eG Foodblog: Chufi - Old Favorites and New Adventures

[cats2]

Actually I have a question about the Philadelphia you see in the picture. That's the 'cream cheese' you can buy here, and what I bought and used for my baked cheesecake. The creamcheese has salt added and while it's not overly salty, you can definitely taste the salt. The recipe (from Dorie Greenspan's book) said to add salt to the cremacheese batter, which I did not do, but which made me think that maybe this is not the creamcheese used for cheesecakes in the US?

I think the cake turned out great anyway, but I'm just curious. Just like expats are struggling to find substitutions for stuff, when you use cookbooks published in other countries finding the right ingredients can sometimes be a real challenge!

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The US version of Philadelphia cream cheese has salt in it too. Check out the nutrional label, and click on the "ingredients" tab. Or, for an idea of the amount of salt added, click on the "food label" tab. 105mg of sodium per 1 oz. (28g) of cream cheese. How much sodium is there in the Dutch version?

[tejon]

How did I miss this food blog? I can't wait to see more, and hope you are feeling much better.

[MarketStEl]

Baby turnips, eh?

They're still cute, but I think you'd be hard pressed to get me to eat them.

Turnips and chitterlings are the only two foods I've eaten once and never again.

Then again, I don't remember much caring for beets as a child, and I like them now, so perhaps with the right recipe, I might reconsider turnips too.

I draw the line at chitterlings, however.

I have noticed significant variations in the saltiness (or at least salty taste) of cream cheese sold here. Most of the brands of cream cheese I've tried are a little less salty-tasting than "Philly", and one--America's Choice, the A&P-family store brand--is noticeably sweeter than any other brand I've tried.

[Eden]

MarketStEl tender young turnips are a totally different thing from bitter old badly prepared turnips - just yummy and so good layered with a ton of butter and a little mustard!

As always I'm really enjoying your blog Klary, and seriously jonesing for cheesecake! Your sweetbreads look great. Next time you & Dennis come visit seattle we'll take you to a couple spots that may move you into the "love" rather than just "tolerate" sweetbreads column Happy anniversary to both of you & get well soon.

[Chufi]

Feel better, Klary!

That dinner looked superb...I love the thinly sliced sweetbreads.  The ratio of crunch to smooth does look like a good one!  I never thought I would crave sweetbreads, but then I had the fennel-dusted ones at Babbo, and I changed my mind.

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Fennel dusted? Do tell more! with what? fennel seeds?

Lunch: I found a hardboiled egg, and with a bit of mayo and some chives this became eggsalad. On toast with some of the rookvlees

Isnt that Hellmans?

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Randi, yes it is. What I meant upthread was that I usually have both Hellman's and a Dutch mayo in the fridge, but at the moment only Hellman's

The US version of Philadelphia cream cheese has salt in it too.  Check out the nutrional label, and click on the "ingredients" tab.  Or, for an idea of the amount of salt added, click on the "food label" tab.  105mg of sodium per 1 oz. (28g) of cream cheese.      How much sodium is there in the Dutch version?

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Thanks cats2! I checked the label. 0.3 grams natrium per 100 grams creamcheese. Which means.. ah it's too early for this.

Baby turnips, eh?

They're still cute, but I think you'd be hard pressed to get me to eat them.

Turnips and chitterlings are the only two foods I've eaten once and never again.

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Sandy, Eden is right, you can't compare baby turnips to their grown-up relatives. To me the baby ones taste like radishes, juicy and crunchy!

Edited May 11, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[Pan]

Klary, I thought your cheesecake looked beautiful, but I do not like Philadelphia cream cheese, because they put guar gum in the cheese, giving it an annoying texture, especially in cheesecake. Is that not true of the cream cheese manufactured in the Netherlands?

I hope you're feeling better.

[insomniac]

superlative pix Klary; love your taste in movies ....my daughter has just read the blog, spotted the cheesecake and is riffling frantically thru the relevant cookbook as I type (it's breakfast time)

[Chufi]

It's a cold rainy stormy morning in Amsterdam. I wish we would have had better weather this week, some balcony dinners would have been so nice

The balcony looks very uninviting today:

I do love our balcony. It's facing west, and it has walls and a ceiling so we can have dinner outside as soon as it's sunny and not too windy.

The building in the background is a school, designed by Dutch architect Jan Duiker in 1929. This is also the view from my kitchen. It's unusual, but nice, to see kids in the classroom while you're in the kitchen! You can almost read what's written on the blackboard.

Breakfast was again joghurt, granola, navel orange.

I'm meeting my friend at 4 in the afternoon for our little mueseum excursion. Don't know what else I'll be doing today. My cold is definitely slowing me down and the rainy weather isn't helping! Now I'm off to do the dishes. We normally do them right after dinner (no dishwasher!) but last night we got distracted by Robert Mitchum & cheesecake

Edited May 11, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[Chufi]

Klary, I thought your cheesecake looked beautiful, but I do not like Philadelphia cream cheese, because they put guar gum in the cheese, giving it an annoying texture, especially in cheesecake. Is that not true of the cream cheese manufactured in the Netherlands?

