We Love Rhubarb

When the first stalks of rhubarb appear at my local market, I immediately know it's spring. I love its bright color and tart flavor, not so much in baked goods, but in jams or compotes. This rhubarb- strawberry compote is becoming a very popular dessert at my house. And the wonderful thing is that it goes down a treat with my family. Hans, who always maintained that he "hated" the stuff, happily polishes off his little bowl! Kirstie hasn't complained yet, as you can see from the picture.
Serve it with a little Greek yogurt and you have a refreshingly light way to end almost any springtime meal.

Rhubarb- Strawberry Compote
(makes about 750g)

-500g rhubarb, sliced
-60g light brown sugar
-40g fine sugar
-2 tbsps grapefruit juice
-100g strawberries, sliced

Put all the ingredients (except the strawberries) in a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat immediately and allow to cook on a medium heat for about ten minutes or until rhubarb begins to soften. Stir continuously. Add the strawberries and allow to cook for a further five minutes. Transfer to sterilized jars.

Heavenly Outdoor Meals

The weather has been continuously gorgeous here, which means that our dinner table has been abandoned for our wooden picnic table out in the garden. During the week I usually take whatever I cooked outside, but come the weekend, most of our cooking is actually done outdoors. We pour ourselves a glass of wine, throw open the door and kitchen windows facing the garden, play some nice tunes and get busy with the preparations of a lovely dinner. While Hans gets the barbecue going, I'll do things like marinade the meat, chop some veggies and debate what I will serve for dessert. Our meals are usually very simple but they always manage to turn out delicious.

The photos you see here are a perfect example of one of our typical weekend meals: spatchcocked chicken marinated in lime juice, olive oil, garlic and salt & pepper, grilled asparagus dressed with nothing more than a pinch of fleur de sel and some extra virgin olive oil, baguette with butter and a bottle of wine. And for dessert- strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar.

This is what I call a heavenly meal- and the wonderful thing is that the summer hasn't even started!

A Sweet Friendship

A few months ago, I received an email from a girl named Yolanda. She contacted me after reading one of the articles I had written for Expatica. We both happen to live in the same city and we are both Colombians, so she mentioned that perhaps we could meet up for a chat sometime. I was quite taken aback, yet at the same time it felt like I knew her. And that was only through that first email.
A few days later we met and ever since then she has become a little ray of sunshine in my life. Always smiling, always cheerful and always ready to lend an ear. Yolanda keeps thanking me for my friendship and for teaching her a lot about food and cooking, but I always tell her that I am also very grateful for being able to call her my friend.
Today she went out for a day in Den Bosch and on the way back, she called to ask if I was home because she wanted to stop by. I have never been to Den Bosch but I've always told myself that if I'm ever there, the first thing I'll do is look for a bakery. Den Bosch is the hometown to one of my favorite treats- Bossche bollen (Dutch eclairs). If they're good from a shop or a local bakery imagine getting them from a bakery there!
Well, half an hour later Yolanda showed up and out of her pink tote she pulled out a little bag and handed it to me. My heart smiled. I knew exactly what was in there. Yolanda remembered my love for Bossche bollen and was sweet enough to bring one back for me. The fact that I had a ragù going on the stove and that dinner was just an hour away didn't stop me from shooting a picture or two and immediately digging in. It was sinfully good- everything I'd imagine times ten. And not just because of the taste, but because of the sentiment that came with it.

Annual Asparagus Fair!

When I found out that there was an annual asparagus fair being held in the south, I didn't hesitate to immediately organize a day trip! Imagine that, a fair dedicated to what we know here as "white gold"! It made perfect sense to me though, considering the fact that asparagus is huge here in The Netherlands. The start of asparagus season (around the end of April) is a much anticipated event and even the end of the season is celebrated with a farewell mass at St. Jan Church in Den Bosch on the 24th of June. The Netherlands can even boast an asparagus museum and an asparagus association.

After a gourmet breakfast of bacon and eggs à la Hans (gotta enjoy those days off!), we jumped in the car and started on the two hour drive into Limburg. The first part of the trip was pretty standard, not much to see, but as we drove into Limburg I noticed how different the area was from the rest of The Netherlands. I immediately felt as though I were in another country, and in fact I almost was. The asparagus fair was held in Arcen en Velden, a beautiful town just a stone's throw away from the German border. It was evident in the architecture, the bilingual street signs and even the language.

