Scarpaccia is a zucchini cake from the northern coast of Tuscany. There are two versions: savory from the town of Camaiore, and sweet from Viareggio. I had already prepared and blogged about the savory version, so now it’s time for … Continue reading Scarpaccia di Viareggio (Zucchini Cake)
Tarte Tatin is a famous French tart that is often prepared with puff pastry, but the original is made with more of a shortcrust kind of pastry. In this variation I used pears instead of apple, and I used a … Continue reading Tarte Tatin aux Poires (Pear Tarte Tatin)
Pumpkin season has arrived. We did not have this pie during our recent trip to Italy, but the inspiration for it did come from Italy. Paola recently blogged about a pumpkin, gorgonzola, and pear tart. I have combined gorgonzola and … Continue reading Pumpkin, Pear, and Blue Cheese Pie (Crostata con zucca, gorgonzola e pere)
A sweet spinach tart? Yes, really. It is delicious. I have discovered this original dessert from the North-Italian town of Reggio Emilia thanks to Simona who is from that region and has the wonderful Italian food blog Grembiula da Cucina … Continue reading Erbazzone Dolce (Sweet Spinach and Almond Tart)
Stefano Arturi is an Italian food blogger who lives in the UK and has blogs in both Italian and English. He always has interesting traditional recipes and does a lot of research about the historical background of recipes. Recently he … Continue reading Scarpaccia Salata (Savory Zucchini Cake)
Nathan Myhrvold, known for the 2,500+ pages Modernist Cuisine, has done it again and has published Modernist Bread, another 2,500+ pages reference book. It consists of 5 volumes, 1 with history and fundamentals, 1 about ingredients, 1 about technique, and … Continue reading High Hydration Bread
I had never heard about Kräuterprinten until I noticed I would need them to prepare Sauerbraten. I googled them and found out they are German spiced cookies that are not available around here, so I decided to bake them myself. They … Continue reading Kräuterprinten (German Spiced Cookies)
Darya has a wonderful blog and I especially like her Middle-Eastern recipes as they are so new to me and always delicious. Last year she posted a recipe for Iraqi date cookies that I put on my list of recipes … Continue reading Iraqi Date Cookies (Kleichat tamur)
In the Netherlands it is customary to treat your co-workers to baked goods for your birthday. These are usually sweet, but can also be savory (in that case, it’s usually sausage rolls). The baked goods can be either store-bought or … Continue reading Wholemeal Stevia Apple Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
Happy New Year, everyone! That 2018 may bring you a lot of great food. I am not really a new year’s resolution kind of guy myself, as I believe you don’t have to wait until January 1 to make a … Continue reading Spelt Stevia Speculaas Madeleines
This recipe started as a joke, but it turned out so good that I will make it more often! Dutch pea soup (erwtensoep) is a winter favorite in the Netherlands. When I found some leftover dried split peas from last … Continue reading ‘Dutch Pea Soup’ Muffins (Erwtensoepmuffins)
I am on a mission to gain lean body mass, and this involves a lot of nutritious but at the same time tasty meals that I can easily take with me to work. Meals should be high in protein and … Continue reading Red Lentil Muffins with Indian Spices
Sachertorte is a famous cake from Vienna that I had never made before. Thanks to CampariGirl’s post I was reminded of it. A Sachertorte is a chocolate cake with two layers, separated by a layer of apricot jam and finished with a … Continue reading Sachertorte
Lately I’ve been creating recipes to make snacks that keep well at room temperature, are nutritious, tasty, and easy to transport. These savory muffins made with chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) certainly fit the bill. Chickpea flour is very high in … Continue reading Chickpea Muffins with Sundried Tomatoes or Peas
Duivekater is a traditional festive bread that originates in Amsterdam and surroundings and is now still popular in the Zaanstreek where I grew up (and still live), just north of Amsterdam. There are sources as far back as the 16th … Continue reading Duivekater
When Paola presented this savory tart on her blog she suggested to make this quickly before Spring arrives, as this leek and squash tart is more suitable for Winter. I was intrigued by the combination of leeks and squash, as … Continue reading Leek and Squash Tart
One of my favorite Italian food bloggers was Silva Rigobello. Unfortunately I have to write in past tense, as she passed away in 2015. I still prepare her recipes from time to time, and in this case it is a … Continue reading Pineapple & Coconut Upside-Down Cake
When I saw this yogurt cake on Mimi’s blog, I wanted to make it straight away. She had eaten it at Moro, a restaurant in London, and loved it so much that she made it at home. I can see … Continue reading Yogurt Cake with Pistachios and Pomegranate
For months now I’ve been making muffins for breakfast with oat bran, quark (or cottage cheese or skyr), eggs, and stevia as the base. I bake them every weekend to eat for breakfast during the week. These muffins are nutritious … Continue reading Banana Oat Bran Quark Stevia Muffins
Stroopwafels are a Dutch treat that is very popular both inside and outside the Netherlands. They are thin round waffles, filled with syrup that has a hint of cinnamon. They are very addictive! When a Dutchman wants to charm a … Continue reading Homemade Stroopwafels (Dutch Syrup Waffles)
Brioche is white bread enriched with eggs and butter, and thus perfect for the holidays. In this case I made one big loaf, but you can also make smaller loaves or buns. For the characteristic shiny top, braze the top … Continue reading Homemade Brioche Bread
Madeleines are classic French small cakes that have to be slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with a wonderful aroma of either vanilla, citrus zest, or, as in this case, almonds. They are not difficult to … Continue reading Almond Madeleines
Yes, you’ve read it correctly, a cake that contains beets (also known as beetroot). When I saw this recipe on Polianthus’ blog, I was intrigued and knew I had to try it. I am glad that I did, because the … Continue reading Hazelnut and Beet Cake
I’ve been baking oat bran quark muffins for breakfast regularly, either with blueberries, or poppy seeds and almonds, as a high fiber, high protein, low fat, low sugar start of my day. (They happen to be gluten free too, but … Continue reading Date, Oat Bran, and Quark Muffins
Summer has finally started (not just on the calendar but also the weather) and that means that cakes for which you don’t have to turn on the oven are the preferred solution for dessert. Although this recipe is tagged “baking”, … Continue reading Quark Cake with Cherries (Kwarktaart met Kersen)
Strawberries with pastry cream on a sweet shortcrust pastry crust are a classic. You could make a large tart, but it looks much better and is easier to serve when you make individual tartlets. There are some special techniques used … Continue reading Strawberry Tartlets
I’ve been experimenting with different flavors for the high protein, high fiber, low sugar, and low fat muffins I’m baking for breakfast. My favorite so far is almond poppy seed. This flavor seems to work particularly well with the quark, … Continue reading Oat Bran Quark Almond Poppy Seed Muffins
As the dessert for our soul food dinner, Selena suggested we bake a sweet potato pie. This is like pumpkin pie, but made with sweet potato. Of course we made the pastry crust from scratch, using the new method that … Continue reading Soul Food, Part 4: Sweet Potato Pie
This is the latest result in my quest for a nutritious breakfast that is high in protein, fiber, and complex carbs, and low in sugar and fat. More importantly, it is also very tasty. Even though oat bran may not … Continue reading Oat Bran Cottage Cheese Muffins
Pecan Pie is a classic from the Southern US, and for good reason because pecan trees are native in that region (as well as Mexico). For this post I didn’t bake a traditional pecan pie, because I made three changes: … Continue reading Pecan Maple Squares (+ A New Method For Flaky Pastry)
