Schellingwoude, Amsterdam
de kassen van Wim Bijma, Amsterdam
Schellingwoude, Amsterdam
de kassen van Wim Bijma, Amsterdam
peach tartine This ridiculously simple tart is as easy as one two three. I like to use peaches but you can make it with practically any type of fruit. Think: Nectarines, apples, pears, apricots... whatever you happen to have lying around in your fruit bowl. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche. for the dough 175 gram all-purpose flour pinch of salt 1 tbsp sugar 125 gram cold butter, in chunks about 3 tbsp ice water for the filling 3-4 fresh ripe peaches 3-4 tbsp white sugar pinch of salt
First make the dough. It’s easiest in a food processor, but by hand is fine as well, then try to knead swiftly with cold hands. First mix the flour with the salt and the sugar. Add the butter and pulse. Add drops of water until the dough just sticks together. Form a flattened ball. Wrap it in some aluminum foil and leave it in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour. Meanwhile thoroughly rinse the peaches. Halve them and pit them. Slice the peaches and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with some sugar as well and let them rest for a while. Take the dough out of fridge and roll it out on a floured counter. Transfer the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper and place that on a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the fruit in the middle of the dough. Keep approximately 4 cm of margin at the edges and fold those back over the fruit. This edge doesn’t have to be perfectly even. A little imperfection adds character. It’s called Home Made. Bake the tart for about 35 minutes until golden brown. Eat it while still warm, sprinkled with some extra sugar and some whipped cream— whisked by hand!— or vanilla ice cream.
peach tartine This ridiculously simple tart is as easy as one two three. I like to use peaches but you can make it with practically any type of fruit. Think: Nectarines, apples, pears, apricots... whatever you happen to have lying around in your fruit bowl. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or crème fraîche. for the dough 175 gram all-purpose flour pinch of salt 1 tbsp sugar 125 gram cold butter, in chunks about 3 tbsp ice water for the filling 3-4 fresh ripe peaches 3-4 tbsp white sugar pinch of salt
First make the dough. It’s easiest in a food processor, but by hand is fine as well, then try to knead swiftly with cold hands. First mix the flour with the salt and the sugar. Add the butter and pulse. Add drops of water until the dough just sticks together. Form a flattened ball. Wrap it in some aluminum foil and leave it in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour. Meanwhile thoroughly rinse the peaches. Halve them and pit them. Slice the peaches and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle with some sugar as well and let them rest for a while. Take the dough out of fridge and roll it out on a floured counter. Transfer the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper and place that on a baking tray. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the fruit in the middle of the dough. Keep approximately 4 cm of margin at the edges and fold those back over the fruit. This edge doesn’t have to be perfectly even. A little imperfection adds character. It’s called Home Made. Bake the tart for about 35 minutes until golden brown. Eat it while still warm, sprinkled with some extra sugar and some whipped cream— whisked by hand!— or vanilla ice cream.
Paris
Barcelona
Paris
Barcelona
thousand-tomato salad with home made ricotta from goat milk. coriander & basil oil for the ricotta 1½ liter goat milk juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp coriander, lightly toasted in a dry skillet 1 tsp salt for the salad 750 gram tomatoes, as many different kinds as possible a few spoonfuls of basil oil (see page 132) juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper
Heat the goat milk with the lemon juice, coriander and salt in a saucepan until the milk curdles. Let it boil gently for 3 minutes until the whey (the clear part) is clearly separated from the curd (the white part). Pour everything through a clean cheese cloth that you’ve placed in a strainer. Collect the whey in a bowl, as you can use it to bake soda bread (see my Winter Book). Wring out the curd in the cheese cloth as much as possible and place the cloth with the ricotta in a form with small holes. (This is called a “faiselle” in French, but you can also make it from a can or cup where you’ve made some holes in the bottom.) You can also use the ricotta like that, you don’t even have to squeeze it into a form. The longer you let the cheese strain, the harder it becomes, so it won’t need to be very long for ricotta. I do let it cool off completely in the fridge. Make the salad. Slice the tomatoes and arrange them over a large plate. Crumble the cheese on top and drizzle over some basil oil and lemon juice. Ground some salt and pepper over it and serve immediately.