When we entered the fair, we were greeted by an asparagus farmer giving a demonstration about the cultivation and harvest of the crop. I have mentioned before that I am a big supporter of farmers who love their trade and watching this man talk about what he loves most was a wonderful way to start our adventure. After that Kirstie was recruited to help sort asparagus- a job she very diligently took on! We spent the rest of the day looking around the many stalls and of course, tasting!

Lunch was a bowl of asparagus soup- perfectly creamy and mild- and a baguette filled with asparagus spears rolled in cured ham- an unusual but surprisingly delicious combination! As we sat at the sunny cafe enjoying our lunch, I felt a huge sense of joy- something that probably only other foodies would understand!

We left, pleasantly exhausted and looking forward to our next asparagus meal, which of course, would be washed down with a bottle of the wine we purchased at the fair. It looks like we're definitely getting the most out of these delicious months!

Click here for more pictures of the the asparagus fair and our trip to Limburg!

First Barbecue!

The weather is finally starting to shape up here in The Netherlands and we are trying to enjoy every bit of it! As long as there's sun, you won't find us indoors. We're either exploring the Dutch countryside, walking in the dunes or shopping in the city. It's such a great feeling to have the whole day to ourselves with nothing on the agenda except having fun!

Days like these are usually ended with an outdoor feast. Yesterday we opened a bottle of Chianti and munched on some olives while Hans got the barbecue going and I prepared the food. We had chicken marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and sweet paprika powder, lamb burgers, baguette with garlic butter and corn on the cob. Hans, being the genius that he is, had the idea to wrap the meat in foil instead of putting it directly on the grill. Now, I know that this isn't really very traditional, but it worked out beautifully! The meat is actually steamed and tenderized in its little foil package providing a wonderfully moist and juicy result. Another thing is that there is less chance of overcooking the meat or ending up with charred (not very healthy) or dry cuts. Plus the fact that cleaning up is much easier! We think we'll continue using this little trick!

Dessert was a fool made with raspberries (the frozen kind) and shop- bought Croquants Noix de Coco cookies from Bonne Maman. Not a bad way to end the first barbecue of the year!

The Perfect Springtime Meal

It was my honest intention to wait until the weekend for what I consider to be one of the big events of the year- my first asparagus meal! But yesterday I succumbed to my own impatience and ditched my planned weekday meal for a plate of the season's first asparagus!

Now I know there are a million and one ways to eat asparagus, but nothing beats them steamed and served with thin slices of ham, a soft boiled egg and plenty of melted butter. The final touch is nothing more than a generous sprinkling of parsley and a pinch of freshly- ground nutmeg. Serve that with a crusty baguette and a bottle of Pinot Blanc from Alsace and you have the perfect springtime meal!

Gâteau au Yaourt

Put me in a room with any kind of rich, decadently over- the- top chocolate cake and I'm guaranteed to swoon, go weak in the knees and forget all my inhibitions. I've not made a secret about the fact that when I do make a chocolate cake, I'll also eat it for breakfast. That's probably the reason why I only make said cakes on birthdays or anniversaries. They're just too darn dangerous!

French yogurt cake, while very different from my type of chocolate cake, has that same irresistibility factor. The funny thing is that because it has yogurt, it doesn't feel half as naughty. And that in itself, can be quite dangerous!

Here's my recipe, which was also featured in the last issue of Desserts Magazine on page 44 and 45!

Gâteau au Yaourt
Serves 8

Ingredients

250 g all- purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
fat pinch fleur de sel
225 ml vanilla yogurt
3 eggs
2 tbsps crème de cassis
175 g caster sugar
100 ml sunflower oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 180C.
Lightly butter and flour a 22 cm springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a circle of baking paper.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the fleur de sel, grinding it well between your fingers, and stir to combine.
In another bowl, beat the yogurt, sugar and crème de cassis. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat until combined. Add oil and beat again.
Pour the batter into your prepared springform pan and bake the gâteau for 50- 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.