instance a glass of Merlot as produced by Di Lenardo in Italy.

What You Need

  • What You Need
  • Mushrooms
    • 150 grams of Fairy Ring Mushrooms
    • Tarragon
    • Vegetable Stock
    • Black Pepper
    • Olive Oil
  • Fennel
    • One Fennel
    • Fennel sprigs
    • Olive Oil
  • Veal Rib Eye

What You Do

Chop the fennel and add it to a pan with some olive oil. Allow to simmer. This may take 20 minutes.
Meanwhile clean the mushrooms with kitchen paper. Remove the stems. Chop the tarragon. Add olive oil to a heavy iron skillet and gently fry the mushrooms. No rush. Add the tarragon. Add one or two cubes of homemade vegetable stock. Reduce.
Happy with the firmness (or softness) of the fennel? Add some fresh tarragon and black pepper to the mushrooms. Taste and adjust. Add some fennel sprigs to the fennel, mix. Serve the fairy ring mushrooms and the fennel with gently fried veal rib eye (with some extra tarragon, obviously!).

Fairy Ring Mushrooms with Tarragon and Fennel ©cadwu
Early (non edible) Mushrooms ©cadwu

Tartelette aux Myrtilles

10 August 2023

We love seasonal products and although blueberries seem to be available all year round, however, we think they are best during summer. We use them to make a tartelette. Works very well as dessert, but also nice with a cup of afternoon tea.
Earlier we baked the tartelette shell ourselves, based on a recipe of Dutch patissier Cees Holtkamp. You could of course also rely on a French classic, for instance Tarte Tatin by Ginette Mathiot. You could also buy the shell and focus on the filling.

What You Need (Filling)

  • 500 grams of Blueberries
  • Gelatine
  • Sugar
  • Lemon Juice
  • Cream Cheese
  • Double Cream

What You Do (Filling)

Wash the blueberries. Keep a handful apart (to be used as decoration). Cook the blueberries with a touch of water and sugar for let’s say 5 minutes. Blender and keep on low heat. Add lemon juice to taste. Follow the instruction on the package of the gelatine. The idea is to thicken the blueberry mixture somewhat, but not to create a gummy layer. Add the gelatine, stir, transfer to the refrigerator and allow to set.
Whip the double cream and the add some cream cheese. We used Philadelphia Original Soft Cheese but you could also use Mascarpone for a fresher result. Taste and perhaps add more cream cheese or some lemon juice.

What You Need (Pâte Sucrée)

  • 50 grams of Butter
  • 125 grams of All Purpose Flour
  • 40 grams of Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • Pinch of Salt

What You Do (Crust)

We use tartelette moulds with a diameter of approximately 7 centimetres (2,75 inches). The butter must be soft but not warm (18 °C or 65 °F). Beat the egg. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Dice the butter and knead with the mixture. You could use a hand mixer with kneading hooks. When well mixed, add the egg and knead until you have a nice dough. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
Coat the moulds with butter. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Place it on a floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin. Perhaps dust the dough with flour. Divide the dough into 6 portions and make small circles. Press the pastry onto the bottom and to the sides. Cut of overhanging dough. Transfer to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 175 °C or 350 °F.
Line with parchment paper and use dry beans to fill the moulds. Blind bake for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and the beans. Bake for another 10 minutes. When golden brown, remove the tartelette from the mould and let cool on a grid.

Assemble

When cool and ready to serve, add the blueberry jam, the cream cheese mixture and decorate with remaining blueberries. The tartelette keeps well in the refrigerator for an hour or two. If you store them longer, then the blue of the berries will blur the cream cheese mixture.

Tartelette aux Myrtilles ©cadwu
Tartelette aux Myrtilles ©cadwu

Cauliflower with Mint and Cilantro

3 August 2023

Dutch cuisine and cauliflower? Nice, but not sensational. Normally the cauliflower will be broken into florets, cooked in water (and in the old days this meant cooking until the cauliflower was more than well done), drained and served with a béchamel sauce and nutmeg. That is, if you’re lucky, it can also be a thin sauce made with the cooking liquid and corn starch.
A pity because cauliflower is such a delicious and versatile vegetable. As curry, korma, gratin, casserole (with potatoes, thyme and garlic), in a pickled sauce, as vada (a snack from South-India), steamed or fried, all very yummy!
We combine our cauliflower with grilled lamb chops and a mint and cilantro sauce. Lots of flavours, colours and aromas!

