Basics60 Comments

Clarified Butter

StefanGourmet

So far, I have been too lazy to had never seen the need  make clarified butter. I mostly used a mixture of olive oil and butter when I wanted to brown something. The butter did burn once in a while when I wasn’t being  careful with the heat, but I didn’t really know how to clarify and just didn’t bother. I finally did give it a try, and it turned out to be quite easy and make a huge difference: both easier and better browning! So from now on I will be clarifying butter, and I urge you to not … Continue reading Clarified Butter

Eating1 Comment

Dining in Amsterdam: Bistrot Neuf

StefanGourmet

Bistrot Neuf is a brasserie-style French restaurant with classic French food like oysters, lobster, snails, bouillabaisse, cote de boeuf (prime rib), crème brûlée, and a nice wine list with many wines by the glass. The latter is not surprising as it is next to, and affiliated with, wine store Chabrol. The wines are mostly from France with some from other ‘old world’ wine countries. Wine is always expensive in Dutch restaurants, often marked up to 3 times the retail price or more, and unfortunately Bistrot Neuf is no exception to that rule. Expect to pay at least 50 euros for … Continue reading Dining in Amsterdam: Bistrot Neuf

Cooking10 Comments

Kale Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese, Bacon and Walnuts (Salade de Chèvre Chaud aux Lardons)

StefanGourmet

I remember being surprised when I read about kale salad for the first time on Emmy Cooks, since kale is usually eaten cooked in the Netherlands with mashed potatoes and smoked pork sausage (boerenkool met worst). Fresh kale is also mostly available in winter, not the best season for eating salads. When I was travelling in the USA, I found kale to be used for salads everywhere and even made my own ‘Trail Mix’ version of Emmy’s kale salad a few times. Since it is unseasonally warm at the moment and therefore suitable weather for a salad and I saw a … Continue reading Kale Salad with Grilled Goat Cheese, Bacon and Walnuts (Salade de Chèvre Chaud aux Lardons)

Asian cuisine15 Comments

Noodle Soup with Beef and Cabbage

StefanGourmet

Our trip to France disrupted my usual routine to decide every Friday what to eat for the upcoming week and to do all of the grocery shopping needed for that. So on Tuesday after work there were no groceries in the fridge for cooking, nor a plan. So I went to the supermarket (since specialty stores like butchers were already closed) and had to decide on the spot what I wanted to make with the produce available. I bought some wet-aged south american sirloin and Chinese cabbage to stir-fry and serve with rice. When I came home, I decided to … Continue reading Noodle Soup with Beef and Cabbage

Eating4 Comments

Dining in Paris: l’Astrance***

StefanGourmet

Paris is a 5-hour drive and it is one of our favorite cities in the world, so we like to visit once every one to two years. There is only one surprising thing that is less great about Paris: so far we’ve not been very lucky finding a restaurant there that we really liked. We tried a two-star restaurant that was good but too expensive and a bit boring, and the other restaurants we tried were all mediocre. I had had my eyes on l’Astrance for some years, but so far never managed to secure a reservation. l’Astrance has the reputation … Continue reading Dining in Paris: l’Astrance***

Asian cuisine4 Comments

Japanese Mixed Grill

StefanGourmet

This is one of my favorite dishes from “Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art” that is surprisingly easy to make and absolutely delicious. As often in Japanese and Italian cooking, the key is in the quality of the ingredients. I used very fresh line-caught sea bass from the North Sea. You just wrap the ingredients in foil and cookt them in a hot oven for a bit, that’s all! It may not look like much in the photo, but you better believe me that the taste is outstanding. I adapted the recipe and made it even more simple, since there is … Continue reading Japanese Mixed Grill

