Tag: France

The 2026 Johannes van Dam Prize

5 February 2026

On February 2nd, the prize-giving ceremony of the 2026 Johannes van Dam award took place in the main auditorium of the University of Amsterdam. Previous winners of the prestigious Johannes van Dam award are Harold McGee, Yotam Ottolenghi, John Halvemaan, Carlo Petrini, Alice Waters, Claudia Roden, Alain Passard, Asma Khan and Jeroen Meus. 

The 2026 Johannes van Dam prize was awarded to Jonnie and Thérèse Boer. In 1992 they opened their restaurant De Librije in Zwolle (the Netherlands). One year later they received their first Michelin star and since 2004 the restaurant holds three Michelin stars.

Inspiration

In 1965 Jonnie Boer was born in Giethoorn, not far from Zwolle. He was proud to use and serve local products (fish, game, herbs, plants, roots, meat) in his restaurants. One of his many signature dishes was zander with apple syrup and Riesling accompanied by a glass of Chardonnay. Very often guests were impressed by the quality of the zander. Jonnie would happily explain that the fish was caught in a river, two kilometers from the restaurant. If they served lamb, it wasn’t from New Zeeland or from Sisteron or Pauillac, it was from a farm in Giethoorn, managed by Jonnie’s nephew. Why import it from France when quality is available next door?

Nature was the basis of his food and techniques. In this video (in English) for instance, he uses oysters to kick-start the fermentation process. Brilliant idea! His style was imaginative with a focus on the food and the customer.

Thérèse Boer is co-owner of De Librije, sommelier and overall responsible for the restaurant. Together they wrote several books, most of them in Dutch. One of their books in English (PURER: Cooking, Wine & Spirits Bible) is available via the usual channels.

Sadly, Jonnie Boer passed away in April 2025 at the age of 60. Thérèse and her team continue running the restaurant, and they were able to keep the three Michelin stars.

The Prize

Professor Louise Fresco, chair of the jury of the Johannes van Dam award, emphasised that for decades Jonnie and Thérèse Boer led the gastronomic development in the Netherlands. With the award the jury also wanted to recognise their mentorship for younger generations. Jonnie and Thérèse Boer have put the Netherlands firmly on the global culinary map. They are pivotal in the history of Dutch food and cooking.

Johannes van Damprijs 2026 © Allard Pierson / Maarten van Haaff
Louise Fresco and Thérèse Boer - the 2026 Johannes van Dam Prize © Allard Pierson / Maarten van Haaff

Duck and Zucchini

29 January 2026

Fresh leg of duck is hard to find, which is a pity because it’s juicy and flavourful. We used it to prepare Pasta with Duck (Pappardelle al Ragù d’Anatra), a classic Italian dish that goes back to a recipe by Pellegrino Artusi, published in 1891. It inspired us to do more with leg of duck. This very simple dish combines fried leg of duck with excellent zucchini. Just a few ingredients, which means that quality is crucial.

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed our Duck and Zucchini with a glass of Chiroubles, produced by Didier Desvignes. The label of the wine shows a snail, indicating that the wine is made with respect for the environment. Chiroubles is one of the 12 appellations of the Beaujolais. All red Beaujolais wines are made with gamay grapes. Wines from the Chiroubles appellation are in general fresh, generous and expressive. They have flavours such as strawberry, raspberry and cherry. This Chiroubles had a hint of earthy and rustic aromas, which added to the complexity of the wine. Excellent pairing with the rich duck and the aromatic, slightly sweet and bitter zucchini.