Wine Pairing

Given the various spices we would suggest a white wine or a rosé. A glass of Verdejo will be a great choice if you decide to drink a glass of white wine. We opened a bottle of Monteabellón Rueda. The wine comes with the right acidity, bringing freshness to the dish. It has floral aromas typical for the Verdejo grape. You may recognize the aromas of banana and exotic fruit. A glass of Provence rosé will also be nice. Or our favorite rosé: Chiaretto di Bardolino, produced by Monte del Frà from Italy.

What You Need (Cauliflower)

  • One small Cauliflower
  • Turmeric
  • Fresh ginger
  • Garam Marsala
  • Red Onion
  • One clove of Garlic
  • Fresh Cilantro (optional)
  • Olive Oil

What You Do (Cauliflower)

Clean the cauliflower and break into florets. Peel and slice the fresh ginger, match size. Peel and slice the onion (rings). Chop the garlic. Add olive oil to the pan and fry the turmeric (curcuma) and the garam marsala on medium heat. After a few minutes add the florets. Make sure the florets are nicely coated with the spices. Now add the fresh ginger and the garlic. Reduce the heat somewhat. A few minutes begore serving add the sliced onion. You could add some cilantro, to bring the cauliflower and the sauce together.

What You Need (Sauce)

  • Three Mint Leaves
  • Lots of Cilantro
  • Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
  • One clove of Garlic
  • Ginger
  • ½ Green Chili Pepper (depending on the taste)
  • Olive Oil
  • Lemon Juice
  • Black Pepper

What You Do (Sauce)

Crush the cumin seeds in a mortar. Chop the garlic, some ginger and the green chili pepper. Combine everything and use a blender to make a smooth paste. Add lemon juice to taste. Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle some olive oil into the mixture and stir using a spoon. Happy with the consistency? Add black pepper and perhaps some extra lemon juice.

Cauliflower with Mint and Cilantro ©cadwu
Cauliflower with Mint and Cilantro ©cadwu

Classic Dutch Apple Pie

27 July 2023

Let’s enjoy some real Dutch comfort food, let’s make a classic Dutch Apple Pie, one that is rich and full of flavours. Could be eaten warm, could be served with whipped cream, as long as you use lots of apples, just the right amount of cinnamon and don’t forget to add some lemon zest to the dough.

Apple-wise you’re looking for a tart apple, one that will keep its structure when cooked. If the apple is very high in acid content (for instance the Belle de Boskoop, another Dutch classic, also known as Goudrenet) then you risk having compote in your pie. We prefer using Jonagold. Widely available, tasty, just the right firmness and not expensive.

Making a classic Dutch apple pie is a bit of work, especially when everything is homemade: the dough (shortcrust), the almond paste and the pie itself. Just keep thinking of the delicious result!

What You Need (Dough)

  • 50 grams of White Caster Sugar
  • 100 grams of soft Unsalted Butter
  • ½ Egg (beaten)
  • ½ teaspoon of Lemon Zest
  • 1 gram of Salt
  • 3 grams of Baking Powder
  • 150 grams of All Purpose Flour

What You Do

Adding an egg to the dough makes its flavour richer and the dough will be easier to handle when lining the baking tin. The lemon in the crust will work very well in combination with the cinnamon and the sweetness of the filling. Start by combining the sugar and the butter. Use a hand mixer with kneading hooks. When mixed, add halve of the beaten egg, then add the lemon zest. Combine salt, baking powder and flour. Pass through a sieve and add to the mixture. Use the kneading hooks to mix. When done, remove from the bowl and wrap in foil. Store in the refrigerator for at least two hours. The dough freezes well, so it’s a great idea to make a bit extra.

What You Need (Almond Paste)

  • 250 grams of Almond Flour
  • 225 grams of Sugar
  • 1 beaten Egg
  • (optional) Lemon Zest

What You Do

You could also use 250 grams of White Almonds. Grind these and continue as if Almond Flour.
Combine the flour and the sugar. Add the beaten egg and lemon zest. Mix until you have a paste. Keeps well in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for months.

What You Need (Classic Dutch Apple Pie)

  • 300 grams of Shortcrust Dough
  • 60 grams of Almond Paste
  • 700 grams of Jonagold
  • 30 grams of Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • 30 grams of Raisins
  • 30 grams of Currents
  • Butter
  • 1 beaten Egg

What You Do

Start by soaking the raisins and currents for 10 minutes in hot water. Drain and squeeze gently. This way the raisins will be tasty and moist. Preheat your oven to 200 °C or 390 °F. Peel the apples, remove the core and chop coarsely. Combine with the raisins, currents, sugar and cinnamon. Roll out the dough, it should be 4-5 mm (0,15-0,20 inch). Coat your pie tin with butter (we used a 15 cm, 6 inch tin). Line the tin with the dough. Don’t worry if the dough breaks; it’s easy to repair. Remove the excess dough. Roll out the almond paste and cover the bottom of the pie with it. Now add the apple mixture, make sure it’s a bit compact. Make strips from the remaining dough and use them to make a criss cross pattern (lattice) on top of the pie.

