Pink Flowered Gloves and Lilac Dutch Clogs...

I really can’t believe that I grew up in a city. There was a time, long, long ago when I cried after a nature walk through a jungle in Costa Rica. I hated how my makeup melted under the hot sun and how my beautiful Guess shoes got filthy. My idea of fun had nothing to do with nature, much less with food. And here I am, pondering the thought of digging up some extra space in the garden to start growing more fruits and vegetables. I currently have an apple tree, a cherry tree, a hazelnut tree and various herbs and spices. Last year there were tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, peppers and chillies, but for some reason, they all died on me. You see, I am really not that brilliant when it comes to gardening and in fact, I am only a beginner learning by trial and error.

Now though, the time has come and I am determined to make it work! There is a reasonably large space next to the house and we are planning on digging it up and planting some vegetables there along with more herbs and spices. Carrots, radishes, rhubarb, onions, leeks, maybe Belgian endive, perhaps some potatoes. I’ll also give last year’s failures a chance again. Funny how I find myself getting happy goosebumps just thinking about the possibilities!

But first, a lot of hard work and reading await!

PS: I do think I need some pretty pink flowered gardening gloves though! And maybe some lilac Dutch clogs to go with that!

Delicious News!

Yesterday the postman came along and surprised me! No, not because I was in my bathrobe and had a towel wrapped around my head, but because he had a lovely package for me- all the way from Italy! When I opened the bag, a cloud of chocolate aroma immediately jumped out at me. Inside were three beautifully wrapped bars of Modica chocolate! Never mind the fact that I had just eaten breakfast- I ripped off one of the wrappers and immediately devoured a square!

I just want to take this opportunity to once again express my thanks to my friend Beatriz for filling me in on Nutella Day. I wouldn’t have known about this otherwise! And of course to Michelle and Sara for organizing this! The chocolate is almost gone, girls!

Also some lovely news- my Nutty Nutella Buns were recently featured in Desserts Magazine! I was very honored and proud to see them there and I hope to contribute more recipes to the magazine in the near future. Have a look through their mouth-watering digital magazine for lots of delicious inspiration and don’t forget to check out my recipe on page 14 and 15!

Dutch Inspirations!

All of a sudden I have fallen in love with one of the most hated vegetables in the country- Belgian endive! Long gone are the days when I ignored the vegetable. I can no longer leave the market without at least a kilo of these luscious heads of ‘white gold’ and I only have one person to thank- Yolanda van der Jagt!

Yolanda’s book, Lekker Hollands, has become one of my favorite cookbooks as far as the Dutch kitchen is concerned. When I first opened the book, I was quite surprised to see that the foreword was written by Jamie Oliver. Now that alone was already a good sign! Yolanda and Jamie worked together at the River Café in London and her innovative dishes are reminiscent of Jamie’s style. Like Jamie, she has a keen sense for interesting flavor combinations and just reading her recipes makes you want to run into the kitchen- fast! I love the fact that she is quite the vegetable fan. Her book totally opened up my eyes to the possibilities of doing different things with vegetables such as:

- celeriac: had some for lunch today, julienned, with apple and raisins, also love it in my mashed potatoes.

- parsnips: I never thought of making a traditional Dutch hutspot with anything but boiled carrots and potatoes until Yolanda came along and showed me how to make a roasted hutspot- with parsnips ( the original veggie used in the dish) carrots and white bean mash.

- kale: deliciously different as a crostini topping!

- leeks: wrapped in bacon, covered in tomato sauce, sprinkled with thyme and baked in the oven.

- red peppers: caramelized and served with... vanilla ice cream, for dessert!

- and of course, Belgian endive. Oh how delicious it is grilled and served with a vinaigrette of shallots, bacon and balsamic vinegar!

Last weekend I decided to turn to Yolanda once again for a little inspiration and served endive in a savory tart. First I sautéed the endive in a little butter and also did the same with some red onions. Then it was just a matter of sticking a few sheets of puff pastry together (shop- bought), throwing the veggies on top and scattering bits of chèvre and bacon here and there. Couldn’t have been any easier! I served the tart with a salad of lamb’s lettuce and a bottle of Pouilly Fumé. It was SO, SO good!

