Dutch Cooking (2005-2006)

[Angela Alaimo]

I have this vision of Klary's mother's beef in butter simmering happily in kitchens all over the world...

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You must be right--I just made it for supper a few days ago!

PS: Kickass souffle(s) you had there--you even made it look like fun.

[Lori in PA]

PS:  Kickass souffle(s) you had there--you even made it look like fun. 

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I'm not sure whose souffles you mean -- mine or Klary's -- but I'll take the liberty of thanking you for both of us.

[Chufi]

I have this vision of Klary's mother's beef in butter simmering happily in kitchens all over the world...

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I have that vision too sometimes. It makes me very happy.

Today, something completely different!

Weesper moppen

How to explain the name of this cookie... Weesp is a small town near Amsterdam. The word mop means a number of things.. a small piece of something (stone), but also a joke, a tune, and it's also a term of endearment (when you go to the market, the fishmonger is very likely to greet you with : "what can I help you with, mop?" much like the English "love" would be used. )

Any way, there are a number of Dutch cookies named moppen, regional specialties, with the name of the town attached to it.

For about 20 cookies you need:

250 grams coarse almond paste (you can make your own by grinding together 125 grams of blanched almonds with 125 grams of fine sugar. Don't make the almond paste as suggested in previous recipes (for instance here in the recipe for gevulde koeken, because that one has egg and lemon already mixed in)

a teaspoon of lemonzest

1 small egg (if you only have large, hold back a little)

1-2 tablespoons of flour, if necessary

a couple of tablespoons of coarse sugar (I used cane sugar).

Mix everything except the sugar together until you have a soft paste. You should be able to roll this into a sausage shape. If it's too sticky, add a bit of flour, but be careful not to add too much.

Wash your hands and wet them with cold water, and roll the paste into a sausage shape. It will still be very sticky and a bit hard to manage. I found it easiest to make 2 sausages. Sprinkle them with the sugar and try to roll them in the sugar as evenly as possible.

With a sharp knife (wipe it between cuts) cut into 20 coins. Place them cut side down on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.

Let them dry out for about 2 hours. I put them in a cold oven, with the fan on, for one hour, which worked excellent!

Then, preheat the oven to 200 C / 390 F. When the oven is hot, bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Check that they don't brown too much (the sugar coating easily burns). Remove them from the sheet, let them cool. They will dry out a bit more as they cool but they should still be slightly chewy, and just a little bit moist inside. They don't keep very well.. but I don't see that as a problem..

Enjoy with a strong cup of tea!

Edited March 1, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Swisskaese]

Very cool Chufi. I am going to try and make them without the flour and serve them as a dessert for Passover. They look delicious.

[Chufi]

Very cool Chufi. I am going to try and make them without the flour and serve them as a dessert for Passover. They look delicious.

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I think if you put the paste in the fridge after mixing in the egg and lemon zest, to firm up, you really won't need the flour and it will be easier to roll.

I just ate 3.. they are delicious.. very rich.. nothing but nuts and sugar, after all..

[Kevin72]

Has there been any discussion of Dutch cookbooks available in the U.S.?

[Chufi]

Has there been any discussion of Dutch cookbooks available in the U.S.?

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Kevin, Bunniver said something about this subject upthread, and see the link she provided:

The Sensible Cook

Dutch Foodways in the Old and the New World

Rose, Peter

With this book, Dutch-American authoress Peter Rose creates a window on Dutch colonial cooking as well as on the foodways in the 17th century Lowlands. In addition to historic recipes from the 300-year-old book ‘de Verstandige Kock’, Rose provides information on cooking methods, weights, measures, ingredients, and what kind of native and imported goods were used. This book adds fun to cooking, exploring 17th century recipes with the conveniences of the twentieth century.

(Rose has also collaborated on a new Dutch art/food/culture book called Matters of Taste, which also looks beautiful).

I just did a google and found these books along with the other three English Dutch cookbooks my mother and I have between the two of us (The Art of Dutch Cooking, Let's Go Dutch and Let's Go Dutch Again) here, if anyone wants a closer look.

http://www.godutch.com/catalogue/bookN.asp?id=445

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Most of them are available through Amazon, I don't know any of them, but they look interesting.

[sanrensho]

Most of them are available through Amazon, I don't know any of them, but they look interesting.

Klary, at this rate, you could write your own book and it would easily be more informative than anything out there!

Edited March 1, 2006 by sanrensho (log)

[yunnermeier]

You know what's funny...

I actually live in Weesp

[Lonja]

And I even cooked the braised beef here in Australia, but I had to wait until the temperature had come down a bit from the high thirties we've had here lately. And of course it was heerlijk.

Edited March 3, 2006 by Lonja (log)

[Chufi]

You know what's funny...

I actually live in Weesp 

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So are you enjoying your stay here yunnermeier? and how do you like the food??