thousand-tomato salad with home made ricotta from goat milk. coriander & basil oil for the ricotta 1½ liter goat milk juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp coriander, lightly toasted in a dry skillet 1 tsp salt for the salad 750 gram tomatoes, as many different kinds as possible a few spoonfuls of basil oil (see page 132) juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper
Heat the goat milk with the lemon juice, coriander and salt in a saucepan until the milk curdles. Let it boil gently for 3 minutes until the whey (the clear part) is clearly separated from the curd (the white part). Pour everything through a clean cheese cloth that you’ve placed in a strainer. Collect the whey in a bowl, as you can use it to bake soda bread (see my Winter Book). Wring out the curd in the cheese cloth as much as possible and place the cloth with the ricotta in a form with small holes. (This is called a “faiselle” in French, but you can also make it from a can or cup where you’ve made some holes in the bottom.) You can also use the ricotta like that, you don’t even have to squeeze it into a form. The longer you let the cheese strain, the harder it becomes, so it won’t need to be very long for ricotta. I do let it cool off completely in the fridge. Make the salad. Slice the tomatoes and arrange them over a large plate. Crumble the cheese on top and drizzle over some basil oil and lemon juice. Ground some salt and pepper over it and serve immediately.
artichoke and cocotte This starter became a big hit in our restaurant last Summer. It’s an idea from Sophie, who has been cooking with us for years. We found it so simple and so delicious, that we wanted to give you her recipe. for the béchamel 1 tbsp butter 1½ tbsp all-purpose flour 200 ml milk or cream or a mix some nutmeg salt and pepper and further 4 artichokes, stems cut off 2 fresh small eggs 8 tbsp grated Gruyère
Bring one or two pans of water to a boil. I say two, as I don’t know whether you have a pan large enough to boil 4 artichokes simultaneously. Once the water boils, add the artichokes and some salt. Boil the artichokes for 45 minutes and drain. Rinse under cold water and let them drain upside down in a colander. With a sharp knife, remove the inner leaves and the hair. Prepare the béchamel. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the flour and stir for a few minutes until you have a roux. Little by little, pour in the cream and stir until the cream is absorbed by the roux, and you have a smooth, cohesive sauce. Let the sauce simmer on low heat until the flour taste has disappeared. Take the pan off the heat and season the béchamel with nutmeg, salt and pepper. You can do all this in advance. Preheat the oven to 180°C and place a form with water at the bottom of the oven. Fill the scooped-out artichokes with two generous tablespoons of béchamel. Carefully crack an egg on top, making sure the egg yolk remains whole. Grind some salt and pepper on top and sprinkle with Gruyère. Place the artichokes on a baking tray in the oven for 15 minutes. The white should have set, the yolk still soft. Serve immediately, you can dip the leaves in the sauce in the middle, and the bottom.... oh! You can turn it into a real meal if you serve this with potatoes “sauce gribiche,” page 217.
artichoke and cocotte This starter became a big hit in our restaurant last Summer. It’s an idea from Sophie, who has been cooking with us for years. We found it so simple and so delicious, that we wanted to give you her recipe. for the béchamel 1 tbsp butter 1½ tbsp all-purpose flour 200 ml milk or cream or a mix some nutmeg salt and pepper and further 4 artichokes, stems cut off 2 fresh small eggs 8 tbsp grated Gruyère
Bring one or two pans of water to a boil. I say two, as I don’t know whether you have a pan large enough to boil 4 artichokes simultaneously. Once the water boils, add the artichokes and some salt. Boil the artichokes for 45 minutes and drain. Rinse under cold water and let them drain upside down in a colander. With a sharp knife, remove the inner leaves and the hair. Prepare the béchamel. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the flour and stir for a few minutes until you have a roux. Little by little, pour in the cream and stir until the cream is absorbed by the roux, and you have a smooth, cohesive sauce. Let the sauce simmer on low heat until the flour taste has disappeared. Take the pan off the heat and season the béchamel with nutmeg, salt and pepper. You can do all this in advance. Preheat the oven to 180°C and place a form with water at the bottom of the oven. Fill the scooped-out artichokes with two generous tablespoons of béchamel. Carefully crack an egg on top, making sure the egg yolk remains whole. Grind some salt and pepper on top and sprinkle with Gruyère. Place the artichokes on a baking tray in the oven for 15 minutes. The white should have set, the yolk still soft. Serve immediately, you can dip the leaves in the sauce in the middle, and the bottom.... oh! You can turn it into a real meal if you serve this with potatoes “sauce gribiche,” page 217.