Asian cuisine13 Comments

Japanese Simmered Eggplant

StefanGourmet

I made this simmered eggplant dish as a side for the wagyu teriyaki. I adapted the recipe for Spicy Eggplant from “Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art” and the result was delicious. If you serve it in a nice bowl (as you should with any Japanese food), the result will be impressive even though it’s quite easy to make (if you had already made the dashi anyway, that is).  I used a western eggplant rather than small Japanese eggplants (which are not available around here), and I replaced the dried red peppers with shichimi togarashi because that is what I had on … Continue reading Japanese Simmered Eggplant

Asian cuisine12 Comments

Wagyu Flank Steak Sous-vide Teriyaki

StefanGourmet

Recently I tried wagyu flank steak sous-vide for the first time, and liked the results with 24 hours at 56C/133F, but decided that I wanted to try 48 hours at 55C/131F as well since I was expecting that would be even better. Turns out my expectation was correct! This time I made it teriyaki style and it was outstanding. Please note that you could use the same method to prepare regular steak teriyaki, the only difference is that the steak would only need 4 hours or so at 55C/131F instead of 48. In this recipe, the teriyaki sauce is not … Continue reading Wagyu Flank Steak Sous-vide Teriyaki

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)23 Comments

Pappardelle ai Funghi Porcini (Pasta with Fresh Porcini Mushrooms)

StefanGourmet

Right now porcini mushrooms (also known as cepes in Frech or eekhoorntjesbrood in Dutch) are abundant in Dutch forests. Since good quality fresh porcini mushrooms are usually next to impossible to find, I jumped at the chance to get some to make pappardelle ai funghi porcini. Fresh porcini mushrooms should be firm and the spores (underneath the cap) should be white as shown in the photo. Stay away from porcini that are soft or have yellow spores, since they will become mushy and smell badly when you sauté them. Even in Italy I noticed that such bad porcini mushrooms are … Continue reading Pappardelle ai Funghi Porcini (Pasta with Fresh Porcini Mushrooms)

Asian cuisine11 Comments

M&M’s Ginger Glazed Salmon

StefanGourmet

Fellow food blogger Meatballs & Milkshakes is a good source for reliable recipes. And so I was intrigued a while ago when I saw a recipe for Ginger Glazed Salmon that she called her favorite salmon recipe, and is basically salmon teriyaki with the addition of ginger and sake substituted by red (?!) wine. But since I trust M&M I decided to give it a try anyway and I was glad I did, because it was great! Not only is the sauce very good, also the way of cooking the salmon medium rare in a low oven is given sous-vide … Continue reading M&M’s Ginger Glazed Salmon

4. Dolci (dessert)9 Comments

Home-made Ginger & Honey Ice Cream

StefanGourmet

  This recipe comes from the booklet that came with the ice cream maker. It’s so original and good that I keep making it, with as the only tweak that I add some fresh ginger juice. Ginger in sweet syrup (Dutch: stemgember) and sweet ginger syrup (Dutch: gembersiroop) are available in nearly every supermarket in the Netherlands, but I am not sure if it is as easily available elsewhere. Ingredients   35 grams (1 1/4 oz) sweet ginger, chopped 1 1/2 Tbsp ginger syrup 1 Tbsp honey 70 grams (2 1/2 oz) sugar 250 ml (1 cup) whipping cream 250 … Continue reading Home-made Ginger & Honey Ice Cream

Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)9 Comments

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin (Filetto di Maiale in Agrodolce)

StefanGourmet

I’ve mentioned before that my Italian cooking adventures all began with the great books by Biba Caggiano. One of my favorite recipes from one of her earliest books, Modern Italian Cooking, is the one for sweet and sour pork. She uses pork loin, but I’ve always used pork tenderloin instead since it is more tender. This dish is original, delicious, and easy to make. It cooks quite fast as the tenderloin is cut into slices and it is best when cooked to medium rare or medium. Give it a try! Ingredients For 2 servings 1 pork tenderloin (about 300 grams / … Continue reading Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin (Filetto di Maiale in Agrodolce)

