We were supposed to go to Librije in December for our annual anniversary celebration, but due to the pandemic it was postponed until now. As usual we had a package with an 8 course degustation plus champagne and wine pairings, … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Librije*** (2022)
We were in Sancerre to stock up on Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé wine. Since there aren’t any great restaurants in the town of Sancerre itself, I looked around and noticed a restaurant in the town of Boulleret, just 15 minutes North … Continue reading Dining in France: l’Ardoise du Marché*
Five years ago we enjoyed a nice dinner at l’Amaryllis, so we decided to go there again when we were visiting the area. The restaurant holds one Michelin star, same as five years ago. The restaurant is located in an … Continue reading Dining in France: l’Amaryllis* (2022)
I have good memories of my first dinner at Schanz back in 2014, read my review here. Thomas Schanz became the chef in the hotel-restaurant of the Schanz family in 2011, received his first Michelin star in 2012, second in … Continue reading Dining in Germany: Schanz***
This dish looks and sounds very simple, but it requires a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps. They are worth it though. For this stir fried beef with ginger and scallions I used the recipe from Chinese Cooking … Continue reading Chinese Stir Fried Beef with Ginger and Scallions
I often get inspiration for dishes from wine pairings. I like rack of lamb with a red Burgundy, and aged red Burgundy can have a hint of cauliflower. And so I created this dish of rack of lamb with slow-roasted … Continue reading Rack of Lamb Sous Vide with Slow-Roasted Cauliflower
Tonno di Coniglio is a classic Italian recipe from the region of Piemonte. It literally means “Tuna of Rabbit”. In Italy, tuna is preserved in glass jars with olive oil, and this recipe is rabbit prepared as if it were … Continue reading Tonno di Coniglio Sous Vide (Italian Marinated Rabbit)
Fried steak is a typical dish from the Italian region of Piemonte. Morsels of beef are breaded with flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, and then deep fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy medium rare … Continue reading Fritto Misto alla Piemontese (Fried Steak, Mushrooms, and Zucchini)
In Costa Rica we enjoyed this physalis liquor at Ubin restaurant, and decided to purchase a bottle to bring home with us. Physalis is a fruit from the Andes that has many names, including goldenberry and cape gooseberry (because they … Continue reading Physalis and Chocolate Tartlets
When I make ravioli, usually I put most of the ingredients in the filling and serve them with a simple sauce. But when I had ravioli stuffed with ricotta and seafood ragù at Pepe Nero, I realized that the other … Continue reading Ravioli di Ricotta al Ragù ai Frutti di Mare
The food in Costa Rica is usually nothing to write home about, or in fact to blog about. A lot of rice and beans, and very little spices or herbs. But there are some exceptions. A hidden gem is Ubin … Continue reading Dining in Costa Rica: Ubin by Keilor Sanchez
Last fall we had a wonderful evening with Bea at Antica Trattoria Galleria in Milano, where we enjoyed a risotto that was listed on the menu as Risotto all Longobarda. It contained porcini mushrooms, taleggio cheese, and saffron. Here is … Continue reading Risotto alla Longobarda (Risotto with Dried Porcini Mushrooms, Taleggio, and Saffron)
Saltimbocca alla Romana is one of my favorite dishes. It is delicious and very quick to prepare. It is a classic dish from Rome, and the name “jump in the mouth” refers to its deliciousness. The recipe for Saltimbocca is … Continue reading Saltimbocca alla Romana
This mushroom soup is surprisingly simple to prepare, yet so delicious and elegant. The star of the dish is fresh truffle. I used black winter truffle, because that is what’s available at the moment. Although truffle isn’t cheap — this … Continue reading Mushroom Soup with Truffle
When we think of salad, we think of lettuce and vegetables. But in Thai cooking, a salad can apparently also consist mostly of… ground pork! This dish is called “Laab” and it is very tasty. The ground pork is cooked, but served at room temperature with a dressing of lime juice, fish sauce, chili flakes, toasted rice powder, shallots, and a lot of fresh herbs: mint, cilantro, and green onions. The toasted rice powder adds both texture and a nutty flavor. Steamed sticky rice is served on the side. I’ve made it following Hot Thai Kitchen’s recipe. Ingredients Serves 2 … Continue reading Laab ลาบหมู (Thai Ground Pork Salad)