What You Need
  • 2 Legs of Duck
  • Olive Oil
  • Zucchini
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Start by preparing the duck by removing the bits that you don’t like to eat
  2. Preheat the oven to 150 °C or 300 °F
  3. Heat a skillet, add olive oil and fry both sides of the legs until golden.
  4. Transfer the duck, skin on top, to the oven for 30 – 60 minutes depending on the size, 
  5. Bate every 15 minutes
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes
  7. Wash, dry and slice the zucchini
  8. Warm a skillet, add olive oil and fry the zucchini until a touch golden
  9. Add black pepper to both the zucchini and the duck
  10. Serve the zucchini with some of the (green) oil and duck on a warm plate
PS

An alternative is to remove the bigger bone of the leg, season the meat and use kitchen wire to close the leg. Fry as above. When the meat is in the oven, slice the fennel and add to a pan with some olive oil. Leave on low heat. Alternatively for a lighter version you steam the fennel and add some olive oil just before serving. When the meat is resting, fry shallot, garlic, finely chopped carrot and/or celery and/or chopped pancetta. Add juices from the duck and make a sauce. Slice the meat and serve with fennel.
You could also fill the leg of duck with for instance a combination of thyme and chopped rosemary.

Duck and Zucchini ©cadwu made with fresh legg of duck and excellent zucchini, served with a glass of Chiroubles from the Beaujolais.
Duck with Fennel ©cadwu made with fresh legg of duck and excellent fennel, served with a glass of Chiroubles from the Beaujolais.
Orecchiette al Ragù d’Anatra ©cadwu

Bouchée a la Reine au Poisson

15 January 2026

Crispy, fluffy, flaky puff pastry and a rich, warm ragoût, what better way to turn leftovers into a tasty starter. Bouchée a la Reine: a classic in Belgium and France. Not modern at all, but such fun to serve (and eat). The Bouchée a la Reine goes back to the days of Queen Marie Leszcynska, wife of King Louis XV. The story is that she tried to win back the attention of her husband (who was more interested in Madame de Pompadour) with these delicious small pastries. She assumed they would work as an aphrodisiac. One of her chefs (Nicolas Stohrer, also founder of the oldest patisserie in Paris) is probably the creator of Bouchée a la Reine (and Baba au Rhum by the way).
Enough history: you could fill the pastry with fish, poultry, mushrooms, sweetbread, just about anything will go, as long as you use a rich roux as basis.
Our ragoût combines fish with (common) shrimps. We bought halibut, a fish with compact, firm meat and a delicate taste, one that goes very well with butter, herbs and lemon. 

Wine Pairing

It all depends on the filling of your Bouchée a la Reine. Could be a light red wine if you have some left over veal, if it’s sweetbread then a lightly oaked chardonnay is fine et cetera. In all cases keep in mind that the filling comes with a generous amount of butter. In this case we enjoyed a glass of Mâcon, produced by Thierry Drouin. The wine has aromas of green apples and citrus, with a touch of toast and some minerality. Great in combination with the rich ragoût and its flavours. Good value for money too!

What You Need
  • One small Shallot
  • 100 grams of firm, delicate Fish
  • 50 grams of small Shrimps
  • 15 grams of Butter
  • 10 grams of All Purpose Flour
  • Fish Stock
  • Chervil
  • White Pepper
  • 2 Bouchées
What You Do
  1. Dice the raw fish (bite size)
  2. Finely chop the shallot
  3. Chop the chervil
  4. Warm the fish stock
  5. Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 355 °F
  6. Gently heat butter in a skillet
  7. Add the shallot and glaze for 5 minutes or so
  8. Add the flour
  9. Softly fry the flour until you begin smelling that typical cookie aroma
  10. Start adding the warm stock, slowly at first, constantly whisking.
  11. When the ragoût is ready, transfer the bouchées to the oven and leave for 10 minutes
  12. After 5 minutes, add the fish and combine
  13. After a few minutes the fish will be cooked
  14. Remove the pan from the heat
  15. Add white pepper, shrimps and chervil
  16. Combine
  17. Transfer the bouchées to the plates
  18. Add ragoût, decorate with chervil and serve immediately
PS

Normally we make our own stock. In this case we bought fish fond produced by Jürgen Langbein. We added water (1:1) to get the right stock for the ragout.

