[Jensen]

I ended up using 115g of butter and I did brown the pieces in two batches. The braising pan will hold the 3 lbs of meat in one layer but they were too crowded for browning.

Thanks, Klary!

[apronstrings]

Hi Chufi! I have always enjoyed all your eGullet entries. This year for my Thanksgiving for 75, I have included 2 of your recipes-- the Dutch Almond Pastries and the Kofte/Kibbe. I prepared the cookie dough and it is ready to bake off from my freezer. It was all I could do to not eat all of the luscious raw dough. I will be baking it at 350 rather than the 250 stated in the recipe. I think that makes more sense in my American oven. I will let you know. Can't wait.

[Chufi]

apronstrings, I am honoured that the humble Dutch 'gevulde koek' will feature at your Thanksgiving! I hope the finished pastries taste as good the dough!

[apronstrings]

Chufi, on Nov 17 2006, 04:19 PM, said:

apronstrings, I am honoured that the humble Dutch 'gevulde koek' will feature at your Thanksgiving! I hope the finished pastries taste as good the dough!

So I accidentally (heh heh heh) dropped a cookie after baking them off. Had to eat it, of course. Thanks so much for the recipe! They remind me of my father, who loved all things almond paste and marzipan. The cookies will earn raves tomorrow!!!! I also prepped the kofta rolls/balls. I inadvertantly added too many red pepper flakes, so I poured some pomegranate molasses into the mixture to balance the spiciness and keep the regional flavors. WOW! Great! If I have time tomorrow I'll try to get some pics for you.

[Chufi]

Slemp
This is an old fashioned Dutch winterdrink. And I mean really oldfashioned - you can't buy this anywhere, and I don't know anyone who makes it, and I don't know many people younger than 70 who actually know what it is!
This is the kind of thing you want to drink by the fireplace after a long walk in the crisp and cold outdoors. It looks like hot milk, and it is, but with warm spicy flavors, and the little kick of black tea. No alcohol, although a tiny drop of brandy wouldn't hurt it I guess!

Spices:



piece of cinnamon, 2 cloves, pinch of saffron, 1 tablespoon black tealeaves. (optional: piece of mace).
Tie this together in a piece of cheesecloth, or put in a tea-egg. I use one of those disposable teabags.


Put this in 500 ml. milk. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar (you can add more later if you like).
(I made less, which is why my 500 ml. jar isn't full!)

Leave to steep in a cool place, but not in the fridge, for about 2 hours.

Put milk & spicebag in a small pan and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer on low for a couple of minutes, be carefull it doesn't boil too hard. taste, and add extra sugar if you like.
Remove the spices. Strain into small cups or glasses (to keep the skin that has most likely formed on top behind) and serve hot.



Some recipes tell you to thicken the drink with a cornstarchslurry or with an eggyolk. I feel the milk (especially if you use a nice and creamy full-fatmilk) is rich enough as it is, but if you like it thicker and more egg-noggy, you could thicken it.

This post has been edited by Chufi: 22 November 2006 - 07:27 AM

[Milagai]

I'll be @#$%!

This slemp is almost identical to desi
Masala Chai (spiced tea) that's an Indian
staple I guess since tea entered India;
and is now sweeping Starbucks etc. in the West!

It's so fascinating that it's less known among the
younger generation of Netherlanders!

Chufi: Why do you think it faded away?

Milagai (getting so fascinated with similarities
along the spice route, not only on the sending countries'
end, but now also on the receiving countries.....)

[Chufi]

Milagai, that's really interesting.
I have no idea why this type of drink has gone out of fashion here (the same with 'anijsmelk', milk flavored with aniseed, although that is slightly more common and you can buy cubes to make instant anijsmelk in the supermarket).
I have noticed, when I travelled in the US, that American's seem to be much fonder of spiced sweets (drinks and pastry) than Dutch people. Cinnamon, for instance, seems to be really popular, and when it's used in pastries, it's used in abundance!



have you read Andrew Dalby's book Dangerous Tastes - the Story of Spices? I just got it and haven't read it yet, but it seems like the book for you!