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Who knew cream cheese was such a fascinating subjct?

here's my Philadelphia:

It does not say creamcheese anywhere on the package. it says: zacht frisse zuivelspread, mild/dairyspread.

Ingredients listed are:

fullfat milk

cream

eggwhite something

salt.

edited to add: looking at the Kraft website, I now think that the Dutch version is more like the 'soft spreadable creamcheese', and not like the cream cheese bricks.

Edited May 11, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[Domestic Goddess]

Chufi - just wanted to let you know that I am voraciously reading every word and post in your blog. I'm sorry you have a cold but I do admire you for continuing the fantastic food and pics. Hope you get and FEEL better.

[Chufi]

Thanks Doddie!

I had some errands to run all over town but managed to meet my friend for coffee along the way. I wanted to try the new lunchroom/coffeeshop recently opened next door to patisserie Kuyt, in the Utrechtsestraat - voted best patisserie of 2006, whatever that means. I mean, it means something, but I do not necessarily think these are the best pastries of the city.. but I digress.. here's the store with the coffeeshop next door (big red K on black sunscreen)

pastries

raspberry chocolate thingy and prune/frangipane

My friend's raspberry chocolatepastry was a bit heavy, lots of chocolate ganache inside. My prune frangipane pastry was perfect.

We both agreed the decor was weird - it looked like they had not been able to decide on a style, cosy old-fashioned or slick stylishly trendy. The endresult does not work at all.. service was okay but not as good as a 4.50 euro pastry deserves.. I don't think I would go back, I'd prefer to buy the pastry next door, but I would still recommend it to visitors who want to try their stuff and don't want to take it back to their hotelroom!

Gimme some cake!!

Just another random shot of gloomy rainy Amsterdam

came home cold and wet and made myself some misosoup

shii-takes, instant dashi, red miso, abura-age, spring-onions

Steaming soup must be good for the sinuses right?

Now I'm thinking, another episode of Dickens and maybe a nap.

This evening's excursion: a trip to a booze museum, a quick bite to eat somewhere with a friend. I haven't made plans for that, it will have to be quick and cheap, I hope we won't end up at McDonalds

After that I'm going to attend the annual concert of my mother's choir so I won't be back until late tonight. I hope I won't cough through the performance

[Hiroyuki]

came home cold and wet and made myself some misosoup

shii-takes, instant dashi, red miso, abura-age, spring-onions

Steaming soup must be good for the sinuses right?

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Looks good! It's good to see that abura-age seems readily available in your area. If you use a milk carton or something similiar to cut abura-age like I do, it will make cutting board cleaning much easier.

Edited May 11, 2007 by Hiroyuki (log)

[hathor]

Those sweetbreads look absolutely perfect! Beautifully done!

And if that's Amsterdam on a gloomy day.....it looks just gorgeous. All those flowers.

Now I'm hungry!!

[yunnermeier]

the pastries look yummy. is that your dog?? one of my favourite things about holland is how dogs are allowed everywhere:)

[Peter the eater]

It's a cold rainy stormy morning in Amsterdam. I wish we would have had better weather this week, some balcony dinners would have been so nice 

The balcony looks very uninviting today:

I do love our balcony. It's facing west, and it has walls and a ceiling so we can have dinner outside as soon as it's sunny and not too windy.

The building in the background is a school, designed by Dutch architect Jan Duiker in 1929. This is also the view from my kitchen. It's unusual, but nice, to see kids in the classroom while you're in the kitchen! You can almost read what's written on the blackboard.

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This foodblog is a delight to follow. I love Holland although I have yet to go - I have promised myself I'll do a bicycle trip there (you can eat anything if you bike around all day)

A few questions:

1. What does that orange sticker on your sweetbreads mean? It appears to read "reclame".

2. Is it from a calf or lamb? Thymus or pancreas? Something else?

2. Is that the"Openluchtschool" (free air school) seen from your balcony?

[little ms foodie]

One of my bad habits is that I keep 'good things' forever, afraid to eat/drink them, saving them for a Very Special Occasion. That's what happened to this bottle that Abra sent me for Christmas:

So I thought tonight, and this being adventure week    would be a good day to open it.

Evening's program:

see you all later... 

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I have the same bad habit and actually have the tiniest bit of abra's delicious vin noix still also!!! it is lovely and that cheesecake looks to die for!

good for you for not only trying the sweetbreads but for preparing them! I've only sneaked a bite of Rocky's once and they were actually pretty good.

[Chufi]

the pastries look yummy. is that your dog?? one of my favourite things about holland is how dogs are allowed everywhere:)

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no, she's my friend's dog, and she always comes with us on our coffee-trips. I love her!

