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.

Naughty Food

As much as I love to cook and dine properly (table nicely set, good bottle of wine on the side), there's nothing more liberating than throwing together a terribly caloric meal in under ten minutes and then gobbling it up on the couch with my feet up. That's why when Hans called yesterday to say that he was going to be a little late, I took the opportunity to feed Kirstie first, send her off to sleepyland and then prepare a little something for the two of us. A very decadent 'little something' that is!

This is hardly a recipe and in fact, it's what I call part of my "Naughty Nigella Repertoire': pasta with lardons, lots of garlic, good olive oil and plenty of parsley. Nigella uses linguine, but I used whole wheat spaghetti, being the 'good girl' that I am...

I strongly recommend letting your hair down and polishing off a huge bowl of this every once in a while- on the couch, in the bathtub (Nigella's choice), or in bed (probably also 'Nigella approved').

I Hope I Don't Eat All The Biscotti!

Dessert-Wine-Guide

I have interesting plans this weekend- my friend Yolanda is coming over on Saturday and we're going to cook an Italian feast together! I know I shouldn't have gone ahead and started without her, but my enthusiasm got the best of me today and I suddenly found myself baking the focaccia. After that was taken care of and the loaves were neatly tucked into the freezer, I figured I might as well get started on something to serve with the espresso. I'd hate to let the heat of the oven go to waste, you see.

The recipe of choice was Dorie Greenspan's Chocolate Biscotti. They didn't come out as perfect looking as I would've hoped, but for a biscotti virgin, they're not that bad either. Now I'm just hoping against all hope that they don't magically disappear before Saturday rolls around...

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Biscotti

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp instant espresso powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped almonds, blanched or unblanched
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Sugar for dusting

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale, about 2 minutes; the mixture may be crumbly. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes; don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the chopped nuts and chocolate, then turn the dough out onto a work surface and kneed in any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, roll the dough into 12-inch long logs. Flatten both logs with the palm of your hand, so that they are about ½ to 1 inch high, about 2 inches across and sort of rectangular, then carefully lift the logs onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle each log with a little sugar.
Bake the logs for about 25 minutes, or until they are just slightly firm. The logs will spread and crack – and that’s just fine. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, put it on a cooling rack and cool the logs for about 20 minutes. (Leave the oven on).
Working with one log at a time, using a long serrated knife, cut each log into slices between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick. Stand the slices up on the baking sheet-you’ll have an army of biscotti-and bake the cookies again, this time for just 10 minutes.
Transfer the biscotti to a rack to cool.

One Lucky Man!

It's Hans' birthday today and I thought I should tell you about... what else? The FOOD!

To kick of this festive day, our breakfast consisted of the most decadent chocolate cake known to mankind- Nigella's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake. Now believe me, I've tried many chocolate cake recipes but this one is the epitome of chocolaty goodness. It is rich, dark, luscious, sexy (yes, sexy), sinful, intense... I think I can go on forever singing the praises about this cake! I made the cake yesterday because in my opinion, it is best to make the cake a day in advance. I've noticed that the flavor seems to 'mature' somehow and only get better. We also like the way the frosting hardens in the fridge and becomes even fudgier! So, that was how we started our day! Hans also got some homemade presents from Kirstie, including two of Snow White's dwarfs, which she took from her own night stand because she thought they might like to keep Dad company on his. He also got tickets to see Wende Snijders (our favorite French chansonnière) this Saturday and the promise to be taken out to dinner- his choice.

And now about tonight's dinner- Hans likes a good burger, and by good I mean made fresh with the best ingredients! Organic beef flavored with minced shallots, lots of garlic, smoked paprika powder, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, a little Tabasco, salt, pepper and then grilled with plenty o' love! I served some oven baked home fries with that- thick slices of potatoes with the skins left on and tossed with olive oil, coarse sea salt, garlic and lots of pepper! The food came out pretty good considering the fact that this was actually my first time attempting a real hamburger!

I think my dear husband is one lucky man! ;)

Cookies Destined To Make You Feel Like a Kid Again

If you ask me what my favorite type of sweet treat is, I'm not so sure I could come up with an answer. As long as it's made with love (and has a lot of sugar, butter and flour), I'll eat it! If I think hard enough though, there is one thing that I have a soft spot for- a good cookie. Especially chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal cookies. I love how they make me feel like a kid again. Cake has the same effect, but with the exception of pound cake, cake was a rare treat when I was growing up. Cookies on the other hand- my grandma always had tins chock- full of those!

This morning I was leafing though Dorie Greenspan's fabulous book, Baking From My Home To Yours, eager to finally try one of her recipes. EVERYTHING in this book looks so darn good, so choosing was no easy task. In the end though, I opted for the Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters and oh man were they good! Absolutely brilliant cookies with that 'feel like a kid again' thing about them which I so much love! I really needed these cookies. I can't even begin to tell you how much!

Here's the recipe (but please, if you don't have the book and you love to bake, don't hesitate to run out and get it!)

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters Makes about 60 cookies

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup peanut butter- chunky (my choice) or smooth (but not natural)
1 cup sugar
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Note: I also added 3/4 cup raisins to mine.

Preparation
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips (and the raisins, if using). If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about two hours, or for up to 1 day. (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.

If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto the baking sheets. If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2″ apart on the baking sheets. Press the chilled balls gently with the heal of your hand until they are about 1/2″ thick.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges. Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool.

Repeat with the remaining cooling the baking sheets between batches.