PS: Yolanda's book is only available in Dutch. Yolanda, the world needs a translation! ;)

Here's Yolandas recipe (adapted by me):

Endive Tart with Goat Cheese
Serves 2-3

-6 squares of puff pastry (about 45g per square), or a piece of about 30 x 20cm
-2 tbsps butter
-5 red onions, halved and thinly sliced
-500g Belgian endive, 1 cm cut off of the ends, halved and then sliced thinly
-1 tbsp dried thyme
-100g chvre (soft goat cheese)
-4 strips of bacon
-1 beaten egg
-freshly ground pepper

• Preheat oven to 210C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Put the puff pastry on the tray and leave it to defrost at room temperature.
• Melt 1 tbsp of the butter, add the onions and let them cook gently for about 20 minutes.
• Melt the other tbsp of butter in another pan and cook the endive gently for about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Press the edges of the puff pastry together to form a rectangular sheet. Layer the veggies over the pastry leaving an edge of about 2cm.
• Scatter the thyme, cheese and bacon over the tart, brush the edges with the egg and bake it for 20- 25 minutes until golden brown.

My Little Foodie

I have a feeling Kirstie is strongly following in my footsteps. Sometimes I hear her in her room singing songs about "crème fraîche" and "aubergines". The other day she also surprised me by announcing that she was going to have a farm in France in the future- complete with fruits, vegetables and chickens. She even asked Stijn (her current crush) if he would be willing to live on a farm with her, and he agreed. I was very glad when she mentioned that I could come over for the harvest. She would also cook for Hans and I and we would be welcome to stay at her house. Sounds like a plan!

Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be eating something delicious at her table and I'll suddenly be reminded of our time spent together in the kitchen. Perhaps she'll present us with a gooey pasta bake, smothered in a decadent béchamel sauce and I'll think back to that Friday night when we first made the dish together.

PS: She did mention that she'd like to go to Leiden first, "to learn more about the 17th century".

Kirstie's Pasta Bake
Serves 4

-325g whole wheat penne
-60g butter
-4 tbsps flour, sifted
-475 ml hot milk
-100g gruyère, freshly grated
-75g parmesan, freshly grated
- nutmeg, freshly grated
-2 tbsps dried oregano
-salt and pepper to taste


1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C. Lightly oil your casserole of choice.
3. Make the béchamel sauce by melting the butter on a low heat. Add the flour and whisk well. Add the milk slowly, whisking continuously until you have a thick, smooth sauce. Flavor the sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
4. Add a layer of pasta to your casserole, continue with a layer of sauce and follow with the cheeses. Repeat the process, ending with the cheese layer. Sprinkle the dish with the oregano and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Mijn Zoete Leven!

I, well, actually we, have been quite busy these last few days! My very talented husband, Hans, has helped me create a lovely website (in Dutch and English), Mijn Zoete Leven, or 'My Sweet Life', to kick off my new food business! The funny thing is that shortly before this leap, I was busy working on expositions and art historical research, convinced that this would become my career! Now don't get me wrong- I still get goosebumps when I see a Rembrandt and I am still fanatical about Vondel, but for the moment life has lead me here and I am extremeley happy about that. I hope you have a look, and do let me know what you think!

Because of the hectic schedule, I haven't had a chance to really plan meals, which means that we've been living on simple food for the past week- lots of bread meals (great organic sourdough bread, may I add), soups and salads. Therefore, no news on the cooking front. It's weekend though, so stay tuned!

Vitelotte Noir!

I returned home from the market today grinning from ear to ear. Inside my colorful straw basket, was something very exciting- a bag full of vitelotte noir potatoes! Now, they may not be the prettiest of the bunch on the outside, but just look at that goregous, psychadelically purple flesh! This ain't your normal everyday 'tatty', let me tell you!