beer can chicken YES, you’re reading this correctly. Perhaps you regularly fire up the backyard grill and you’ve heard of this recipe before, but for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about: you stuff a can of beer inside a chicken, which lets you roast the chicken sitting upright, and the evaporating beer also makes your roasted chicken extra juicy while enhancing its flavor from the inside out. Isn’t that amazing? Roasting an entire chicken on a barbecue grill is quite a hassle, but using this method you’ll be able to pull it off. For a truly juicy result I brine the chicken the night before. In our restaurant we also do this with poussins and coquelets, or turkey. It’s the best way to prepare a juicy bird. So even if you don’t plan to light up the backyard grill, don’t flip this page: Just roast the chicken in your oven, sitting on a can of ale or simply lying in a roasting pan. It’s up to you. for the brine 500 gram salt 500 gram sugar 2 tbsp bruised juniper berries 3 crumpled bay leaves 1 tbsp black pepper corns 1 tbsp coriander 1-1½ liter of water for the chicken 1 whole organic chicken 1 lemon a few cloves of garlic, peeled a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 can of brown ale, or stout as a variation you can also try the rubs on page 164
Start off by preparing the brine. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan and stir until both the salt and the sugar are dissolved. Then let the liquid cool off completely. Pour it into a container or pan that’s large enough to contain the whole chicken but still fits in your fridge. The main point is to submerge the bird. Cover the bird and leave it in the fridge for 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 175°C or light up the grill. Remove the chicken from the brine and dab it dry. Chop the garlic, the thyme, and/or some rosemary and grate some lemon zest, say 1 tbsp. Blend everything with salt and pepper and rub the entire chicken with it. The chicken is already flavorful, so there’s not much you have to add, but is does make for a nice and crispy skin later on. You can also season the chicken with your own favorite mix of spices or one of the rubs. Save a little of the spicy mix—say 1 tbsp—for the beer. Open the beer with a can opener, to get a nice large hole. Take a few sips—careful!—until about two thirds of the beer is left. Stir in the saved spoon of spices and then shove the can—opening up—into chicken. Try if the chicken will sit upright on the countertop, it’ so much harder to try later on the hot grill. I always stuff some lemon wedges and thyme into the cavities under the bird’s wings. Put the chicken in a roasting pan and slide it into the oven or place it on the grill, once charcoals are glowing read have formed a thin layer of ash. Place the lid on the grill. After about an hour to 1¼ hour the chicken will be tender and golden brown. Serve with French fries, page 184 of with one of the spelt salads from page 209. By the way, a salad with preserved lemons like the one on page 118 also makes for a delicious side dish.