And I even cooked the braised beef here in Australia, but I had to wait until the temperature had come down a bit from the high thirties we've had here lately.  And of course it was heerlijk.

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You know, my mother made this beef year round, in summer heat and winter cold, so I don't really consider it to be a winterdish.. in summer, we would have spinach or endives or carrots as a vegetable, and in winter, red cabbage, brussel sprouts etc.

But I do agree that it's less appealing to have something braise on your stove for hours when it's hot outside..

[yunnermeier]

Chufi,

The food's been quite good actually:D Of course my host family love cooking so that could be part of it. I love staampot, the braised beef, boterkoek etc. i even like (love even) patat and frikandel:D Kroket is disgusting though, I mean what is that! yuck:P

Weesp is a great town. I really like it here. We live right in the centre so everything's nearby, people are surprisingly nice (except the NS ticket check-ers) and mm..the desserts.. Chocolate is surprisingly cheap. Psst.. I've actually put on 5.9 kilos since I arrived:/ I'm hoping they dissapear FAST

One complain: there aren't many restaurants in Weesp *sigh* but there's this Italian restaurant by the river with not-bad Italian but very cheap prices (2 pasta dishes and 2 desserts ,beer and lemon tea for only 20 euro...)

[MelissaH]

I finally made a batch of butter-braised beef. The house has smelled heavenly all day. As I graded exams, I daydreamed about eating it later this afternoon, when my husband gets home from his conference this afternoon. I have green beans to nuke and potatoes to mash. I also have brussels sprouts, which my husband thinks he doesn't like so I'm planning to turn them into a sort of hot slaw with ginger and OJ (since I have a blood orange, that's what I'll use) to go with, so maybe he won't be totally repelled by them.

And then my husband called about an hour ago...he's stuck in National Airport because his flight was cancelled. The next plane heading this way doesn't leave until 9 PM so he won't be home in time for dinner, and I'm thinking if he's not going to be home to share it with me, it might be a good night for takeout.

What's going to be the best way to keep the beef till tomorrow evening, when we can both enjoy it with all the proper accompaniments?

MelissaH

[Chufi]

What's going to be the best way to keep the beef till tomorrow evening, when we can both enjoy it with all the proper accompaniments?

MelissaH

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Just refrigerate it as it is. If you have a lot of gravy, almost covering the meat, just put a lid on the pan. If the meat is exposed, press some clingfilm on top so it doesn't dry out.

Reheat slowly the next day.

We used to eat at least 3 days from one batch. It will still be good tomorrow!

Edited March 6, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Chufi]

Poffertjes!

First, I have to apologize for my flimsy poffertjespan. The traditional pan would be made of heavy cast iron. But, this one was cheap, and how can you resist a pan that has your actual name printed on it?

Poffertjes are tiny pancakes made from a yeasted batter. There has been some discussion on this thread that they are similar to Danish ableskivver. Since I have read that they were traditionally (i.e. centuries ago) made with buckwheat flour, I would say they are similar to Russian blini as well!

They are an oldfashioned treat, served in would-be oldfashioned stalls near ice-rinks etc. in the wintertime.

Traditionally these were only served as a sweet snack, with butter and sugar, but it's easy to imagine them savoury, maybe with some grated cheese stirred into the batter, or as a base for canapes.

You need a special pan to make them.

Batter:

200 grams flour

1 sachet yeast

250 ml. milk

2 tablespoons syrup or sugar

1 egg

pinch of salt

butter for frying

butter and powdered sugar for serving.

Mix everything together and let the batter rest for at least an hour.

Stir it up.

Heat your pan, making sure that all hollows are evenly heated (use a flame distributor / asbestos mat if necessary). Brush the hollows with a little melted butter. When the pan is nice and hot, pour the batter in.

when the top is almost set, flip them over (I used a wooden skewer to make as little a hole as possible).

they should puff up a bit.

Keep them warm on a plate over a pan of simmering water. They should be eaten as hot as possible, after all, this is winter comfort food.

Drizzle over some melted butter, top with a lump of cold butter (I like the different textures and temperatures of butter), and dust liberally with powdered sugar. Serve with more sugar and butter on the side.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Abra]

Klary, we just saw that exact pan in the "lutefisk store" on saturday and I thought of you. Perfect timing! They have a lot of other stuff with your name on it too.

Those Weesper moppen, could you do them with not-blanched almonds, or would that be weird? I need to make some cookies for chorale tonight, and I have only whole almonds in the house. Of course, I can go to the store, but I just thought I'd ask. Oh yeah, I have ground almond meal too, if you think that texture would work.

[Chufi]

They have a lot of other stuff with your name on it too.

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yes, Koopmans has a lot of stuff on the market.. too bad I am not related to that firm, they're doing well..