Transfer to the oven for in total 40-50 minutes. After 20 minutes reduce the heat to 160 °C or 320 °F and brush the strips with beaten egg. Allow to cool and then remove from the tin.

Apple Pie ©cadwu
Apple Pie sliced ©cadwu
Jonagold

Grilled Vegetable Salad

20 July 2023

A great example of a delicious dish, simple to prepare and nothing fancy required. Excellent vegetables, tasty olive oil, fresh rosemary and a bottle of rosé and crusted bread as accompaniment. Wonderful when enjoyed al fresco on a summer’s evening!
You can make the salad a few hours in advance, which is helpful if you have guests.

Wine Pairing

Combining wine and salad is not straightforward because in general acidity is an important aspect of the dressing and therefore of the salad. In this salad the acidity is not key to the overall flavour, it’s very much about the individual vegetables, brought together by the rosemary, the sweetness of the caramalised vegetables sugars, the subtle smokiness and the olive oil.

A rosé will be a good choice (a Bardolino 2022, produced by Monte del Frà from Italy or a rosé from the Provence region) but you could also combine the salad with a more present white wine, for instance a glass of Albariño Rias Baixas produced by Bodegas Bouza do Rei, made from 100% Albariño grapes. 

What You Need

  • 1 Zucchini
  • 1 red Bell Pepper
  • 1 Eggplant
  • Finely chopped fresh Rosemary
  • Olive Oil
  • White Wine Vinegar

What You Do

Wash the vegetables, quarter the bell pepper and slice the zucchini and eggplant. Heat your contact grill and grill the bell pepper 2 times 3 minutes until nicely charred. Dry the slices of egg plant and zucchini. Add olive oil to a plate and coat the slices of zucchini with olive oil, using a brush. Grill for 2 times 2 minutes. Same for the eggplant. Allow for the vegetables to cool. In the meantime, combine olive oil with a little vinegar and the finely chopped rosemary. Once cool, add the vegetables to the dressing and mix. Be careful, the eggplant is fairly brittle. Store the salad in the refrigerator and mix every hour or so. Serve with crusted bread.

Grilled Vegetable Salad ©cadwu
Grilled Vegetable Salad ©cadwu

Vegetable Stock

13 July 2023

It’s all too familiar, you’re reading a recipe, you like what you read until it says, “Use 250 ml home-made broth or dissolve a bouillon cube in 250 ml water”. Hm. The cube is not an option because it’s salty and salty only. Perhaps open a jar of (organic) fond made by Jürgen Langbein? Or make your own?

You only need four ingredients to make a very tasty vegetable stock: onion, leek, carrot and celery. The result is full of flavours, with a touch of sweetness, saltiness and length.

The combination of onion, carrot and celery is known as mirepoix in the French cuisine and as soffritto in the Italian kitchen. A classic when making a stew, a ragu or the aromatic base of a sauce. Adding leek to the combination makes it more complex and tastier.

The celery could be a bit confusing: should it be celeriac, the root (knob) or celery, the fibrous stalks? Some suggest using the root in winter and the stalks in summer. We suggest using the stalks in all cases. They are very aromatic and they bring saltiness to the stock, different from the root.

The stock freezes very well. We have two versions in our freezer, as ice cubes for sauces and small 250 ml containers for risotto, soup, a stew etcetera.
Problem solved!

What You Need
  • 1 Large Onion
  • 3 Celery Stalks
  • 1 Carrot
  • 1 Leek
  • 1 Bouquet Garni (Parsley, Bay Leaf, Chives)
  • Black Pepper Corn
What You Do
  1. Clean and chop the celery, the carrot and the onion
  2. Add all ingredients, some crushed pepper corns and the bouquet garni (if using) to a pan with cold water
  3. Allow to simmer for one hour
  4. Pass through a sieve, taste and decide if you want to reduce the liquid
  5. Use immediately or transfer to your freezer
PS

Three stalks of celery, you think, but what to do with the remaining ones? The answer is simple, chop the stalks, add to boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes, cool in ice water and freeze. They will be perfect for months. Ready to use as accompaniment with fish, with pork or as an ingredient of your mirepoix or soffritto. Or your vegetable stock, of course.

Vegetarian Stock ©cadwu
Onion, Carrot, Leek and Celery ©cadwu

Tataki

6 July 2023

Over the years tataki has become increasingly popular: beef, tuna, salmon, trout and even veal and deer tataki. But what is tataki actually? And what is tataki sauce?