This post has been edited by Chufi: 22 November 2006 - 08:04 AM

[Milagai]

Chufi, on Nov 22 2006, 07:51 AM, said:

Milagai, that's eally interesting.
I have no idea why this type of drink has gone out of fashion here (the same with 'anijsmelk', milk flavored with aniseed, although that is slightly more common and you can buy cubes to make instant anijsmelk in the supermarket).
I have noticed, when I travelled in the US, that American's seem to be much fonder of spiced sweets (drinks and pastry) than Dutch people. Cinnamon, for instance, seems to be really popular, and when it's used in pastries, it's used in abundance!



have you read Andrew Dalby's book Dangerous Tastes - the Story of Spices? I just got it and haven't read it yet, but it seems like the book for you!

Thanks for that book recommendation! Another book that had been
suggested upthread (when I asked why Dutch food seemed to
*use* so little spice though spice import was such an important
part of the economy) was Schama's "Embarassment of Riches"
and they're on my list of books that my library will get via
inter library loan - one at a time; very long list

Milagai
ps: I love this thread and am quite looking forward to making
the cheese-stuffed crepes some time this weekend,
and also the little cheese cookies (cant remember the name
they're upthread somewhere).....

[Chufi]

Banket

Sinterklaas is back in town!
Besides presents in your shoe (see my posts from last year..) this means that’s it’s time for one of the best parts of Dutch Cooking: December-pastries.

The one I’m going to show you now hardly needs a recipe. It’s more an idea, really: almond paste wrapped in puff pastry.

In December, this pastry is shaped in to a large S (for Sinterklaas) or a log. A couple of weeks later, you find the same pastry ready for Christmas: shaped into a circle (Christmas wreath) or again as a log, but this time decorated with glace cherries and candied orangepeel.

I like the Sinterklaas (plain) version best. For some reason, this pastry is only around this time of year. It’s called 'banket' (banketstaaf = the log, banketletter = the letter, banketkrans = the wreath). Banket also means pastry as in fine pastry, the kind a patissier makes.

You can buy this everywhere – bad banket (margarine pastry with artificially flavored ground up beans inside) and really good stuff at expensive bakers. But with only 2 ingredients, I thought it would be worth trying to make it myself. Now I know some people who might make this themselves, but they use storebought puffpastry and storebought almond paste. Today I made it all!

I made Julia Child’s simple puff pastry. I made the almond paste:
equal weights of almonds and sugar, ground together



mixed with egg (1 egg for each 125 grams almonds + 125 grams sugar)


Ready. Put it in the fridge so it can harden a bit. This is supposed to keep for weeks and the flavor will improve, but I used it rightaway.


Now, maybe because I used the paste rightaway, or because my almonds were not of the best quality, or because I am used to commercial almond paste which no doubt has some artificial almond flavor mixed in most of the time, this did not taste almondy anough to me. So the part that got used in the pastry, I mixed with a teaspoon of amaretto di saronno (because I was out of almond extract).
I also mixed in the zest of half a lemon.

Now, it's hard to give exact measurements. This is a 200 gram piece of pastry, with about the same weight of paste. Roll the pastry into a narrow rectangle, place a sausage of paste on top, carefully roll up so that the seam is underneath. it's easiest to do this right on the baking sheet.




There is no way you can take a decent picture of two puffpastry sausages like this. So you get my view in the background to distract you! Pastry is brushed with an eggwash.

Bake in a hot oven (200 C) for about 25 minutes. Now, this did not go completely as planned. My pastry cracked, some of the filling seeped out, and the logs came out much too flat. I'm not really sure why. I think maybe the pastry wasn't sturdy enough. Or, the oven wasn't hot enough. At times like this, I realize I am really, NOT a baker Afterwards, I took some storebought puff pastry from the freezer and baked a small log for comparison. So this is how it should look:



and this is how the home-made version looks:




Ofcourse the taste of the homemade version is infinitely better than the one with the storebought pastry, but it doesn't look as good. I mean, it looks good, but it doesn't look right. If anyone ever attempts this with homepade puffpastry, I'd love to hear how it works out.

note: I have said it before, but this is why some recipes don't end up in RecipeGullet. I don't want to put recipes up unless I am absolutely satisfied with them. Very often, when I make things for this thread, I make them for the first time!