Bouchée a la Reine au Poisson ©cadwu made with a béchamel, halibut, shrimps and chervil
Bouchée a la Reine au Poisson ©cadwu

Oysters With Tarragon

1 January 2026

Enjoying oyster begins by deciding which oysters to buy. Should they be small or large, should the taste be creamy and sweet or lean and juicy? If an oyster looks creamy (opaque) then it will taste creamy.

Next decision: raw or cooked? We think the best way to eat an oyster is to eat it raw. You will taste the saltiness, the texture and all of its flavours. The usual way to counter the saltiness is by adding a bit of lemon or mignonette but you could also go for something spicy like Tabasco, horseradish or perhaps wasabi. Don’t add something sweet because the oyster has its own sweetness.
In most cases cooked or steamed oysters are covered with lots of overwhelming ingredients, in an attempt to hide the taste of the oyster. Most likely the oyster will be overcooked and its structure rubbery and nasty. If you trust the chef, go for Steamed Oysters with Black Bean Sauce or for Oysters Rockefeller. Or even better: prepare our quick and easy Oysters with Tarragon, a delicious combination of warm (but not cooked) oyster and velvety anise flavours.

And finally: how to eat an oyster? Eating means chewing and tasting. Please don’t “drink” an oyster. If you do, you will only taste sea water.

Wine Pairing

When eating oysters, your wine must have some minerality. Think Chablis, Picpoul de Pinet, Sancerre or Sylvaner. We enjoyed a glass of Pommery Royal Brut champagne. The wine is elegant and uplifting, it comes with subtle notes of brioche and apple, a fine mousse and the perfect acidity with the oysters. Its freshness works very well after the intense taste of the oyster and the tarragon.

What You Need
  • 6 or 12 Oysters
  • Butter
  • Lots of Tarragon
  • White Pepper
  • Lemon Juice
What You Do
  1. Buy lean (not creamy) oysters, for instance the ones from the Île de Ré
  2. Combine butter and finely chopped tarragon with some white pepper
  3. Taste and add more tarragon
  4. Store in the refrigerator
  5. Scrub each oyster under cold, running water
  6. Open the oyster
  7. Use your knife or a spoon to detach the muscle underneath the oyster from the bottom shell
  8. Remove any small bits of broken shell or sediment
  9. Remove some of the liquid
  10. Add one or two drops of lemon juice to every oyster
  11. Top with a teaspoon of tarragon butter
  12. Make sure you have everything ready (plate, tongs, wine, guests)
  13. Transfer the oysters to the oven and place as close to the grill as possible
  14. Set your oven to grill or broil and leave the oysters for 3 or 4 minutes in the oven
  15. Transfer the oysters to a plate and serve immediately
  16. 🥂Happy New Year!🥂
Oysters with Tarragon ©cadwu a delicious, simple and quick way of preparing oysters.
Oysters from the Ile de Re ©cadwu a lean and juicy oyster. Perfect for our oysters with tarragon
Oysters with Tarragon in the Oven ©cadwu

 

Duck with Garlic Thyme Sauce

18 December 2025

Breast of Duck (Margret de Canard) is often paired with sweet ingredients, such as figs and oranges. We love the combination of duck with a green pepper sauce, because the sharpness emphasises the natural sweetness of the duck meat. In this recipe we do something similar. The sauce with thyme and mustard is aromatic and a touch sharp, which is very nice with the duck. The grated garlic adds spiciness to the sauce, making the dish more complex and bold. Delicious when combined with the sweet and sour caponata and crunchy fried polenta.

Wine Pairing

To balance the flavours of the dish, we suggest a fruity, dry red wine, one with subtle tannins and lots of freshness. We enjoyed a glass of Nero d’Avola, made in Sicily. The unoaked wine had a ruby red colour and aromas of cherries and plum. Serving the wine slightly chilled (meaning 15°C or 16°C (59°F or 61°F)) enhanced the freshness, acidity and fruitiness of the wine.