Tataki originates from the Kōchi prefecture in Japan. The original dish is called katsuo-no-tataki. Katsuo (also known as Oceanic Bonito or Skipjack Tuna) is an important ingredient in the Japanese kitchen, for instance raw as sashimi and dried as katsuobushi (the flakes you need when making dashi).

The fish is seared very briefly in a huge rice straw fire. This way the fish becomes nicely coloured, the centre remains raw, and the flavour will be enhanced with smokiness. It is then sliced and served with a garlic, lemon (ponzu), soy and onion sauce, making Katsuo-no-tataki very different from other sashimi.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have a straw fire at home, so you need a very hot pan to sear the fish. Bonito is not widely available where we live, but tuna is a great alternative. Beef is a good idea, salmon is a possibility, veal and trout are definitely not good alternatives.

What You Need

  • Bonito (or Tuna or Beef Tenderloin)
  • Light Soy Sauce (Tsuyu)
  • Mirin
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Lemon
  • ½ Garlic Clove
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Spring Onion
  • Olive Oil

What You Do

We added lightly roasted sesame seeds to the dish. There are not included in the original katsuo-no-tataki so feel free to leave them out.
Combine light soy sauce, mirin and rice vinegar (ratio 3:1:1), add some lemon juice and the grated garlic. The garlic must be grated; it should nearly dissolve in the sauce. Quickly sear the bonito (tuna, beef) in a hot non-stick pan with just a touch of oil. When ready transfer to an ice bath. Wait for a minute or so. Remove from the water and use kitchen paper to dry the fish. Slice, serve on a plate, drizzle with the dressing, then add thinly sliced white spring onion, then sesame seeds (if using) and finish with some dressing.

PS

And the answers are: tataki is a method to sear katsuo (or in general fish or beef) in a straw fire (or over a grill or in a hot pan). Tataki Sauce doesn’t actually exist; it may refer to the sauce that is served with katsuo-no-tataki.

Tataki (Tuna) ©cadwu
Tataki (Tuna) ©cadwu

 

 

 

Pasta with Tomato Balls

3 July 2023

Recently we reviewed Oh She Glows for Dinner by Angela Liddon as part of the great cookbook review project by Bernadette. Angela Liddons aim is to create tasty, colourful, nutritious, vegan, simple, healthy, easy to make food that you can prepare in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, her book shows that this is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, we liked her idea for a burger with tomato-based patties. We changed the recipe and turned the dish into Pasta with Tomato Balls. It’s certainly a tasty, healthy and colourful dish, but not one you can make in a few minutes.

Wine Pairing

Tomatoes come with acidity, an aspect to keep in mind when choosing your wine. Cooking the tomatoes reduces the acidity and enhances the sweetness and depth of the tomatoes. In this case you could go for a non-oaky white wine (Pinot Grigio, Soave Classico) or for a red wine with soft tannins (Chianti, Sangiovese). A glass of crisp rosé will also be fine, so the choice is yours, as long it’s not an oaky chardonnay or a tannic red wine.

What You Need

  • Tomato Balls
    • 30 grams Brown Lentils
    • Vegetarian Stock
    • Bouquet Garni (Thyme, Parsley, Bay Leaf, Chives)
    • 1 small Red Onion
    • 1 Garlic Clove
    • 40 grams of roasted Cashews
    • 40 grams of roasted Hazelnuts
    • 5 grams (or more) of dried Oregano
    • 25 grams Sun Dried Tomatoes
    • Teaspoon Tomato Paste 
    • Teaspoon Lemon Juice
    • Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
    • Salt
    • Black Pepper
    • Breadcrumbs
    • Olive Oil
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Orecchiette or Farfalle
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Basil Leaves

What You Do

Start by washing the lentils. Cook in vegetarian stock with a bouquet garni. Set aside and let cool. Prepare the dried tomatoes: if they are salted, then wash them thoroughly. If they are oil-packed, drain them. Chop the red onion, the garlic clove and the dried tomatoes coarsely. Glaze the onion and the garlic in olive oil. Use a food processor to make a coarse mixture of the cashews, hazelnuts and oregano. Add the chopped tomatoes, the onion, the garlic, the tomato paste, the lentils, the lemon juice and the red pepper flakes (if using). Pulse a few times. Taste and decide if you want to add salt, pepper or lemon juice. Now it’s time to check the consistency. Is it possible to turn the mixture into balls? A bit soggy probably? Add breadcrumbs. Leave the mixture for 15 minutes. Divide the mixture in smaller portions and make balls, using your hands. Bake for a few minutes in a non-stick pan with some olive oil.
In parallel cook the orecchiette or farfalle according to the instruction on the package. Warm a tomato sauce. When all components are ready, add the pasta straight from the pan to the sauce. Add the balls and mix gently.  Finish by adding some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil.