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)11 Comments

Pasta with Lamb, Vegetables, Honey & Thyme

StefanGourmet

I used to make this Italian-French fusion dish that I had invented myself on a regular basis, but hadn’t for a while as I was concentrating on more traditional dishes. I wanted to make something with lamb, remembered this dish and realised that I hadn’t blogged about it yet. So I made it again and decided to make it again more often since it is very flavorful. You can make this with any tender lamb such as lamb loin, lamb tenderloin or leg of a young lamb. Ingredients For 2-3 servings 300 grams (2/3 pound) boneless tender lamb 150 grams … Continue reading Pasta with Lamb, Vegetables, Honey & Thyme

Cooking13 Comments

RV cooking in the USA

StefanGourmet

I’m back home after three weeks of travelling together with Kees from national park to national park with an RV in Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Colorado. It was a wonderful trip and very different from most of our vacations in the sense that they usually involve a lot of eating out at gourmet restaurants. This trip included only one such meal (at Alinea) plus two dinners at steakhouses (of which I can recommend Fleming’s). I had saved up some posts before leaving that I had scheduled to be published while I was travelling, so there have been at least … Continue reading RV cooking in the USA

Eating3 Comments

Dining in the USA: Fleming’s Steakhouse, Salt Lake City

StefanGourmet

After our less than memorable experience at Gem’s Steakhouse in Deadwood, South Dakota, we decided to celebrate the last night of our vacation in the USA by going to a steakhouse in Salt Lake City. Locals recommended Fleming’s, a chain of steakhouses with over 60 restaurants all over the United States. We were not disappointed this time: it was one of the best steaks we’ve ever had. Fleming’s uses USDA ‘Prime’ beef, aged for 21 days. For those of you who are not from the US, let me quickly explain about USDA beef grades. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) … Continue reading Dining in the USA: Fleming’s Steakhouse, Salt Lake City

1. Antipasti (appetizers)4 Comments

Mackerel Ceviche

StefanGourmet

Ceviche is a South American way of ‘cooking’ seafood in lime juice without using any heat. I like to use it with a strong-flavored fish such as mackerel, since the citrus would otherwise overpower the delicate taste of the fish. It is very easy to make; the only thing you need is very fresh (sushi grade) fish. I am not a big fan of cilantro (coriander), but in small doses it adds something to this dish. Ingredients For 2 or 4 servings as an appetizer 4 sushi grade mackerel fillets without skin, about 450 grams (1 pound) total weight 4 … Continue reading Mackerel Ceviche

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)6 Comments

Spaghetti ‘Salmonara’

StefanGourmet

This is not an authentic dish, but my own invention. It is a fish version of the well-known spaghetti alla carbonara that uses smoked salmon and red onion instead of pancetta or guanciale. Just like real carbonara, the ‘sauce’ is raw egg that is only cooked slightly by the heat from the pasta. It only takes as long as it takes to cook the spaghetti. This dish is quick, easy, tasty, and healthy thanks to the omega-3 fatty acids in the salmon. Ingredients For 2 servings 200 grams (7 oz) spaghetti 250 grams (9 oz) smoked salmon 1 red onion, chopped … Continue reading Spaghetti ‘Salmonara’

Secondi di Carne (meat dishes)11 Comments

Sous-vide Rib Steak finished on the BBQ

StefanGourmet

  Once a year Kees throws an overnight party on our boat with about 25 friends, which involves a BBQ, a lot of beer, and a lot of fun. This year I decided to tag along (drinking wine rather than beer) and had a great time as well. I brought along 5 kilograms (11 lbs) sous-vide pre-cooked beef that was finished on the BBQ that was a big hit. All of it was devoured in five minutes. It was good quality marbled Irish beef, but since it was a cut that can usually only be prepared as a braise or … Continue reading Sous-vide Rib Steak finished on the BBQ

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)9 Comments

Fresh Pasta with Rabbit (Tajarin al Sugo di Coniglio)