What You Need
  • 1 Breast of Duck
  • Thyme
  • Chicken Stock
  • Garlic
  • Mustard
  • Crème Fraîche
  • ½ grated clove Garlic
  • Black Pepper
  • To serve with the Duck
What You Do
  1. Check the breast for remainders of feathers
  2. Remove the vein on the meat side of the breast (and other bits you don’t like)
  3. Place on a dish, cover with foil and transfer to the refrigerator
  4. Leave in the refrigerator for one hour, making sure it’s nice, firm and cold
  5. Fry the duck in a hot, non-sticky skillet for 10-12 minutes on the skin side. Reduce the heat after a few minutes. You don’t need oil or butter, the ducks fat will do the trick
  6. Now fry for 2-3 minutes on the meat side and remove
  7. Cover with aluminum foil in such a way that the crispy skin is not covered. The foil should only cover the meat
  8. Remove most of the fat from the pan, but not all
  9. Add chicken stock and thyme
  10. Deglaze the pan
  11. Start building the sauce by adding juices from the duck
  12. Add mustard. This will not only add complexity and sharpness to the sauce, it will also make it thicker
  13. Add crème fraîche
  14. Add stock, mustard and crème fraîche to taste
  15. After 10 – 15 minutes add grated garlic, this will give a boost to the sauce
  16. Slice the duck (we like fairly big slices; you may prefer thinner ones)
  17. Add the last juices to the sauce and serve the duck with the sauce, caponata and fried polenta
Duck with Garlic Thyme Sauce ©cadwu served with caponata and polenta
Duck with Garlic Thyme Sauce ©cadwu

Artichoke Pie

27 November 2025

A few weeks ago, we were shopping at the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam. We saw excellent, very large artichokes. We simply had to buy them. They were far too big to be served as a starter. What to do? Let’s make an artichoke pie! Other ingredients? Egg? Crème Fraîche? Parmesan Cheese? Pancetta? Herbs, of course, parsley, thyme or perhaps fresh oregano?

Wine Pairing

It’s not straightforward to pair artichokes with wine, due to cynarin, a chemical especially found in the leaves of the artichoke. When the wine and the cynarin meet in your mouth, the natural sweetness of the wine is enhanced, making it taste too sweet. Pair freshly cooked or steamed artichokes with a bone-dry, crisp, unoaked white wine with clear, present acidity. For instance Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner or Albariño. 
Cynarin and wine are not a match made in heaven but the good news is that cynarin seems to protect your liver and even helps it regenerate.
We enjoyed a glass of white Rioja made by Vivanco. This is a bright, intense white wine with aromas of citrus fruit and green apples. Fresh, tasty and a great match with the Artichoke Pie.

What You Need
  • For the Dough
    • 100 grams of Flour
    • 50 grams of Water
    • 10 grams of Olive Oil
    • 1 gram of Salt
  • For the Filling
    • 2 large Artichokes
    • 1 shallot
    • Olive Oil
    • 1 Egg
    • Crème Fraîche
    • Fresh Thyme
    • Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
    • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Combine flour, salt, water and olive oil
  2. Make the dough, kneed for a minute or so and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
  3. Clean the artichokes
  4. Steam the artichokes for 45+ minutes depending on the size and let cool
  5. Chop the shallot
  6. Warm a heavy skillet, add olive oil and gently fry the shallot
  7. Transfer to a plate and let cool
  8. Use a spoon remove the ‘meat’ from the leaves (bracts) of the artichokes
  9. Remove the centre choke (the hairs)
  10. Chop the hearts
  11. Strip a generous amount of thyme
  12. Whisk the egg and combine with the artichoke, the shallot, the crème fraîche, the thyme and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  13. Add black pepper
  14. Taste and adjust
  15. Coat a 15 cm or 6 inch round baking form with oil (or use a sheet of baking paper)
  16. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface
  17. Place the dough in the baking form and add the filling
  18. Transfer to the oven for 40 minutes on 180˚ – 200˚ Celsius or 355˚ – 390˚ Fahrenheit
  19. Remove the pie from the oven
  20. Brush the outside with olive oil. This will intensify the colour of the pastry
  21. Let cool and enjoy luke warm
A delicious vegetarian Artichoke Pie ©cadwu with lots and lots of steamed artichoke, egg, creme fraiche and thyme.
Artichoke Pie ©cadwu