This post has been edited by Chufi: 22 November 2006 - 10:26 AM

[Abra]

This looks wonderful, Klary. I love everything with marzipan and almond paste. I'm no help on the puff-factor, since I can buy good puff pastry so easily that I always cheat. I wonder if the colder, fresh from the freezer pastry puffs better? If so, maybe freezing your homemade log before baking would give better results.

Actually, you had a mini-version of this at my house, with store-bought all butter puff, and organic Sicilian marzipan, and I put in pain au chocolat sticks as well. And no cinnamon!

[markemorse]

and now I am torn, b/c this post of course makes me need a piece of banket, but i have no good bakery with non-disruptive walking/cycling distance. OK, there's one that's 5 minutes away by bike but I am having morning coffee and it is nas-ty outside and I would really prefer to dash downstairs and get one. but all i have downstairs is the grocery-store version (Dirk). which would probably not be good enough at the moment.

it's my fault...should not read this thread until i'm actually prepared to leave the house!

mem

[Cadbury]

Klary, it was an internet search for banket that first drew me to this thread last year. I can remember my Oma making it for many a Christmas. I made it for her last Christmas (and more for her birthday in March). I did cheat however and used bought puff pastry. I find the filling hard to resist, I could happily eat it by the spoonful.

It's great to see this fabulous thread reappearing at intervals, especially with your photos.

[IlCuoco]

So, at a dinner party last night, I decided to give two of Chufi's recipes a try, stoofperen and advocaat.

To set the scene: dinner guests were a mix of expats and Dutch and all good friends so I decided it would be a good night to experiment (the Dutch would know if I got the taste "right" rather than just good and everyone was close enough that if I really messed something up, no biggie).

The main dish on the menu was a daube of beef (yeah, I've become a bit too addicted to egullet. What's your point?) and the pears were served as a side dish.

I've poached fruit before so I wasn't very worried about technique here, the difference seemed to be in those lovely Dutch pears that Chufi recommended. I was able to find them pretty easily; gave them the peel and slice then gave them about 5 hours on the stove with sugar, cinnamon water and wine. Keep things to a low simmer. I did switch it up a bit by adding some brown sugar about 3 hour in. I also took care to drain all the liquid off the pears then reduced that down to a thick syrup which I poured back over the fruit.

I have to say, they were fantastic. The fruit took on a nice color and kept it's shape very well. They were soft but still had the tiniest bit of toothiness to them. The flavor was outstanding. These will definitely become part of my winter table. Easy to make and very tasty. I might even try and make a stoofperen tarte.

The Advocaat was different and more interesting. First, finding the brandywijn was a bit of a challenge; when I went to my local, small liquor store, they didn't stock it. I was able to find it at Gall and Gall. The clerk was curious as to why I wanted it and when I told him, was quite surprised - he assumed I didn't know any better and told me that I could buy it pre-made. When I further explained that I WANTED to make it myself he sort of shook his head ("those crazy buitenlander") and told me that the last person he knew who made it was his grandmother. :)

So, the custard came together great and I had none of the seizing that Chufi faced. I took it off heat when it was the consistency of a thin creme anglais and it set up just fine. Served it after dinner in small, wide-bowled glasses with whipped cream.

As to the taste....well; to be honest, when I took it off the heat it tasted like a nice custard cut with paint thinner and the resting time did very little to mellow it. I was really worried and almost didn't serve it. However, when it hit the table, the Dutch folks really seemed to enjoy it (a couple of rounds each and one person asked to take some extra home, we gave them all of it). They all said it tasted both good and like advocaat (comments included "oh, my mother would really like this...." and "is there more?"). Expats (myself included) thought it tasted like custard with paint thinner. Therefore, I'm willing to say I made a good batch of advocaat but I don't like advocaat :)

I think I'll try to make it again, but reduce the amount of brandywijn (I may also switch it out for rum). I also wonder if Chufi's seizing and unseizing kept it on heat long enough to burn some of the booze off and thus mellow it. Still, the guests lapped it up so I'm happy.