This foodblog is a delight to follow. I love Holland although I have yet to go - I have promised myself I'll do a bicycle trip there (you can eat anything if you bike around all day)

A few questions:

1. What does that orange sticker on your sweetbreads mean? It appears to read "reclame".

2. Is it from a calf or lamb? Thymus or pancreas? Something else?

2. Is that the"Openluchtschool" (free air school) seen from your balcony?

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1) The sticker wasn't on the sweetbreads, but on a pack of sliced ham (the sweetbreads are on the right of the ham) and indeed it says reclame which means it's on sale!

2) the sweetbreads were veal, and I know nothing else about them, except that they came from the most expensive butcher in Amsterdam...

3) yes it is! you know your Dutch culture!

[Chufi]

A trip to the booze-museum (or as it's really called, Bols Museum)

The House of Bols opened about a month ago and I've been wanting to go ever since. I'm glad I saved it for this week though!

The museum is located right across the street from the Van Gogh Museum:

Meet Lucas Bols, who founded the distillery in 1575 in Amsterdam:

The museum is a cleverly and beautifully designed exhibition of distillery artefacts, interactive rooms (where you can smell and touch various liquor and jenever ingredients), and panels with information about the history of the distillery. They are obviously trying to appeal to the young cocktailcrowd (and having a bit of a hard time doing that, you have to understand that cocktails are not at all a common thing in the Netherlands, there are only a couple real cocktaibars in Amsterdam) and trying to break free from the olf-fashioned image of jenever.

Lovely old liquor bottles

this apricot brandy bottle was popular in the fifties, it has a little ballerina doll inside

Old distilling vats

Room where you can sniff all the different odours of different liquor ingredients

Come smell the juniper!

Entrance fee is 10 euro, and for that, after your self-guided tour, you get to visit the mirror bar where they will mix you a cocktail of your choice.

[Chufi]

Rows and rows of bottles

My cocktail:

Old jenever, lemonjuice, sugarsyrup, creme de cassis

My friend's drink: Double Dutch Cosmopolitan (lemon jenever, unsweetened cranberry juice from teh island of Texel, and triple sec)

we were the only visitors and so we got the full attention from the lady bartender, who was very passionate about her job! When I told her I'm very fond of corenwijn she put 3 samples up so we could do a taste test: from left to right young jenever, old jenever and corenwijn

.

We had a good time. It will be different when the place is busy, part of the fun we had was chatting with the bartender, but still, I would recommend this to visitors.. it's fun and informative, beautifully presented, and a good deal considering the cocktail at the end!

[Chufi]

After that we only had very little time before I had to go to my concert. We ended up having dinner at Bazar, on the Albert Cuypstraat.

This is what the Albert Cuypstraat looks like in the evening, when the market is over.. This always impresses me, the way these people build an entire shopping street every day and then take it apart by night only to have to build it up again the next day..

Bazar is a kind of middle eastern mix of cuisines.. Turkish and Moroccan style foods mostly. It's huge, beautifully decorated, budgtetfriendly, very popular with large groups. The food is okay, it's cheap (both our plates were about 10 euro each), it's healthy, and there's nothing actually wrong with it, but there's nothing to rave about either.. it's all a bit lacklustre, cooked for the masses, without much love or creativity. Makes you wish you were in Turkey.. but still, it fit our purposes, service is quick and friendly.

Now I'm sipping another glass of Abra's vin de noix (on the rocks, I hope she won't find this sacrilege, but my sore throat needs the icyness), and I have to start thinking about tomorrow's shopping trip. What to cook...

Edited May 11, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[Marigene]

I remember my parents having one of those brandy bottles with the ballerina, exactly like your photo! Wonder whatever happened to it.

[Dejah]

Chufi,

Your third blog is a feast for my eyes. I am sorry we didn't get to meet when I was there so briefly in April, but I love seeing all the places I missed! We only had four days in your beautiful city but we loved every minute of it.

Blog on and make me salivate!

[Chufi]

I forgot to mention that the House of Bols also houses a Bartender's Academy where you can have everything from a serious bartender education to an afternoon's workshop. I'm really curious how the cocktail-thing will catch on in Amsterdam.. I would think the time is right.. why it hasn't happened yet is a mystery to me.. I wish them goodluck though!

[Shaya]

I love your photos from the Bols museum. I showed my hunny and he was really excited by it, particularly the sniffing and tasting rooms. Watch out, he may show up unannounced on your doorstep one of these days just so he can tour the place! We actually have those juniper berries growing locally. I have a baggie of them in my spice drawer that my boys picked last fall while hiking.

[Smithy]

I'm just taking it all in: the gorgeous photos, the fine writing, the interesting glimpses into another world. This blog is as wonderful as its predecessors, Chufi. Be well soon, and thank you!