Foodie New Years resolutions for 2014

Since I have not completed all of my 2013 New Years resolutions  I will start with that on my list for 2014:

1) Roast a leg of lamb;  I'm still a bit afraid that it will be either to dry of still raw. And questioning if it will fit in my oven?! 

2) Continue to blog weekly; Even though I have a lot of recipes, cookbooks and foodie travels to write about, I find it really difficult to find the time and actually post a blog about it. 

3) Learn to cook Indian food; Because I really love a good curry, naan bread or kulfi and there is no descent restaurant nearby. 

4) Attend the Basic Pastry course at Bij Robert; Robert van Beckhoven is a famous Dutch pastry chef and ever since our friend Frank told about all the delicious and beautiful deserts he learned I have been wanting to go there. 

5) Learn more about wine; because drinking wine (which I'm really good at ;-)) is not the same as actually know something about wine. I have been searching for a good wine course to attend but so far the problem is that there are none that I can reach with public transport... And it's just no option to spit it all out. Or is it?

6) Buy less cookbooks; I know it's an awful resolution but they start to take over the place. So either I have to buy less new cookbooks, sell some of the old ones or clean up the house and make some room!

7) Continue eating Low Carb; I started eating less carbs since October last year and I feel really good about it. Not that I'm losing any weight but I feel more energetic. It does take some extra effort in planning my breakfast and lunches, since I eat them at work. So with the exception of travelling, I do find it to difficult then, I love to keep eating carbs only 1 time a day. 

Happy New Year! 

I'm really curious about other foodies resolutions for 2014; you're welcome to share them in the comments.

This is me on New Years day doing a wine tasting at Gemtree Winery in McLaren Vale, Australia; working on New Years resolution number 6 ;-) 

Top 5 Most Popular Crazy Dutch Foodie Posts in 2013

With the end of 2013 coming closer I thought it was a good idea to share the most popular Crazy Dutch Foodie blog posts from last year.

Number 5 and 4 are about my foodie travels:

5) Foodie destination: Andalusia 

4) Foodie destination: Sicily

3) Apparently I'm not the only one with a cookbook addiction! Number 3 best viewed post of 2013 is Confessions of a cookbook addict.

2) Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my favourite restaurant (ever!) changed their concept this year. Or maybe it's because they have start posting news on Twitter and Facebook in English (instead of Dutch) but at number 2 is my review about Restaurant Beluga in Maastricht. I can't wait to go there again in 2014 and check out the new menu.

1) And with three times (!) more pageviews than number 2  my most visited post is still the one about Top 10 Typical Dutch Food to try. Apparently a lot of tourists visiting the Netherlands google 'Dutch Food' and find my blog. Or maybe just foreign people who are interested or curious about Dutch food read it.
I'm definitely gonna write more about this topic in 2014 with a focus on more regional delicacies and Dutch recipes.

The first 2013 post was about my New Years resolutions; the only thing I didn't do was roasting a leg of lamb. So that's the first one of my 2014 resolutions ;-)

I have found it pretty difficult to post every week. I really don't understand how some foodbloggers can post almost every other day! But it's still just a hobby for me and a place to share my foodie thoughts with other foodies.

For now I'm travelling a few weeks in South Korea and Australia, but as soon as I'm back I will start blogging weekly again!
Have a wonderful and tasty Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!
Greetings from Down Under

Amateur or professional chef?!

Why don't I start cooking professionally? As in; quitting my day-job and doing what I like most.
I asked myself this question many times in the past few years.
Well as I know now; it's so much more than just cooking!

I was one of the 18 lucky people who got the chance to experience a whole day in the restaurant 'In de Keuken van Floris' (translated as: In Floris' Kitchen).  On the occasion of the World Food Festival weeks in Rotterdam from Wednesday 18th September until Friday 25th October 2013,  they offered a one-day internship in their professional kitchen.

I had dinner in this restaurant before and I loved the concept, the food and the wines.
The concept: The beautiful and modern kitchen is standing in the middle of the restaurant and all the guests
(a maximum of approximately 40) are sitting around it. There is only one 9-course menu, the same for everyone, which you can choose to be completely vegetarian. It starts at 19.00 pm and everyone is served the same dishes at the same time.
On quiet evenings chef Floris Versluijs, sous chef Mathieu Roza and sommelier Mathijs Struik run the restaurant themselves. When fully booked there is some extra help called in.