Risotto with Porcini

20 November 2025

Risotto is amongst our favourite dishes, especially risotto with mushrooms. Preparing risotto is not difficult, as long as you pay attention to the cooking process and use the right ingredients.
It’s nearly the end of the porcini-season. We enjoyed them several times this year, but not yet in a risotto. Time to start cooking!

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a nicely oaked, buttery South African chardonnay with our risotto with porcini. A full-bodied white wine with aromas of tropical fruit and toast. A wine that paired very well with the earthiness of the risotto and its rich flavours.

What You Need
  • 90 grams of Carnaroli or Arborio rice
  • 1 Shallot
  • Olive Oil
  • 150 grams of fresh Porcini
  • Chicken or Vegetable Stock
  • Parmesan Cheese
  • Butter
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Peel and chop the shallot
  2. Clean the porcini
  3. Slice the porcini; cube smaller parts
  4. Warm the stock
  5. Add olive oil to a pan and glaze the shallot
  6. Add the smaller parts of the porcini
  7. Add the rice to the pan and coat for 2 minutes
  8. Keep the pan on medium heat; be patient
  9. Start adding stock, spoon by spoon and stir frequently
  10. Heat a heavy iron skillet and fry the sliced porcini in butter and oil
  11. In total it may take 15 – 18 minutes before the rice is al dente
  12. 5 Minutes before the risotto is al dente, coarsely cut some of the fried porcini, making sure you have a few nice slices for decoration
  13. Add the coarsely cut and fried porcini to the risotto
  14. When the risotto is ready, transfer the pan to the kitchen countertop and leave to rest for 2 minutes.
  15. Add grated Parmesan cheese and combine
  16. Add butter and combine
  17. Add some black pepper, taste, add more Parmesan cheese and/or butter if so required.
  18. Decorate with slices of porcini
  19. Serve immediately.
PS

We have four other risotto recipes, with squid, with beetroot, with mushrooms and with peas.

Risotto with Porcini is a delicious combination of creamy, rich rice and nutty, umami flavours. Risotto is not difficult to make if you use the right ingredienst and follow the instruction.
Risotto with Porcini ©cadwu

Horn of Plenty with Sole and a Lemon Sauce

13 November 2025

In 1989 Antonio Carluccio published A Passion for Mushrooms. The book describes various mushrooms, discusses their habitat and edibility and of course offers a range of mushroom recipes. A Passion for Mushrooms includes some wonderful recipes and combinations we didn’t expect, for instance Truite aux Pied Blues and Ragout de Crevettes Rose et de Morilles. The book also includes a chapter on conservation techniques.
Earlier we prepared two dishes from the book, Sandwiched Parasol Mushrooms and Halibut with Saffron Milk Cap.
A Passion for Mushrooms is a must have for mushroom-lovers. The book is available via the usual channels and perhaps at your local second-hand bookstore. Prices will vary.

Trompette de la Mort

Horn of Plenty is a black chanterelle, also known as Trompette de la Mort, Black Trumpet, or Trumpet of the Dead. A very tasty mushroom, with just one downside: removing all the sand, small leaves and unappetizing bits is a lot of work.
Carluccio poaches sole fillets and combines these with a combination of mushrooms, butter and lemon. Inspired by his recipe we prepared Horn of Plenty with Sole and a Lemon Sauce. 

Wine Pairing

We enjoyed a glass of white Rioja with our Trompette de la Mort. The wine is made by Vivanco with three Spanish grapes: Viura, Tempranillo Blanco (a grape discovered in 1988) and Maturana Blanca (a grape that goes back to 1622). The result is a bright, intense white wine with aromas of citrus fruit and green apples. Fresh, tasty and a great match with the flavours of the mushrooms, the sole and the acidity of the sauce.
In general, we suggest a non-oaked, fresh, dry white wine, with clear acidity. 