StefanGourmet

I really liked the fresh tagliatelle with rabbit at Bussia, and so I decided to make a similar dish. Tajarin al Sugo di Coniglio is a dish from the Piemonte region, where narrow tagliatelle (taglierini) are called tajarin in the local dialect. It really brings out the delicate flavor of the rabbit, which pairs very well with the delicate pasta. I decided to enhance the rabbit flavor by using rabbit stock rather than chicken stock. Ingredients For 4 servings 1 kg (2.2 lbs) rabbit legs 1 small onion, minced 1 carrot, minced 1 celery stalk, minced 1 glass (100 ml) … Continue reading Fresh Pasta with Rabbit (Tajarin al Sugo di Coniglio)

Asian cuisine6 Comments

‘Japanese’ Salad

StefanGourmet

This salad isn’t truly Japanese, but it does include some Japanese ingredients and I did find the dressing in a booklet with recipes that are supposed to be Japanese. This post is all about the dressing which is really good. The salad is good too, it just isn’t very authentic. Ingredients lettuce shii take mushrooms bean sprouts green onion 2 Tbsp oil cherry tomatoes For the dressing 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 3 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce 2 Tbsp sesame oil 1/2 fresh red chile pepper Preparation Remove the tough stems from the shii take mushrooms and slice them. Sauté the … Continue reading ‘Japanese’ Salad

Eating17 Comments

Dining in South Dakota: Gem Steakhouse, Deadwood

StefanGourmet

We are in Deadwood, South Dakota, a wild west town from 1876 and still has some of its original charm (most of it is drowned out by countless slot machines though). It was nice to be back in a slightly more populated area after touring national parks in an RV for a week, so we decided that we would eat out instead of cooking at the campsite. Steak is usually a safe choice outside of major cities in the US, so I checked out TripAdvisor to find a recommended steakhouse in Deadwood. Gem Steakhouse seemed a good choice, located in … Continue reading Dining in South Dakota: Gem Steakhouse, Deadwood

4. Dolci (dessert)18 Comments

Cake with Plums, Almonds and Orange

StefanGourmet

I served this delicious cake to my parents for dessert when they came over for dinner, and everyone loved it. I got the recipe from the newspaper a long time ago, and found it when I was sorting out old recipes. It’s so good I regret not making it earlier. Ingredients 500 grams (1.1 lbs) ripe plums 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar juice and zest of 1 orange vanilla bean For the dough 150 grams (11 Tbsp) butter at room temperature 150 grams (3/4 cup) sugar 2 eggs 85 grams (1/2 cup) flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 100 grams … Continue reading Cake with Plums, Almonds and Orange

1. Antipasti (appetizers)13 Comments

First experiment with Agar Agar: Beetroot Tagliatelle

StefanGourmet

When I say beetroot tagliatelle, I don’t mean tagliatelle flavored or colored with beetroot, but tagliatelle made of mostly beetroot, without any flour. It is a simple form of modernist cuisine (not capitalized, since I’m not referring to the book). I had eaten tomato tagliatelle at Piazza Duomo, one of Italy’s best restaurants in Alba, and thought I could use agar agar to try something similar with beetroot. I don’t have a juicer so I used beetroot puree rather than beetroot juice. Agar agar is a gelling agent that is made from red algae that has the interesting quality that … Continue reading First experiment with Agar Agar: Beetroot Tagliatelle

1. Antipasti (appetizers)8 Comments

Kale Salad with Apples, Trail Mix, and Blue Cheese

StefanGourmet

I was intrigued when I read about a kale salad on EmmyCooks.com, as kale is something that I had never associated before with a salad. Kale is called boerenkool (“farmer’s cabbage”) in the Netherlands, and is eaten boiled with mashed potatoes, gravy and smoked sausage. In the Netherlands boerenkool is a winter vegetable and is not available fresh in summer, so I haven’t been able to try this salad until now. As I am currently touring national parks in the USA with an RV, I noticed that kale is indeed available here as a summer vegetable. So I decided to … Continue reading Kale Salad with Apples, Trail Mix, and Blue Cheese