Those Weesper moppen, could you do them with not-blanched almonds, or would that be weird?  I need to make some cookies for chorale tonight, and I have only whole almonds in the house.  Of course, I can go to the store, but I just thought I'd ask.  Oh yeah, I have ground almond meal too, if you think that texture would work.

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By not-blanched almonds you mean raw nuts, in the shell? I don't know.. the cookies are not really baked, more dried, and the inside stays quite soft, so I'm not sure that would work. Couldn't you blanch them yourself, and dry them? Although I think that would be a lot of work.

Almond meal would be too finely ground, although you could ofcourse make a paste with it, only the texture of the cookie would be quite different.

Guess I'm not much help today huh?

[Abra]

I also had the stuff for the Friese Dumkes, so that's what I made. Unfortunately, I rolled them too thin, only about 1/2 cm, and my husband pronounced them "not quite sweet enough," so I did a little tweak. Here they are, frosted with a bit of left over caramel sauce I had from making gingerbread pudding, added to some icing sugar with a little cream, then sprinkled with pearl sugar. Gilding the lily, to be sure, but it's really yummy.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Abra (log)

[Shaya]

Klary, this thread is amazing, well done. It must feel like such an accomplishment to have all your traditions documented in this way. My sister and I have talked many times of putting something together to document my Grandmother's traditions, and seeing what you have done here is very inspiring.

I made your braised beef and it was wonderful. I look forward to trying many more of your creations.

[Lori in PA]

Abra, those look veddy, veddy enticing. Beam some over, will ya?

[Chufi]

Abra, the cookies look amazing. Nothing wrong with tweaking if this is the result! You know, Dutch pastries in general are much less sweet than American ones, and this particular cookie is, even to my tastes, not very sweet at all. Glad you were able to rectify that

Shaya, thank you. I can only say, please document your grandmothers traditions (and even better if you report about it here on EGullet). This Dutch cooking thread has been a wonderful journey for me into my country's traditions, and I am really sorry about the fact that I don't have more recipes from my family.

MelissaH, what happened to the beef? I hope it was good!

[Kevin72]

Poffertjes!

Poffertjes are tiny pancakes made from a yeasted batter. There has been some discussion on this thread that they are similar to Danish ableskivver. Since I have read that they were traditionally (i.e. centuries ago) made with buckwheat flour, I would say they are similar to Russian blini as well!

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Yep, that's what the ableskivvers looked like when my Mom has made them. So, in Dutch tradition are there any variations with fruit in them?

[Chufi]

Abra's cookies, with the sugar sprinkled on top, made me think of Jan Hagel cookies. Jan is a common boys name (John), hagel means hail.. probably because the pearl sugar sprinkled on top, resembles hail!

These are buttery cookies, flavored with a hint of cinnamon. My mother often had store bought Jan Hagel cookies and I loved them. Today I made them.

200 grams flour

150 gram not too cold butter

100 grams soft white sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon milk

couple of tablespoons slivered almonds

couple of tablespoons pearlsugar or coarse sugar.

Mix all the ingredients except the almonds and coarse sugar together until you have a firm dough. Don't be tempted to add more cinnamon. The finished cookie should be very lightly and delicately perfumed with cinnamon, so the flavor of the almonds and the crunchy sugar won't be overpowered by it.

Shape it into a ball, wrap it in clingfilm and let it rest for about 30 minutes. Don't put it in the fridge, it will become to stiff to roll.

Preheat your oven to 170 C / 340 F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Roll out your dough to a fairly thin rectangle. Place the rectangle on the baking sheet and with a sharp knife, cut the dough into rectangular cookies, each about 1 1/5 inch - 3 inch, (4 - 8 centimetres).

Don't seperate them, and sprinkle them with almonds and sugar. Wit the palm of your hand, gently press the surface to make the almonds and sugar stick to the dough.

Bake for 12-15 minutes. They should be golden brown. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes, then separate them and leave to cool completely on a rack.

Please ignore my very unevenly shaped cookies. One of these days I should be able to transform a lump of dough into a batch of cookies that are all the same size...

Edited March 8, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Chufi]

Yep, that's what the ableskivvers looked like when my Mom has made them.  So, in Dutch tradition are there any variations with fruit in them?

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traditionally, no, although I have seen a couple of old recipes where some dried fruits (currants or raisins) are added to the batter. And at the poffertjesstalls you can get them with a sauce of melted butter and orangeliqueur, but I don't think that's what you mean by 'fruit'...

[rooftop1000]

Poffertjes!

Poffertjes are tiny pancakes made from a yeasted batter. There has been some discussion on this thread that they are similar to Danish ableskivver. Since I have read that they were traditionally (i.e. centuries ago) made with buckwheat flour, I would say they are similar to Russian blini as well!

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Yep, that's what the ableskivvers looked like when my Mom has made them. So, in Dutch tradition are there any variations with fruit in them?

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So.....this is either gonna scare you or send you all running for baby octopus

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=36914

tracey