What You Need
  • For the Poached Sole
    • 4 fillets of Small Sole
    • 5 cm of Carrot
    • 5 cm of Celery Stalk
    • 1 Bay Leave
    • Crushed black pepper
  • For the Mushrooms
    • 100 grams horn of plenty
    • ¼ Red Bell Pepper
    • Olive Oil
    • Black Pepper
  • For the Sauce
    • 1 Egg Yolk
    • 20 ml Lemon Juice
    • 10 ml Water
    • 1 Teaspoon of Mirin
    • White Pepper
What You Do
  1. Clean the mushrooms
  2. Finely cube the red bell pepper
  3. Warm a pan of water until just simmering. It’s crucial not to overheat the water. The internal temperature of fish should be between 70 °C and 75 °C (or 160 °F and 165 °F).
  4. Add sliced carrot, sliced celery, bay leave and crushed black pepper
  5. Leave on this temperature for 10 minutes or so
  6. Heat a heavy iron skillet and add some olive oil
  7. Reduce heat and add cubed bell pepper
  8. Role up the fillet: skin side on the outside and start with the smaller part of the fillet
  9. Use a simple wooden cocktail stick to fix the role
  10. Poach the sole until done, depending on the size, 4 minutes
  11. Keep the sole warm in an oven at 65 °C or 150 °F
  12. Add the mushrooms to the pan with the bell pepper
  13. Fry gently
  14. Add some black pepper to taste
  15. Keep an eye on the mushrooms
  16. Combine egg yolk, lemon juice and mirin
  17. Make the sauce au bain marie or in the microwave
  18. Add some white pepper to the sauce
  19. Serve the sole on top of the mushrooms
  20. Add the lemon sauce
  21. Serve immediately on a warm plate
PS
  • The sauce is based on Japanese Kimizu. In this recipe we explain how to use a microwave.
  • You could also use grilled and peeled red bell pepper. That will give some smokiness to the dish, which is nice, but not necessary.
Trompette de la Mort with Sole and a Lemon Sauce, based on a recipe by Antonio Carluccio. The Sauce is basically a Kimizu with lemon juice. The sole is poached. The mushrooms fried with red bell pepper
Horn of Plenty ©cadwu

How to Make a Roulade (part 2)

11 September 2025

Earlier we wrote about ‘butterflying’ meat, a technique that allows you to turn a bigger piece of meat into a roulade. Ideal for pork loin or turkey. But what to do when you have smaller pieces of meat and butterflying is not possible? Then it’s a matter of flattening the meat, for instance with a hammer. Better to ask your butcher to do it for you with the head (blade) of a butcher’s axe: easy, quick and a much better result. Thin is better!
Once you have flattened pieces of meat it’s a bit of a puzzle to create the roulade. Just give it a try and see what works best. When you think you have the right combination, make sure the kitchen twine is in place and the filling ready.
Obviously, you want to match the filling with the side dishes. We served the roulade with caponata and decided to make a filling with sage and thyme.

Wine Pairing
homemade roulade: chicken thighs, sage and pancetta. Served with caponata

We enjouyed a non-oaked Nero d’Avola from Sicily. The ruby red coloured wine has aromas of cherries and plum. The taste is fruity and long with subtle tannins. Great combination with the Mediterranean flavours in both the roulade and the caponata.