Cooking3 Comments

Improvised Chicken Fajitas

StefanGourmet

Some believe that I only eat food at the level of Alinea, or at least cooked sous-vide. But since one does have to eat, I do adjust to the circumstances and, depending on the circumstances, will eat almost everything. As we are currently touring national parks in Utah and Wyoming with an RV, quite some adjustment is necessary. Luckily I can enjoy what I’m eating anyway. The burners in the RV are so bad that it takes 15 minutes to bring half a liter (2 cups) of water to a boil. So cooking on those is out. But at the campsite in … Continue reading Improvised Chicken Fajitas

Secondi di Pesce (fish dishes)10 Comments

Fish soup (Zuppa di Pesce)

StefanGourmet

My parents came over for dinner and my dad’s favorite dish is fish soup filled with different kinds of seafood. There are many varieties of this type of soup, including bouillabaisse from France and zarzuela from Spain. It can’t be a surprise that my version is Italian style and therefore called zuppa di pesce. The quality of this soup depends solely on the freshness of the seafood used, and there are hardly any ingredients besides the seafood itself. It is a very elegant dish that looks great to boot. From sous-vide cooking we’ve learned that the ideal temperature to cook … Continue reading Fish soup (Zuppa di Pesce)

Eating15 Comments

Dining in Chicago: Alinea***

StefanGourmet

Being jetlagged has its advantages. I’ve just had a fantastic dinner at Alinea and am eager to blog about it, but I wasn’t sure when I would get around to that as I will be travelling in areas where wifi is not something to count on. We went to Alinea with friends from Chicago where we are also staying the night. I’ve slept really well after the dinner at Alinea for about 6 hours, but now it’s 5am (i.e. noon in the timezone I left yesterday) and I am wide awake. So what better thing to do then to do … Continue reading Dining in Chicago: Alinea***

4. Dolci (dessert)2 Comments

Tina’s Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp (Rabarber och Jurdgobbar med knäckigt havrepajs täcke)

StefanGourmet

When we were visiting our friends Tina & Magnus in Sweden, Tina made this wonderful dessert for us: rhubarb and strawberries topped with an oats crust and baked in the oven. I watched her making it and took some photos, and thought it was delicious so I got her permission to share the recipe with you. For those of you who can read Swedish this should suffice, but for the rest here is the step by step in English. I’ve increased the quantities in the non-metric equivalent a bit to avoid things like “5/6 cup”. Ingredients For the oats crust … Continue reading Tina’s Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp (Rabarber och Jurdgobbar med knäckigt havrepajs täcke)

2. Primi (pasta, risotto)16 Comments

Risotto al Basilico

StefanGourmet

This basil risotto was inspired by a similar risotto we got at a recent dinner at restaurant Bussia in Amsterdam. Their version was lighter and greener, but this was just as delicious. The lighter and greener style may in part have been to blanching the basil leaves to set the color and lighten the taste, something I did not do and may try next time. Ingredients For 2 servings 130 grams (2/3 cup) risotto rice 1 bunch fresh basil (about 50 grams/2 oz) 1 small onion, chopped 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 glass (100 ml) dry white wine … Continue reading Risotto al Basilico

4. Dolci (dessert)4 Comments

Ciambelline al Vino

StefanGourmet

When he tasted my cantuccini, my co-worker Mauro said that he usually prefers ciambelline al vino, the typical cookies from his home-town Rome. I had never heard of those, but decided to make them and liked them. You can make them with either white wine or red wine. Although I have not tested this theory myself, I believe these cookies are very suitable to bake with children. Easy dough and an interesting shape. The alcohol will of course evaporate when they are baked. On a side note: this morning I finally succeeded in booking a table at l’Astrance*** in Paris! … Continue reading Ciambelline al Vino