Artusi

Thanks for the help Caped Chef.

Caped Chef, Please forward, that's great. Which university exactly, and thanks for the link. It's good to see there is plenty out there to feed the brain of a simple illiterate chef.

Thanks, Fat guy, know anyone who actually did this program?

I was listening to NPR radio this week, and they had a topic about Icecream. There was a lady on who was professor in Culinary anthropology, at Boston University. I checked their class schedule and staff listings, but there is no mention of it, does anyone have information on this topic, sounds interesting. And how would I picture this science field?

Sorry Anil, but you will have to wait till morning, or better the afternoon, I don't know how you feel about raw fish for breakfast but I usually wait till after 12. The best places are the litlle shacks on the corners of bridges over the canals. Don't get you herring at the snackbars, you will get the second rate and not so fresh ones. The wooden shacks are or flower shops or fish shops, the fish shops sell a limited amount of products, usually smoked eel and salmon, and some fried fishes, the more limited, the better, that way you know they sell plenty of herring to turn it over, if you see a group of dutch doing the ole' "holding the filet up and sliding it in" routine, you know you have a winner. Good luck. PS always get the onions.

Cabrales, the zeeland lobsters are closests to brittany lobsters, with the only diference that they live in the zeeland delta which is sweet water and sea water combined, of source this influences the taste, being sweeter. They are very exclusive and even in Holland very expensive, a canadian lobster is about half the price and they are flewn in. As for native fish we have some species that are typical dutch but they are in obscurity as even most dutch don't know them, again this is slowly changing. Popular are herring of course and eel, they are considered typical dutch. Sole, skate, turbot and bass are popular. And the obscure species are, dutch names, harder, geep, spiering to name a few. Maatjes herring is the herring that is served freshly brined and not jarred, the best time to eat them is two weeks after Flag day, the day that the first ships return with the catch, usually in May. They are marinated perfectly after two weeks and melt on your mouth. Although the best cathes are not available, they are shipped to Japan, where japanese pay top dollar for them, again, even that is changing.

Cabrales, I never knew there the dutch cuisine was a potential hole in the collective knowledge of this site, i am glad to be of assistance. Parkheuvel's cuisine is very fish and seafood oriented, and beef as a welcome additive. Favorite ingredients are basicly all native fish and seafood, with emphasis on lobster from zeeland, a small coastal province in the south west of holland and turbot. And beef from Scotland, he was one of the first who was promoting Scotish beef after the BSE disaster. Of course truffles are a favorite too, this goes for basicly all dutch haute cuisine chefs, they are easily available when they are in season. Some of my favorites out of his recntly published cooking book, unfortunaly only available in dutch, are: Cucumber cream with raw marinated scallops and caviar. Very new dutch is: Cold soup of herring, marinated salmon, beets and chicory. Mille Feuille terrine of stewed flank steak, gooseliver and celeria over a carpaccio of prime rib with a truffle tapenade. Poached veal tenderloin with cassoulet of variuos beans, cornichons and bacon, served with marrow. As far as a comparison betwen the two chefs. Kranenborg is more sober in presentation, minmial almost, but more advanterous with combinations, with the best sauces I have ever seen. Helder is more classical and honest in his cusine. Both chefs have an absolute love for seafood and truffles, and understand these ingredients very well It has been a while since I worked with both chefs, but they have, with a small group of collegues, been consistently pushing the bar when it comes to dutch cuisine, and it is an award for the total cuisine of holland that the three stars are awarded. The dutch cuisine has, with some exceptions, always been a weak imitation of the french, but in the last 10 years it seems that local chefs have found there own identity, protestan rule and the two wars have put a serious dent in the, once, proud local cuisine, and these guys are bringing back the old recipes and using their new skills to modernize them, which is very exciting to see. Every time I go back, about twice a year, there is a strong buzz, and all my old collegues seem to be inspired by these events. Hope I was of assistance.

Not only have I heard of Cees Helder, I had the honor to work with him, as a dutch guy we have been waiting for the 3 star rating to hit the Netherlands. Personally I would have been happier with my old chef Kranenborg, formerly of the Amstel Hotelt restaurant La Rive, but Mr Helder has definetly earned his stars. An excellent restaurant totally in line with the earlier description of Rotterdam, honest, hard working and direct. His cuisine is superb and if anyone has doubts about the potential in The Netherlands, I will be pleased to give you some pointers where to go.