There is much debate and disagreement when it comes to serving the ‘correct’ British scone, is it jam then clotted cream, or clotted cream and then jam?

The typical Devon cream tea consists of a scone sliced in half, spread with clotted cream and topped with strawberry jam, while the alternative, the Cornish cream tea consists of a scone sliced in half, spread first with strawberry jam and then topped with clotted cream.

Whichever way you make them, the basic recipe for the scone is the same. Below is the recipe my Mother has been using since she was a child, making them with her own Mother.

Continue reading “Traditional British Scones” →

The 28^th of February 2017 is Shove Tuesday, the last day before the start of Lent.

Traditionally Shove Tuesday is spent indulging in rich foods before commencing the fasting and religious obligations associated with Lent. Pancakes are commonly eaten on Shove Tuesday as they symbolize the four pillars of the Christian faith: eggs for creation, flour as the mainstay of the human diet, salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity.

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If you have spent a winter in the Netherlands it cannot have escaped your notice that the Dutch love their potatoes and that stampot is a Dutch staple winter food.  Stampot is a dish of mashed potatoes with for example kale (boerenkool stampot) or carrots and onions (hutspot) and is generally eaten with smoked sausage (rookworst).

Continue reading “Hete Bliksem” →

For the ones who are not familiar with speculaas, this is a type of spiced shortcrust biscuit, traditionally baked on St Nicholas’ feast in the Netherlands and Belgium and around Christmas in Germany. You can also buy it as a spice for baking, or as sandwich spread (Speculoos).
Spiced with Speculaas kruiden (nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger), thin and crunchy speculaas biscuits bring a spicy twist to this classic Italian dessert.
This version is without coffee, therefore also child friendly.

Continue reading “Speculaas Tiramsu” →

The Dutch love a hearty schotel almost as much as they love stamppot. It is one of their staple winter dishes and a visit down the chilled isle of the supermarket will show a few different options. But they are super easy to make yourself and adapt to your personal tastes.
The following recipe is one I bring out each winter, it is hearty and warm and fills you up, plus it is super easy to make and healthy. This recipe serves two as a main meal, or 4 as a side dish.

Continue reading “Potato – broccoli schotel” →

To bake a beautiful pumpkin pie you need to start with the crust. For this I recommend, if you have one, a trusted pastry recipe using, instead of lard or shortening, a lard that you render yourself. The Marktslager (find him on Groningen Vismarkt on a Tuesday, Friday and Saturday) has, starting in October, two choices: a lard they have rendered – or fat that you can render at home. When I first saw unrendered fat, I balked, even though they offered the very best there is – a beautiful slab of fat from around the kidney. Well, 10 minutes later, I was back telling them I’d buy it. It seemed worth a try and, I must say, it was. It made the flakiest, most delicious pie crust. That’s my top recommendation. Alternatively you could use a ready-made pie crust or ready-made pastry (look for ‘taartdeeg’) from the supermarket.

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Going on a picnic this summer? Or maybe hosting a BBQ for friends? This white chocolate and vanilla raspberry cheesecake is perfect! And it is served in individual jars so everyone can enjoy their own.

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The New Herring (Nieuwe Haring) season is coming soon. The herring season starts in May/June, and this year, it kicks off in Scheveningen Harbour on 18 June with a festival called Vlaggetjesdag.

At the opening of the season, there used to be a race to bring in the first shipload of herring. This is no longer done but there will be many activities with a nautical theme. The first barrel of new herring always gets special treatment: it is auctioned off for charity and brings in many thousands of euros.

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There are many different types of flour available. Finding a good quality flour is the easiest way to improve your baking. Flour from Dutch supermarkets tends to be very processed, resulting in white, tasteless flour that is missing many of the natural enzymes.

Continue reading “Which Flour?” →