An impression of the restaurant; kitchen in the middle and tables around it

The food: The chef is cooking what he likes; and these are not the most simple dishes. Floris did internships in world famous restaurants like Noma in Copenhagen and Alinea in Chicago. He has his own touch and is constantly thinking about new ideas and experimenting with things he finds in nature. And I really love the fact that he is cooking a lot with (less known) vegetables. Absolutely delicious and inspiring.

The wines: Off course on the day I worked there I did not have any of the wines served with the food. But I still remember the Champagne we had during our last visit in 2012. It was something I had never tasted before: Champagne with the taste of a sweet sherry! (Michel Gonet 2004, Blanc de Blancs, Grand Cru, Brut) This was during the Champagne flight we ordered before the dinner started. If you choose the wine pairing menu there will be served a matching wine with every dish. And they have also thought about the people who don't drink alcohol.  For those there is the choice of a juice pairing menu, with homemade juices.

So there I was, Wednesday morning 11.00 am,  ready to watch and learn.
And I learnt a lot;
- how they remember which guest has which allergy (counting clockwise)
- about 'French' mushrooms and melons ;-)
- that if a table of four leaves because they don't like their place in the restaurant there is more to taste for the staff (lucky me!)
- but that it also means a big loss of revenue (while costs are already made and the table is empty for the rest of the night)
- about working 14 hours a day with just two short breaks to eat something (and drinking lots and lots of espressos!)
- puzzling with space
- about vacuuming food and preparing it 'sous-vide'
- about negotiating with suppliers about just a few cents
- about the fact that Black Grouse birds have a penetrating odor
- and that you can still taste this terrible smell once it's prepared (as you probably figured this was not my favorite dish)
- that there is really no time to do some nice food photography during the service.

Some of these things are just really nice to know, for any chef.
But a lot of it you just don't have to worry about as an amateur chef.
If it's your hobby you just cook for fun. Because you like to cook, not because you have to earn a living out of it. Even if you master the same techniques and are able to cook on the same level as a professional chef, that is the big difference.

I have a deep respect for all professional chefs working on this level; continue to develop new dishes, new combinations and new techniques every day. In the meanwhile cooking for their guests plus dealing with A LOT of other stuff!

But besides the fact that cooking for a living is so much more than just cooking. Maybe even more important to me for choosing not to follow my passion, is that my current job gives me the opportunity to take a long time of to travel. And guarantees me that I still have a job when I come back.
Because if there is anything in the world I love as much as cooking it's travelling!

It was great to have this experience; I would definitely do it again if I get the chance. Although I've been cooking for many years there is no better and faster way to learn than in a professional kitchen.
To answer the first question; I really wonder if I would still be as passionate and enthusiastic about it.

With Chef Floris & Sous Chef Mathieu after a 14 hour shift (and they were not ready yet)

During my 1-day internship there was really no time to take any food pictures. Luckily friends who had dinner in the restaurant that night took some action-pictures. To give an impression of the dishes that are served In de keuken van Floris I post a few pictures of my dinner in 2012.

Note to reader; when I applied for this one-day-job I applied as 'Ilona' not as 'Crazy Dutch Foodie'. 
I wanted to be chosen as someone with a passion for cooking not as someone who might write a nice blog about the restaurant and maybe would be treated differently. 

Amuse bouche 2012

Main dish 2012

Vegetarian dish with pasta, artichoke, dried olives, dried tomatoes and Parmesan

The Perfect Dinner Party with Friends!

It was a LOT of work. It was so much planning, preparing, grocery shopping and cooking that I actually reconsider my idea of starting a living room restaurant! But OMG it was also so much fun!!!

I had celebrated my Bachelor of Law graduation with family by throwing a BBQ. But to celebrate with friends I decided to invite the 11 most culinary ones for a dinner party in our living room. Unfortunately the friends who love cooking, eating and wine as much as we do were on holiday, but there were still 9 amazing friends with a good appetite left!

Preparing Lemon Cheese Cake desserts with white chocolate in glass ramekins

Recently I wrote a post with 5 tips for throwing a stress free dinner party. Well, after last weekend I have some more tips! Especially for throwing a dinner party for more people.  It turned out there are other things to think about when you host 8 or more guests, instead of the 'normal' 4 or 6. 

When I googled on Internet I found dinner party do's and don'ts like; 'create a playlist', 'learn the art of conversation' and 'send formal invitations'. Those were not the tips I was looking for...