This is my favorite way of preparing cod. And so I was surprised to find that I had not yet shared it with you on my blog, when I did the post about what we eat on a daily basis. … Continue reading Merluzzo alla Palermitana (Baked Cod With Crust)
Anolini in brodo is a typical dish from the region of Parma that intrigued me when I enjoyed it at Locanda Mariella. The small round ravioli are filled with stale bread that is soaked in meat jus. The result is … Continue reading Anolini in Brodo (Round Ravioli in Broth from Parma)
These Chinese shrimp dumplings are so good and worth the effort to make from scratch, even though it takes 1.5 to 2 hours to make a batch. They are just like the shrimp dim sum Har Gow (虾饺), but with … Continue reading Shrimp Dim Sum
When I was writing the recent post about dishes we have on a regular basis, I noticed that there were a few dishes that I make several times per year, but are not featured on the blog yet. As there … Continue reading Penne with Roasted Celeriac (Penne al Sedano Rapa al Forno)
Melanzane fritte in pastella are slices of eggplant/aubergine dipped in batter and then deep fried until crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. With some basil and tomato dipping sauce this is a lovely appetizer, that could also … Continue reading Fried Eggplant (Melanzane Fritte in Pastella)
Happy New Year! I hope you will eat well in 2022. Perhaps this post can provide some inspiration for that. The three questions I get asked the most regarding cooking are: How can you eat all that food and not … Continue reading What We Eat On A Daily Basis
Bollito misto is a classic Italian recipe from Piemonte of boiled meat with various sauces, including salsa verde. At Ristorante Trippi in Valtellina I enjoyed a dish inspired by bollito misto, which was a boiled blade of beef with salsa … Continue reading Braised Blade of Beef Sous Vide with Peperonata and Salsa Verde
Happy Christmas everyone! It was on December 24, 1999 that I first met my husband. Every year we celebrate our anniversary by going to a great restaurant. For some years now we’ve been going to the Librije. But due to … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: At Home
Zander is a freshwater fish with a very elegant flavor that is caught locally in the Netherlands. It is also called pikeperch or pike perch. The combination with tart apple syrup and bacon has been made famous by Jonnie Boer, … Continue reading Zander with Apple Syrup and Bacon
Ravioli are called agnolotti in Piemonte. Every restaurant in Piemonte has them on the menu. As is always the case with traditional recipes in Italy, there are many variations. The most important variations are with or without greens (spinach or … Continue reading Ravioli del Plin al Sugo d’Arrosto (Meat Ravioli from Piemonte)
At Ristorante Trippi in Valtellina I enjoyed veal tartare with hazelnuts. Although this was in Lombardia, it is close to Piemonte were carne cruda is a very typical dish. This version with ground hazelnuts mixed through the meat was very … Continue reading Veal Tartare With Hazelnuts (Carne Cruda Con Nocciole)
Pheasant fillet dries out easily, but with sous vide it is a piece of cake to prepare it tender and juicy every time. The idea for the sauce comes from restaurant Le Due Lanterne in Nizza Monferrato, Italy. There the … Continue reading Pheasant Fillet Sous Vide with a Mushroom Marsala Cream Sauce
Last September on vacation in Italy, I enjoyed fresh pasta with a pheasant sugo at one of my favorite restaurants in Italy, Danêl Ai Cacciatori in Friuli. This was a pasta sauce without tomato, or not really a sauce actually, … Continue reading Fresh Pasta with Pheasant Sugo (Tagliatelle al Sugo di Fagiano)
Amandelkrullen are classic Dutch cookies and they are very tasty. For Dutch pastry recipes, I always turn to Cees Holtkamps book “De Banketbakker”. Holtkamp is a retired famous Dutch pastry chef, of the pastry shop of the same name in … Continue reading Amandelkrullen (Curly Almond Cookies)
After enjoying pork cheeks during our trip to Portugal last year, this year in Italy we had several different renditions of veal cheeks. The veal cheeks we had at Mariella were amazingly tender and flavorful, so back home I wanted … Continue reading Veal Cheeks Sous Vide (Guancialino brasato)
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 