Thanks again to Chufi for the recipes and inspiration!

[Chufi]

IlCuoco, on Nov 27 2006, 02:37 AM, said:

The Advocaat was different and more interesting. (...)
Expats (myself included) thought it tasted like custard with paint thinner. Therefore, I'm willing to say I made a good batch of advocaat but I don't like advocaat :)

I think I'll try to make it again, but reduce the amount of brandywijn (I may also switch it out for rum). I also wonder if Chufi's seizing and unseizing kept it on heat long enough to burn some of the booze off and thus mellow it. Still, the guests lapped it up so I'm happy.

IC you are too funny! I can just see you at the Gall & Gall talking to the salesperson. Even I have conversations like that with salespeople all the time ("you want to make that yourself? Why?" ) so I can imagine what it felt like for you! They must have thought you were doing your very best to integrate

As for the taste, yes, paint thinner, that does ring a bell. Did you try and taste the brandewijn straight? it's not really good stuff. Although my elderly aunts drink it straight as an aperitiv, they usually mix it with a teaspoonful of sugar. I do think that maybe you did not cook it enough. While the endversion should be boozy, it should not really taste of paint-thinner.
Using rum, or wodka, instead might be a good option.

Anyway, I'm glad the pears were a success!

[apronstrings]

These are the gevulde koeke I made for Thanksgiving. They were flying off the table and into everyone's goody bags for enjoying again the next day. Thanks for sharing the recipe with all of us. Wonderful!

[Chufi]

Those are really beautiful!

I'm going to make a speculaas version of those next week for our office Sinterklaas party. I'll be baking 150 of them .. I must be mad But I'm already looking forward to the heavenly smell that will fill my house!

[Pan]

Chufi, on Nov 28 2006, 05:17 AM, said:

Those are really beautiful!

I'm going to make a speculaas version of those next week for our office Sinterklaas party. I'll be baking 150 of them .. I must be mad 

We already know that.

But we're so glad that we get to experience the delicious results vicariously!

[Pat W]

apronstrings, on Nov 27 2006, 06:50 PM, said:

These are the gevulde koeke I made for Thanksgiving. They were flying off the table and into everyone's goody bags for enjoying again the next day. Thanks for sharing the recipe with all of us. Wonderful!

Hello Chufi & greetings from Nebraska.

I found this thread late in the game. (You can imagine how long it took me to read through it from the beginning) It's a wonderful thread! I knew very little about Dutch cooking and I see that I was much the poorer for it.

Apronstrings, your gorgeous picture has me dreaming about the gevulde koeke. Could you tell me what kind of sugar you used? The "soft sugar" still has me confused.

pat w.

[Jensen]

I've finally got around to trying some of the Dutch sweets, thanks especially to Lori in PA's comment about pearl sugar being available at Ikea. So, today's project was suikerbrood. I'm not a very good baker so I refrained from trying to change the recipe, except where I absolutely had to.

I used Lori's flour amount (3 cups) and one packet of yeast; all other ingredients were measured or weighed as per Chufi's original. I not only couldn't find ginger in syrup at my local grocery store but I also couldn't find any ginger jam or marmalade. So, I chopped an ounce of candied ginger very finely, added a few tablespoons of sugar and about 1/4 cup or so of water. I heated it on the stove until the sugar was completely dissolved and it had thickened a bit. It tasted like ginger syrup to me!

The big self-control item for me was not adding in the little ginger chunks. It was quite a decision. I didn't want to muck up the recipe but, since the others in my house don't like ginger as much as I do, I knew if I added it in, there would be more bread for me. Despite the promise of more bread, I held off on the ginger chunks.

When I checked out my loaf pans, I found that I had two 2.2 L pans and two pans that were considerably smaller (probably around 1.5 L). So, rather than risk having a single bread escape from the larger pan, I opted to split the dough and make two smaller loaves.

As per Lori's discovery, I let the dough rise for an hour the second time around.

For baking times and temps, I went with the higher temp of 390F/200C and baked the loaves for 25 minutes. I haven't cut all the way into the bread yet but, about two inches from the end, it's cooked all the way through. If not, then it's only going to take another 5 minutes or so.