Table ready for our guests to arrive

It turned out that my most important advice for people who are planning a big dinner party is:
Make sure you have enough space in your refrigerator! 
Because I really hold on to rules number 4 and 5 (plan ahead and start cooking in time) I composed a menu with almost only dishes I could prepare a day or a few hours in advance.
That was a good thing, because at the evening of the dinner party I did not have to stress at all about getting courses ready on time. But off course all the pre-made dishes had to be stored cool. As soon as I started shopping for all the groceries, on my 3-page long(!) shopping list, I realised there was not enough room in our fridge for all the food. Not to mention the many bottles of wine and beer that had to be served chilled!

All dishes and the ingredients needed

Which brings me to the second extra tip when throwing a dinner party for a big group, but also for dinner parties in general:
Be creative! 
I put a part of the stuff I didn't need in the fridge at my work and another part in the fridge of our neighbours. We also borrowed a little extra refrigerator from my parents and used a camping fridge plus a coolbox with ice packs.

Another thing I had to be creative with was how to bring a lot of glasses, from the amuse bouche and the cocktails, to our guests while I only had one serving tray. For that I put a kitchen towel on an oven tray and that worked perfectly as a serving tray.

The third thing which is really handy if you're planning a dinner party for a lot of people; make a list of all the things that need to be done. If possible even write the time schedule with it. I'm convinced I would have forgot to heat the oven if I had'nt looked at my schedule that night.

Time schedule

And the last tip:
Be flexible, and don't be afraid to change the menu or just leave something out if you discover you don't have time for it or just doesn't fit.
I really wanted to have a dish with fresh figs, because their in season now. So I planned on serving fresh figs with blue cheese and prosciutto on a crostini with the aperitif. But last minute I skipped them from the menu because it meant keeping an eye on the oven during the time everybody arrived.

And a few hours earlier, while the  menu's were already printed and on the plates, I decided to skip the chicory with serranoham from Ottolenghi. Let me tell you; nobody even noticed!!!

The dinner was a big success! Even though just a few of our friends met each other before, everybody was talking and enjoying the food and wine.

The final result! 

Although I normally like to plan a dinner around a theme I decided to skip it because the most important thing was that it had to be easy to make for 11 persons.
But in the end I discovered I accidentally did have some sort of theme; Lemon! Except from the amuse bouche all the courses, including the cocktail, had some lemon in it.
And because I like to do things properly I especially bought some coffee and tea with a lemon link in it ;-)

Curious about the whole menu? Here it comes! The Persian grilled chicken was really popular, followed by the Kisir and the amuse bouche. Unfortunately I totally forgot to make pictures of all the dishes because I was so busy organising everything. Recipes will be published in next posts!

Aperitif

Pistachios, Remeker cheese and dried sausage from butcher shop Le Jeune

Beer! (Amstel Radler/ Duchesse de Bourgogne/ Ename Abbey Double)

***

Amuse bouche

Parmesan Foam / acidic cherrytomatoes / basil oil (inspired by the signature amuse bouche from Beluga chef Hans van Wolde)

Toast with Fiorito Frizzo Cocktail and Strawberry/Lemonsoda Mocktail

Tilburg Sourdough bread with butter (grass/goat), salt, olive oil

***

First course

Salad with smoked salmon and Middle Eastern dressing

White wine: Domaine Gibault Sauvignon Blanc

***

Main course Israeli mezze:

Ottolenghi's marinated aubergines

Kisir (Turkish bulghursalad)

Dina’s carrot salad with honeyroasted pecans

Persian chicken wings from the BBQ

Lamb Meatballs with tahinsauce

Red wine: Oratoire Saint Vincent Côtes du Rhône

Rose wine: Domaine de Gournier-Mourvedre

***

Dessert

Lemon Cheesecake (inspired by Gu)

Dessert wine: Muscat de Beaumes de Venise

***

Coffee or tea with friandises

Homemade dried date cake/ Helva/ Chocolate coffeebeans

Tea: loose leaf Verveine

Coffee: Freshly ground coffee from Finca el Limoncillo (Nicaragua)

Liqor: Sabra

All wines (except the Muscat) were ordered at Vindict wineshop who also adviced about the winepairing with the food.

The Persian grilled chicken wings on the BBQ

Confessions of a Cookbook Addict

OK I admit; it's not just a hobby anymore it's more like an addiction. A cookbook addiction.  
I'm not sure if there is a treatment for that… 
But as long as I can afford it I don't think it's such a big problem. 

Except maybe a space problem in our house. For now they are scattered around the house; the living room, the kitchen, the study and even the bedroom!  