Pasta with Tomato Balls ©cadwu
Pasta with Tomato Balls ©cadwu

Apricot Chutney

26 June 2023

It’s the time of the year to benefit from summer fruit, such as peaches, watermelon, raspberries, nectarines, strawberries and of course apricots. With a bit of patience (and sugar, lemon and perhaps nutmeg) you can turn apricots into a delicious jam. But why not make apricot chutney? Great to enjoy with grilled lamb chops or something nice, simple and vegetarian, for instance with rice, lentils and cilantro.
Chutney is a balance of sweet (fresh fruit, onion, garlic, cinnamon), sour (vinegar), bitter (the skin of the apricot or tomato), spiciness (ginger, red chilli, garlic) and depth (cardamom, nutmeg, cumin). Too much sugar will only disturb the balance. Chutney needs to integrate, much more than jam or marmalade. So cook it for an hour or so and leave it in a jar for at least a week before using it.

What You Need

  • 1 kilo stoned Apricots (meaning 1,25 kilo of Apricots)
  • 2 Shallots
  • Olive Oil
  • 4 gloves Garlic
  • 1 Red Chilli
  • 100 ml Vinegar
  • 100 ml Water
  • 100 grams of Sugar
  • Fresh Ginger
  • Spices such as
    • Cardamom
    • Mustard Seed
    • Coriander (Cilantro)
    • Cinnamon
    • Nutmeg
    • Cumin
    • Clove

What You Do

Stone and quarter the apricots. Cut the shallots in 4 and slice (not too thin). Slice the fresh garlic. Same with the seeded red chilli. Cut let’s say 5 cm of ginger in small bits. Start by glazing the shallots for 10 minutes in olive oil, making sure they will enhance the sweetness of the chutney. Then add all other ingredients to the pan, mix, add the grated ginger, the spices of your choice, mix and bring slowly to a simmer. We used vinegar and water given the acidity of our apricots. If your apricots are really sweet and ripe use 200 ml of vinegar. Spice-wise we prefer using cardamom, cinnamon, and a touch of cumin and nutmeg. Leave to simmer for at least one hour. Stir occasionally but gently. After an hour increase the heat and transfer to very, very clean glass jars. Close the jars, leave them to cool a bit, then put in cold water and later on transfer to the refrigerator.

Apricots ©cadwu
Apricots ©cadwu
Slide show Apricot Chutney

Scones

22 June 2023

A few weeks ago, our local supermarket promoted original, traditional English clotted cream, scones and strawberry jam, obviously. We bought a jar but couldn’t find the scones. The clotted cream ended up in the refrigerator and we forgot about the scones. Fortunately, clotted cream keeps very well so when we spotted the jar some two weeks later, we decided to open it and taste the cream. Yummy! So, all we needed for our Cream Tea were scones. And since we couldn’t find them, we baked them ourselves.

What You Need

  • 250 grams of Self Raising Flour
  • 2/3 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 75 grams of Butter (room temperature)
  • 30 grams of Sugar
  • 120 grams of fresh Whole Milk
  • 125 grams of Raisins
  • One egg
  • Pinch of Salt

What You Do

Start by soaking the raisins for 10 minutes in hot water. Drain and squeeze gently. This way the raisins will be tasty and moist. Lightly beat the egg, just enough to combine the white and the yolk. Now combine self raising flour, baking powder, butter and sugar until you have a crumbly pastry. Best is to use a hand mixer with kneading hooks. This may take some time. When well mixed, add half the egg and the milk. Make a smooth dough. Fold in the raisins and store the result in the refrigerator for one hour. Preheat your oven to 210 °C or 410 °F. Roll out the dough. We used a 7-centimetre (cookie) cutter. Coat the top of the scones with beaten egg. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Coat the scones for the second time. Bake the scones for some 10 minutes. Keep an eye on your oven because the scones will bake very quickly!

Serve with a generous amount of English clotted cream and strawberry jam. The best way is to split the scone in two, cover each half with clotted cream and put the strawberry jam on top.

PS

If you want to see how our favourite Dutch Pâtissier Cees Holtkamp makes scones (in his home kitchen, supported by his granddaughter), then this video will help. It’s in Dutch (with YouTube provided subtitles). Please note that his list of ingredients is slightly different.

Scones ©cadwu
Scones ©cadwu