And the photos!

[Jensen]

The Spouse and the Spawn have just got home and so I've made it to the middle of one of the loaves. It is a wee bit doughy so 30 minutes in the oven probably would have been better.

[Lori in PA]

It looks good, Jen -- glad my adjustments worked for you. My youngest ds asked me the other day if I was going to make more of that good sugar bread.

[Chihiran]

The pictures of all of the pastries are so wonderful, I'm trying to bake all of them.

They're supposed to be speculaas. The taste is great, the picture is not

[achevres]

Chufi, on Nov 4 2005, 04:01 AM, said:

Abra, on Nov 3 2005, 12:23 PM, said:

Klary, I have a question about the gevulde koeken.  I see that in Recipe Gullet it calls for "soft white sugar."  Does that mean powdered sugar (icing, or confectioners sugar) as opposed to regular sugar?

Abra, in Holland we have 3 different kinds of soft sugar ('basterdsuiker"); dark, lightbrown, and white.
You can see the lightbrown here, also with a description, maybe that helps. The white soft sugar looks the same as the brown, sort of sandy and sticking together (i.e. NOT the same as icing sugar). I've seen it described as ' crushed granular sugar with molasses and caramel added'.
If you can't find it, I'd substitute any kind of fine white sugar you would normally use for baking pastry. A dark muscovado sugar would be too strong flavoured for this pastry.
Hope this helps!

I did some research and "witte basterdsuiker," the white soft sugar, appears to be white granulated sugar with invert syrup (aka trimoline) added, so it would pack and stick together like American brown sugar, but still be all white. Chufi, correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm hoping to make the gevulde koeke soon.

[Chufi]

Jen, your sugarbread looks lovely!

Chihiran, your speculaas looks beautiful. Did you use ready made speculaas-spices, or did you make your own?

Achevres, yes, I think you are right. I don't think the soft white sugar exists in the US though? And I wouldn't use the dark brown sugar for the gevulde koeken. The pastry is too delicate for that. Just use regular, fine sugar instead.

(Basterdsuiker is very finely ground and the fact that it sticks together, adds moistness to the pastry. A real pastryperson should chime in and tell us how to achieve that with regular sugar!)

[apronstrings]

I used Plain old granulated sugar for my koeken.

[miladyinsanity]

Chufi, on Dec 6 2006, 03:30 AM, said:

Jen, your sugarbread looks lovely!

Chihiran, your speculaas looks beautiful. Did you use ready made speculaas-spices, or did you make your own?

Achevres, yes, I think you are right. I don't think the soft white sugar exists in the US though? And I wouldn't use the dark brown sugar for the gevulde koeken. The pastry is too delicate for that. Just use regular, fine sugar instead.

(Basterdsuiker is very finely ground and the fact that it sticks together, adds moistness to the pastry. A real pastryperson should chime in and tell us how to achieve that with regular sugar!)

I'm not a real pastry person but you know how some people put a piece of apple inside the cookie box to keep the cookies soft and moist? Maybe we could try that.

[Chufi]

Oh, no! The finished cookie is not supposed to be soft but crisp.
I think I should just change the soft white sugar in the recipe to regular sugar. Obviously that works, just look at apronstring's beautiful cookies....

[Abra]

Klary, can you give directions for your speculaas version? Now that I have the right spices (thank you very much!) I'd like to try these, only I'm not making 150 of them, that's for sure!

[Chufi]

Abra, on Dec 6 2006, 11:32 AM, said:

Klary, can you give directions for your speculaas version?  Now that I have the right spices (thank you very much!) I'd like to try these, only I'm not making 150 of them, that's for sure!

just use the recipe as it is, but add 2 tablespoons of the spicemix to the dough.

btw I did not make 150 of those.. I took the easy way out and just made 8 or so big logs of the gevulde speculaas, and cut them into squares. They were a big hit anyway...

[Chihiran]

Thanks Chufi! I made my own spice mix in accordance with the proportions that you gave I actually just sliced some off this time and froze the rest, but they're so crisp, I love the texture!