My last money at the end of the month is more likely to be spent on a new cookbook rather than new clothes or something for the house. And when we were backpacking in Peru last year and I discovered there were already two volumes of  Tony Custers 'The Art of Peruvian Cuisine', each volume about 2,3 kilo grams in weight, I could not resist buying them both.  A bit crazy, I know.

Fortunately I'm not the only one; many foodies are suffering from this addiction. 

Some of them even devoted a whole blog to it! Like Diary of a Cookbook Addict with lovely posts about her favourite cookbooks written by a Philly native who moved to Dublin. Unfortunately she stopped posting since this year. 
Then there are the other foodbloggers like myself who made confessions on their blogs; Anja & Ianna from the Dutch foodblogs Brutsellog & Beginspiration blame blogging about recipes as the start of their cookbook addiction.

And Dana from The Kitchn even gives some tips on things you can do if you're starting to feel out of control. But I'm not at that point, not yet! 

Although I can't find any actual numbers at the above mentioned blogs;  freelance journalist Dionne Christian admits she has 148 cookbooks in an article about why we're addicted to cookbooks in The New Zealand Herald. I counted mine; 198 cookbooks + so many issues of cooking magazines I don't even start counting them. But that's nothing compared to the cookbook collection of Tonny Eyk, a Dutch pianist, who according to Bouillon magazine owns a cookbook library with 1500 cookbooks! 
A cookbook library; I need a bigger house for that ;-)

Although my cookbooks are not organised by logical order; they are more or less divided into the following categories:

Books I cook from a lot or are frequently consulted; I keep this in my kitchen cabinet.

The 'big' books; either in weight or from big chefs; they are standing on a bookshelf in the living room.

Below it are the culinary novels; with my absolute favourite 'Cooking for Mr. Latte' from Amanda Hesser 

A big part of my cookbook collection I keep in my study...

Then there is always a pile of cookbooks or culinary novels on my bedside cabinet. Along with some culinary magazines and  'normal' books.

Most of my recently bought cookbooks are kept on a sidetable in the livingroom for a while, so I can look for new recipes while sitting on the couch in the evening.

And last but not least the 'cookbook' I use most; a collection of all the recipes I made over and over again in the last few years. I type them in Word and reprint it at least once a year. It's full of recipes from my cookbook collection, recipes I found on Internet, recipes from magazines and from family and friends. 

All updated and provided with hand written notes. When we bought our kitchen a few years ago I insisted on a cookbook holder so I have them on eye level all the time I'm cooking :-D

There was a time that I made the promises to myself that I actually have to cook 1 recipe from each copy, or else I would have to sell them. Well, let's just say I do use most of my cookbooks a lot but I have not gotten around to make anything from 'A day at El Bulli', the amazing cookbook 'Puurst' from *** restaurant Librije in the Netherlands which won the Gourmand World Cookbook award 2013 in the 'best chef' category or from *** Chef Gordon Ramsey. These are more for inspiration and new ideas for dishes I make in a simplified way.

On my wish list are Ottolenghi's Pleny,  Mastering the Art of French Cooking from Julia Child, Nigel Slater's Kitchen diaries and many, many more.

I'm really curious how many cookbooks other crazy foodies have, what's their favourite cookbook and what's on their wish list! Leave a comment to let me know :-)

Starting to blog

Amuse bouche made on our hands at Librije restaurant

I finally decided to start my own blog about food, cooking, wine & culinary travels to foodie destinations; things that make life so beautiful ;).
Being back home in the Netherlands after backpacking 8 months in South and Central America made me feel a bit restless. It felt great to see all our friends and family again, sleep in our own bed, having a hot shower every day and not moving around every other 2 or 3 days.
But what I had missed most was the food!

Not only the typical Dutch delicacies like fresh brown bread and off course old Dutch cheese but just to have a choice of what to eat and cook everyday. Even the possibility to choose wine from all around the world and the more rare Dutch wines (yes they exist!) felt like a luxury. The Netherlands is a small country but we have adapted food and ingredients from all over; in every big city in the Netherlands you can find Indonesian, Thai and Suriname shops, a Moroccan or Turkish butcher and all kinds of restaurants from Sushi to Tapas and from Greek to Afghan.

It's funny how you have to travel all around the world to appreciate that even more.
With all new energy, recipes and tastes from our big trip still in my mind and the rediscovery of all the good things the Netherlands has to offer. I think it's time for a new challenge and get in touch with other crazy foodies to share thoughts and ideas!
So welcome to my blog and feel free to post comments.