The vitelotte noir, or 'black truffle potato' as the farmer called it, is an ancient potato variety which was grown by the Incas of Peru approximately 800 years ago. They were introduced in France around the middle of the 19th century. Vitelottes have a long, thin body and a dimpled, dark gray skin. Their flavor is nutty, almost chestnut- like and they are ideal for roasting or frying. I simply cut them into quarters and tossed them with a tablespoon of chilli oil, two fat cloves of crushed garlic, a pinch of maldon salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. Thirty minutes in a 200C oven was enough to give me the most delectable Wednesday afternoon lunch! I served them steaming hot with a dip made from two tablespoons crème fraîche, an utterly ripe red chilli and a bit of chopped parsley. Delicious!

Nutella Day! A better- than- cinnamon buns challenge!

First of all let me tell you about my new friend, Beatriz and about her excellent blog. Like me, Beatriz is an expat, and like me, she is Colombian, she's passionate as heck about her family and she's into the arts. She found me through one of my recipes (arepas) and boy am I glad she did! When I started to read her blog, I was absolutely hooked! She has a way with words, a sincerity and a beautiful simplicity which just gets you hooked! Although I've never met Beatriz, I feel a connection towards her just by reading her blog. Do check it out!
Well, yesterday Miss Beatriz challenged me to take part in World Nutella Day 2008 and because I am not one to disappoint, I took the challenge head on and immediately began brainstorming. I thought about Nutella breakfast bars, Nutella cheesecake, Nutella and pear tart (there I go again with my pears!), Nutella waffles! So many ideas! And then it hit me this morning- Nutella buns!
I adore cinnamon buns and could actually live off of them. The thing is that they're so darn addictive! And yes, I know, a smoothie is a much better option first thing in the morning. But seeing that it's weekend, and that I was challenged, I went ahead and made the most sinful buns ever! No, not cinnamon buns- much bettter than that! I present to you my Nutty Nutella Buns with Tia Maria Glaze!
I'm telling you, I almost burnt my fingers and lips tearing into these while they were still steaming! Even though my instructions say to let them cool slightly before glazing!
Here's the recipe:

Nutty Nutella Buns with Tia Maria Glaze
Approximately 12 buns

For the dough:
250 ml full- fat milk
100g butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
550g flour, plus extra for the kneading and rolling
2 packets (7g each) active dry yeast
80g caster sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

or the filling:
350g Nutella
75g chopped hazelnuts
110g chopped walnuts

For the egg wash:
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsps milk

For the glaze: 150g icing sugar
3 tbsps Tia Maria

1. In a small pan, heat the milk and the butter until the butter is melted. Take the pan off the heat, add the vanilla and let cool to lukewarm. Whisk in the beaten eggs.

2. In a big bowl, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

3. Add the cooled milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well with a floured wooden spoon. Flour your hands and dig into the bowl, kneading the dough inside the bowl. The dough will be sticky, so keep your hands well- floured!

4. Transfer the dough to a well- floured surface and knead it there for a further five minutes, sprinkling with more flour if necessary. Form the dough into a ball.

5. Wash out your bowl with hot water, dry it and sprinkle some flour both in the bowl and on your dough. Return the dough to the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea cloth. Set the bowl in a warm place. I usually put mine in a sunny window next to the heater, and I even place the bowl on top of a cushion! Dough needs to be loved, you see. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.

6. Punch down your dough and knead it for about a minute. Roll it out on a well- floured surface to a rectangle of about 27 X 45cm. It should be about 1cm thick.

7. Spread the Nutella evenly over the dough and sprinkle with the chopped nuts. It takes quite a bit of effort to spread the Nutella! I did this with a the help of a knife, and with my fingers!

8. Roll the dough from the long side and slice it into pieces of 4cm.

9. Line a 26 X 37 rectangular baking pan with baking paper and place the buns in the pan leaving enough space for the dough to rise (about 1/2 cm apart). Cover the pan with plastic wrap and the tea towel. Allow the buns to rise an additional 30 minutes.

10. Preheat the oven to 200C.

11. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg with the milk. Brush this over the rolls and pop them in the oven for 30 minutes. Check half way through to see if they are not getting too brown. Cover wth foil if necessary!

12. Remove the rolls from the baking pan by lifting them up with the baking paper. Set them on a rack (baking paper and all) to cool slightly.

13. Make the glaze by whisking the sugar with the Tia Maria.

14. Drizzle the glaze over the buns.

15. Try to stop yourself from eating the whole lot!