What You Need
  • 4 Boneless Chicken Thighs
  • 1 small Shallot
  • 1 clove of Garlic
  • 10 leaves of Sage
  • Thyme
  • Butter
  • Pancetta
  • Olive Oil
  • Lemon
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Ask your butcher to flatten the chicken thighs
  2. Chop the shallot and the garlic
  3. De-vein the sage
  4. Remove the thyme leaves from the stalk
  5. Grate the butter
  6. Add olive oil to a heavy iron skillet and gently fry the shallot
  7. After a few minutes reduce the heat
  8. Add garlic and thyme. Stir
  9. Add some lemon juice
  10. Allow the filling to cool
  11. Put strings of kitchen twine on your work top
  12. Decide on the pattern for the meat and put it on top of the kitchen twine. This way you can easily roll up the meat and tie the twine
  13. Cover the meat with sage
  14. Spread the mixture over the sage. Keep the edges free
  15. Add grated butter
  16. Cover with slices of pancetta
  17. Roll up the meat
  18. Tie with kitchen twine
  19. Tightly wrap in plastic foil and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
  20. Remove the roulade from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes
  21. Preheat your oven to 180 °C or 350 °F
  22. Remove the foil
  23. Put the roulade on a rack (this way it will brown evenly)
  24. Add water to the pan
  25. Fry in the oven until the internal temperature is between 70 °C and 75 °C, or 160 °F and 165 °F
  26. Transfer to your worktop, wrap in aluminium foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes
  27. Serve with caponata
Homemade roulade: flattened chicken thighs, sage, pancetta, thyme, butter, shallot and garlic. The roulade is prepared in the oven on a rack. after 10 minutes resting it is served with caponata

How to Make a Roulade (Part 1)

10 July 2025

Butterflying meat is a technique that allows you to turn a thicker piece of meat (for instance pork tenderloin or turkey breast) into a piece that you can use to make a roulade, without damaging the texture. The first step is to slice the meat lengthwise, but not through and through. The second and third step are a bit more challenging: take your knife and half the meat, again lengthwise, from the centre to the right and then from the centre to the left. Basically, you have now quartered the meat but it still in one piece. Difficult? This helpful video shows you how to do it.
Some instructions stop after the first step and use a meat hammer to flatten the meat. Nice, but the result is not even close to the real thing.

Once the pork tenderloin is butterflied, it’s time to add the filling, on the outside. Sounds odd, but our butcher was right, if you fry the roulade inside-out, you get a much better result.

We have made pork tenderloin roulades with various fillings. This recipe is for a Mediterranean approach. You could also go for a spicy mixture with red pepper paste, garlic, onion, ginger and soy sauce.

Wine Pairing

In general both red and white wine can go very well with a roulade of pork tenderloin. It all depends on the filling. In case of this Mediterranean filling, we would suggest a more robust wine, for instance Syrah. This is a full-bodied red wine with medium to high levels of tannin. It has fruity flavors and a slightly peppery finish.
In case of a filling with red pepper paste, garlic, ginger and soy sauce you could pair the roulade with a more spicy red wine, for instance Zinfandel, or with a white wine with a touch of sweetness (Riesling, perhaps Viognier).

What You Need
  • Pork Tenderloin
  • Black garlic
  • Sage
  • Black Olives
  • Rosemary
  • Fennel Seed
  • Pancetta
  • Black Pepper
What You Do
  1. Butterfly the meat
  2. Devein and chop the sage
  3. Halve the black olives
  4. Crush the fennel seeds
  5. Make a mixture of black garlic, sage, black olives, rosemary, fennel seed and black pepper. It should be a powerful mixture
  6. Spread the mixture over the meat. Keep the edges free.
  7. Cover with slices of pancetta. 
  8. Roll up the meat
  9. Tie with kitchen twine
  10. Tightly wrap in plastic foil and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
  11. Remove the roulade from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 – 60 minutes
  12. Preheat your oven to 160 °C or 320 °F
  13. Fry in the oven until the internal temperature is between 65 °C and 75 °C, or 145 °F and 165 °F (pink and well-done respectively)
  14. Transfer to your worktop, wrap in aluminium foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes
  15. Slice and serve on a warm plate, for instance with green peas, or pommes dauphinois, or a salad or ratatouille. Just think about the filling and be inspired!
Roulade with Green Peas ©cadwu
Roulade in Pan ©cadwu
butterflying meat allows you to create a roulade
Roulade with Bok Choy ©cadwu