beer can chicken YES, you’re reading this correctly. Perhaps you regularly fire up the backyard grill and you’ve heard of this recipe before, but for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about: you stuff a can of beer inside a chicken, which lets you roast the chicken sitting upright, and the evaporating beer also makes your roasted chicken extra juicy while enhancing its flavor from the inside out. Isn’t that amazing? Roasting an entire chicken on a barbecue grill is quite a hassle, but using this method you’ll be able to pull it off. For a truly juicy result I brine the chicken the night before. In our restaurant we also do this with poussins and coquelets, or turkey. It’s the best way to prepare a juicy bird. So even if you don’t plan to light up the backyard grill, don’t flip this page: Just roast the chicken in your oven, sitting on a can of ale or simply lying in a roasting pan. It’s up to you. for the brine 500 gram salt 500 gram sugar 2 tbsp bruised juniper berries 3 crumpled bay leaves 1 tbsp black pepper corns 1 tbsp coriander 1-1½ liter of water for the chicken 1 whole organic chicken 1 lemon a few cloves of garlic, peeled a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 can of brown ale, or stout as a variation you can also try the rubs on page 164
Start off by preparing the brine. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan and stir until both the salt and the sugar are dissolved. Then let the liquid cool off completely. Pour it into a container or pan that’s large enough to contain the whole chicken but still fits in your fridge. The main point is to submerge the bird. Cover the bird and leave it in the fridge for 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 175°C or light up the grill. Remove the chicken from the brine and dab it dry. Chop the garlic, the thyme, and/or some rosemary and grate some lemon zest, say 1 tbsp. Blend everything with salt and pepper and rub the entire chicken with it. The chicken is already flavorful, so there’s not much you have to add, but is does make for a nice and crispy skin later on. You can also season the chicken with your own favorite mix of spices or one of the rubs. Save a little of the spicy mix—say 1 tbsp—for the beer. Open the beer with a can opener, to get a nice large hole. Take a few sips—careful!—until about two thirds of the beer is left. Stir in the saved spoon of spices and then shove the can—opening up—into chicken. Try if the chicken will sit upright on the countertop, it’ so much harder to try later on the hot grill. I always stuff some lemon wedges and thyme into the cavities under the bird’s wings. Put the chicken in a roasting pan and slide it into the oven or place it on the grill, once charcoals are glowing read have formed a thin layer of ash. Place the lid on the grill. After about an hour to 1¼ hour the chicken will be tender and golden brown. Serve with French fries, page 184 of with one of the spelt salads from page 209. By the way, a salad with preserved lemons like the one on page 118 also makes for a delicious side dish.
raspberry dressing 6 tbsp home made raspberry vinegar (see the next page) 1 small shallot, finely chopped freshly ground black pepper
Mix the vinegar with the shallot. Pour into a bowl and just put a teaspoon and a pepper grinder next to the bowl, that way everyone can season their oysters as they please.
sherry-cherry tomato dressing
ginger-lime dip
5 sweet cherry tomatoes 1 tbsp finely chopped chives 6 tbsp sherry vinegar freshly ground black pepper
the juice of 4 limes, the grated zest of 1 lime 2 tbsp finely grated ginger 1 clove of garlic, finely minced 1 tbsp honey 1 small, very finely chopped shallot salt and freshly ground black pepper
Quarter the tomatoes. Take out all the seeds and pulp, and cut the tomatoes into tiny cubes. Mix them with the chives and the vinegar and season with some pepper.
Mix everything, then bring it to a boil in a sauce pan. Let it boil down slightly, then let it cool off. After your dip has cooled off, taste to see if it needs any salt or pepper.
raspberry dressing 6 tbsp home made raspberry vinegar (see the next page) 1 small shallot, finely chopped freshly ground black pepper
Mix the vinegar with the shallot. Pour into a bowl and just put a teaspoon and a pepper grinder next to the bowl, that way everyone can season their oysters as they please.
sherry-cherry tomato dressing
ginger-lime dip
5 sweet cherry tomatoes 1 tbsp finely chopped chives 6 tbsp sherry vinegar freshly ground black pepper
the juice of 4 limes, the grated zest of 1 lime 2 tbsp finely grated ginger 1 clove of garlic, finely minced 1 tbsp honey 1 small, very finely chopped shallot salt and freshly ground black pepper
Quarter the tomatoes. Take out all the seeds and pulp, and cut the tomatoes into tiny cubes. Mix them with the chives and the vinegar and season with some pepper.
Mix everything, then bring it to a boil in a sauce pan. Let it boil down slightly, then let it cool off. After your dip has cooled off, taste to see if it needs any salt or pepper.