Zoldering is one of my favorite restaurants in Amsterdam. This was my 5th dinner there, but strangely enough this is the first blog I’m writing about it. Zoldering was established in 2019 by Tomas Bron (chef), Job Seuren (sommelier), Wout … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Zoldering*
In the Netherlands we have a saying: a good neighbor is worth more than a friend far away. We have the best of both worlds, as our neighbors are also very good friends. One of the things we share with … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Flore**
A popular dish from Yucatán (Mexico) is Poc Chuc. “Poc” means roasting in Mayan, and “Chuc”, means charcoal. The name doesn’t specify what food is being roasted, but if it just says Poc Chuc it will be charcoal roasted pork. … Continue reading Poc Chuc Sous Vide
Since I really liked the flavor profile of a Portuguese dish I made of rice with lobster and clams (Arroz de lagosta), I thought it would be nice to turn it into a risotto. The Portugese arroz is much more … Continue reading Risotto Astice e Vongole (Lobster and Clam Risotto)
Six years ago, I studied the Modernist Bread books, and greatly improved the bread I was baking. I’ve been baking bread this way ever since and everyone loves it. I’ve been directing people who wanted to bake the same bread … Continue reading My Bread
Spectrum is the restaurant of chef Sidney Schutte and maître-sommelier Cas Kratz, located inside the Waldorf Astoria hotel in the historic center of Amsterdam. The restaurant, formerly known as Librije’s Zusje, has held two Michelin stars since 2015. Since it … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Spectrum** (2024)
Coda alla Vaccinara is a classic dish from Rome that is oxtail stewed in tomato sauce with lardo, wine, garlic, and the holy trinity of Italian stews (onion, carrot, celery). Some recipes include more ‘exotic’ ingredients like raisins, pine nuts, … Continue reading Ravioli di Coda alla Vaccinara (Oxtail Ravioli)
This is what we had as secondo piatto for our Christmas dinner this year. This dish is very suitable for a special occasion, as you can prepare almost everything beforehand and to serve you only need to quickly brown the … Continue reading Venison Rolls Stuffed With Porcini Mushrooms and Red Wine Sauce
This is the appetizer I prepared for Christmas dinner this year. It was very loosely inspired by a dish I enjoyed at Michelin-starred Bistro de la Mer in Amsterdam. The flavor combination is quite unique but works very well. The … Continue reading Shrimp and Celery with XO Shiitake Mushrooms
The Librije by Jonnie & Thérèse Boer has been around since 1993 and received its first Michelin star right after it started. The third star was awarded in 2004 and they have kept the three stars since. Now that maître … Continue reading Dining in the Netherlands: Librije*** (2023)
Did you know macadamia nuts are produced in Tasmania? I didn’t, but I found out when I visted Tasmania and had blue eye trevalla (a local fish) with macadamia butter and broccolini at restaurant Aløft. I really liked the combination, … Continue reading Cod with Macadamia, Lemon, and Broccolini
Italy has an almost endless supply of authentic regional recipes. I love making ravioli and there are already many recipes on this blog, both traditional and of my own invention. After the recent joy of making Tordelli alla Lucchese (from … Continue reading Casoncelli della Bergamasca (typical ravioli from Bergamo)
My friend Mark made some very nice chicken with shiso and umeboshi skewers for lunch when I visited him in Adelaide recently. He did this poolside, over charcoal on an authentic looking Japanese grill. I really liked this and decided … Continue reading Chicken Skewers with Shiso and Umeboshi
Noma has the reputation to be one of the best restaurants in the world. Chef René Redzepi has developed the concept of nordic cuisine, which focuses on local Nordic ingredients, some of which are gathered by foraging. After it had … Continue reading Dining in Denmark: Noma***
On the final day of the wine tour, we visited two wineries in Southern Tassie. The first one was Pooley Wines. This family business was started in 1985. They have their own winery and two vineyards, apart from producing wine … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 13: Southern Tasmania
We got up early today to do hike at Cataract Gorge before wine tasting. Today we visited three wineries at the east coast of Tasmania. The first one was Milton Vineyard, which originally was a farm with sheep and crops. … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 12: Eastern Tasmania
The final state of Australia we visited on our tour is Tasmania. After a flight from Melbourne in a small aeroplane we got on our tour bus and drove to Ghost Rock, where we were welcomed by owner Justin Arnold. … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 11: Northern Tasmania
The final wine region we visited in Victoria is Geelong. In the 1860s Geelong was the largest exporting region of wine in Australia. However, it was infected with phylloxera in 1875, which led to the downfall at that time. Only … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 10: Geelong
The Mornington Peninsula has a cool maritime climate because it is surrounded by water on three sides. There are around 60 wineries, mostly family owned. The area specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Although there were vines in the 1800s, … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 9: Mornington Peninsula
Today we flew from Adelaide to Melbourne, so we only had time to finish one winery in the Yarra Valley. That winery was Coldstream Hills Vineyards of James Halliday. James (1938) was partner in a law firm until 1988, and … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 8: James Halliday
The Barossa valley is one of the most famous wine regions of Australia, known for its big and bold wines. After an unplanned detour we arrived at Penfolds Magill Estate, where we were welcomed by Jamie Sach, Penfolds Global Ambassador. … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 7: Barossa Valley
Today we ventured into McLaren Vale. In terms of climate this is between Adelaide Hills (cooler) and Barossa Valley (warmer). This was one of the first wine regions in Australia to be planted. The percentage of surface area planted with … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 6: McLaren Vale
Today we visited Adelaide Hills, the coolest wine region in South Australia because of the high elevation (about 400 meters above sea level). Shaw + Smith is a winery founded by Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith. Their first vintage … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 5: Adelaide Hills
Before I start with the report of today’s tour, a brief explanation about the tasting notes in these reports. First of all, tasting notes are always personal. There are 18 experienced wine tasters in our group and we usually all … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 4: Canberra District, continued
The Canberra district has a cool climate thanks to the high altitude (700 meters above sea level) and a cooling breeze from the nearby ocean. It had been a wine growing region from the first settlement of Australia in the … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 3: Canberra District
This is the second day of the Aussie Wine Tour of the Association of Dutch Vinologists. Click here for the previous day. On the way from Sydney to Canberra we made a stop at Centennial Vineyards, the only vineyard in … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 2: Centennial and Rebel Rebel
This is the first installment of my chronicles of the 13-day Aussie Tour 2023 of the Verenigde Vinologen Nederland (Dutch association of wine connoisseurs), with Master of Wine Cees van Casteren as our guide. We started with an overview tasting … Continue reading Australian Wine Tour Day 1: Sydney
This recipe for pasta with pumpkin is from Campania and Calabria, where it is made using the local elongated variety of pumpkin called cocozza (cucuzza in Calabria). Since pumpkin doesn’t have a very strong flavor anyway, you can easily substitute … Continue reading Pasta with Pumpkin (Pasta e Zucca)
Restaurant Vinkeles in the Dylan Hotel in a historic building in the historic canal district of Amsterdam has been awarded its second Michelin star this year, so that was a good reason to go there to celebrate my friend Robert’s … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Vinkeles**
Biba Caggiano was an Italian-American cookbook author, television chef, and restaurateur. It was through her books that I mastered the basics of Italian cooking about twenty years ago, before I learned the language and increased my knowledge of Italian cuisine by … Continue reading Calamari in Inzimino (Braised Squid with Swiss Chard in a Spicy Tomato Sauce)
