2018 August

Chard pie with goat’s cheese

1 large round sheet of puff pastry and pie vorm, Breadcrumbs, large chards leaves enough to cover the bottom. 2 tomatoes, Oregano and Basil, egg whites from 2 eggs or 2 whole eggs. 2 spring onions, Goat’s cheese, already a bit aged, so that it crumbles. Salt or celery salt and pepper

Place the sheet of dough in a flat pie vorm sprinkled with breadcrumbs, puncture it with holes and pre-bake for about 10 minutes at 150c. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in parts along with the coarsely chopped spring onion and spices, salt and pepper in a bowl and chop fine, but not overly fine, with the blender. Mix together with the egg whites. Pour the mixture into the mould and spread it out. Crumble the goat’s cheese over the mixture and press lightly. Bake for about 20 min in a hot oven (see the puff pastry description for temperatures etc. on the package).

Serve with a crispy baguette and thick butter!

2018 May

Braised Good King Henry leaves,

Good King Henry leaves freshly picked and sorted and taken of the thickest stems. Red Chard leaves also freshly picked from your garden. (Green variety is ok) Sliced, but not too fine! Some lemon balm- and Oregano leaves. Olive oil, One diced onion , salt, pepper, Stock of Veal powder (I buy this in the bio store, but you may make your own!)

Start with putting oil in your wok or big frying pan. When nice and hot put in the diced onion and glace. Also add some salt and pepper, mixed well with the oil and onion. Then add the Chards and herbs, and when a little cooked put in the well washed and drained Good King Henry leaves. Braise, add some water and add the stock powder, so it will thicken a bit.

Done! Eat this with potatoes and if you like, any kind of meat!

Bon Appetite!

2018 March

Duck legs with Cherries on Rum

• 4 duck legs, Cuisses de Canard
• Coarse salt
• Pepper
• Herbs de Provence and Estragon
• onion finely chopped
• 200 gr cherries on Rum, see recipe in preserves on this site
• Honey
• Potatoes

•  Clean the duck legs and massage a bit with the coarse salt and put in large oven dish. Squeeze honey first and then sprinkle the onion and pepper over the legs. Let stand for about 15 minutes.
•  Put in the oven on 150c for 45 minutes, then put in the potatoes, cherries and the rum and return to the oven ( 170c for 30 minutes.
• Eat with the potatoes and carrots for example, experimenter!

In the winter I use my woodstove and I put the legs in a 100+c oven for 45 minutes or until it starts to turn a golden brown, not too much though! After the last ingredients I make a bigger fire and the oven is 140c and I let it cook for another 60+ minutes or until it is done. You will have to turn the dish now and then.

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2017

The 5th of december is the time for Saint Nicolaas in the Netherlands. Since I am Dutch I would like to share a recipe of a spicy little cookie: Kruidnootjes!

Ingredients for “Kruidnootjes”

* 250 gr all purpose flour
* 16 gr baking powder
* 125 gr brown sugar
* 125 gr cold butter
* 2 tbsp speculaas spices (cinnamon, pepper, cloves, ginger, cardamom and anise) try the best amounts for you.
* a bit of salt
* 4 tbsp milk

You work like this

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 160 c. use a baking sheet with sillicon bakingsheet.

Step 2

Mix bakingpowder with the flour

Step 3

Cut the butter in small cubes in the flour.

Step 4

Add the brown suger

Step 5

Add speculaasspices, salt and the milk.

Step 6

Your hands may get dirty now so kneed away to make a nice dough!

Step7

Magic! Slowly the colour of the dough changes into brown. Keep on kneading until a nice supple ball of dough.

Step 8

Make small little balls, I made a “snake” of dough and cut small peaces of. You may also use a smal theespoon. Make  the little balls not too big and all about the same size. The bakingpowder makes them rise quite a bit whilst baking .

Step 9

Put the balls on the baking sheet with about 1 cm in between them. Keep half off the dough until you are ready to make the next batch. You may keep it in the freezer, if you like.

Step 10

Bake the little spicy balls 20 minutes in the oven at 160 c  until they are nicely baked. Or in the woodstove for 9 minutes on each side, You will have to turn the sheet otherwise it gets burned on one side! You may choose to bake all in one go, but it is better to do this in two turns. I did it in two.

Recipe of: Granny This is a Dutch page, but you may look at the pictures!