Dutch Cooking (2005-2006)

[Abra]

Excellent! I'm curious about the idea of a dessert using advocaat, since I've only ever had it stand-alone. I can't wait to see what you do with it!

[anzu]

Next up: a drink.

Well, it’s not really a drink because you eat it with a spoon.  But Boerenmeisjes, Apricot brandy, used to be served as an aperitif, in small crystal glasses with a tiny silver spoon. A couple of months before a birthday or holiday was coming up, and many guests were expected, my grandmother would make jars of this 'drink' (called boerenmeisjes, 'girls from the farm') and it’s counterpart, made with raisins instead of apricots (bonuspoint for who can guess the name of that one!).

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Don't tell me, it's got to be called boerenjongs, right??

Klary, going right back to the first recipe you gave in this thread, I was interested in the use of self-raising flour for the boterkoek. Is self-raising flour used so often in Dutch baking? Here in Germany it is so uncommon that I have to go to an Asian grocery to buy it.

[Chufi]

Next up, a tribute to my grandmothers:

Pap

Pap is (was) the favorite Dutch dairy product. It is some kind of dairy (milk, buttermilk) cooked with some kind of grain or grain product (rice, buckwheat, pearl barley, oats or just plain flour) until you have a nice thick porridge: pap.

Both my grandmothers loved pap and especially this one: buttermilkporridge. This is a specialty of Friesland, one of the northern provinces of the Netherlands. My father's family was originally from Friesland and I like to think of this porridge as the one that my ancestors grew up on...

It's not the kind of dish that when you see it, you immediately want to make it.. but I'm including it in this thread mainly for nostalgic reasons..

The simplest version of buttermilkporridge would just be made of buttermilk and flour. This is the fancy version, including raisins. On the farms, this would be the staple dessert, and if the family was poor, it would probably be the main course as well.

Most recipes I have use 500 ml. of buttermilk to 30 grams of flour. I had to use more flour, most likely because my low-fat 21st century buttermilk is nothing like the creamy fatty buttermilk from the farms..

So I used: 300 ml. buttermilk, 3 tablespoons flour, a handful of raisins.

Mix the flour with a little bit of the buttermilk. Make sure there are no lumps. (as you can imagine, pap is also the stuff that childhoodtrauma's are made of. If you don't pay attention, you end up with lumpy, curdled, or burnt porridge )

Slowly, very slowly heat this mix over very low heat. Add the raisins and the rest of the buttermilk. Continue cooking, over very low heat, stirring like crazy, until you have a thick smooth porridge. Don't let it boil or it will split.

Serve with plenty of soft brown sugar or syrup. The traditional thing was to have your mother write your initial in your porridge with syrup.

After that, stir and add more syrup (and get creative..ok I got carried away syrup is fun and there was no mom around to tell me "not to play with my food"..)

the funny thing is that while it smells very sour while you are cooking it, the finished porridge does not taste sour at all. It is very soothing, filling and comforting.

[Chufi]

Next up: a drink.

Well, it’s not really a drink because you eat it with a spoon.   But Boerenmeisjes, Apricot brandy, used to be served as an aperitif, in small crystal glasses with a tiny silver spoon. A couple of months before a birthday or holiday was coming up, and many guests were expected, my grandmother would make jars of this 'drink' (called boerenmeisjes, 'girls from the farm') and it’s counterpart, made with raisins instead of apricots (bonuspoint for who can guess the name of that one!).

←

Don't tell me, it's got to be called boerenjongs, right??

Klary, going right back to the first recipe you gave in this thread, I was interested in the use of self-raising flour for the boterkoek. Is self-raising flour used so often in Dutch baking? Here in Germany it is so uncommon that I have to go to an Asian grocery to buy it.

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Yes! boerenjongens, boys from the farm

Anzu, indeed selfraising flour is used a lot in Dutch baking. Other raising agents such as baking soda or baking powder are hardly used (anymore). Even applepie, which I'll be making later on in the 'series', is made with selfraising flour.

Allthough I do have to add that most recipes for boterkoek I have seen, use regular flour. The use of selfraising flour in that particular recipe is just the way my mother, and her mother before her, have always made it.

[Alinka]

Hi Chufi,

Does this look at all familiar?

[Chufi]

Woohoo!!

Friese Dumkes go to Texas!!

they look magnificent. Did you do the thumb-thing? And how did they taste??

[Chufi]

A dreary rainy afternoon in Amsterdam, time for some baking. This is a favorite of mine:

Gevulde koeken - filled cookies. Crisp, buttery pastry with an almond paste filling.

The recipe follows, and I've also put it into RecipeGullet here

Because I did not know how mine would turn out, (never made these myself before), I bought one from a good bakery this morning. So here's what a storebought one looks like, it's about 4 inches in diameter:

inside:

Now let's make some. For about 10 large ones or 20 small ones (I made them about 2,5 inches diameter), you need:

300 grams of flour

200 grams cold butter, cut into cubes

150 grams soft white sugar

200 grams almond paste

1 egg

almond halves to put on top.

In the background my old and treasured baking book, called 'wij bakken zelf' which means 'we can bake our own'

Almond paste:

You can buy this readymade over here. Note that it's not the same as marzipan, which is much finer ground. This one still has a little bit of a course, grainy texture.

If you can't buy it, make your own buy grinding together 125 grams of blanched almonds, 125 grams sugar. Add 1 egg and some grated lemon rind.

If you buy it, make sure the ingredients are listed or that you buy from a reliable source. Often what you buy as almond paste is nothing but white beans with artificial almond flavoring.

OK.

Preheat your oven to 125 C / 250 F.

Make a dough by mixing together flour, butter and sugar. You might need to add a couple of drops of water to make it come together. Roll out on a floured surface. Cut out rounds with you (preferably fluted) cutter. Put half the rounds on a baking sheet. Put little heaps of the almond paste on top. Moisten the edges of the pastry with water and press the other pastryrounds on top.

Press an almond on top of each one (more almonds per pastry if you make large ones).

Beat the egg and brush the pastries with it. A thick egg-glaze is characteristic of these cookies, so if you like, you can brush the pastries a couple of times with the egg during baking.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes. If you take them out a couple of times to brush with the egg, like I did, they might need a little longer. They should be a beautiful golden brown.

Finished! These turned out very well. And they taste spectacular... one of the best things I ever baked. I've eaten many storebought, mediocre gevulde koeken in my life (no doubt many of them filled with beans instead of almonds ) but I don't think I can ever eat one of those again!

close-up..

Edited November 2, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[Alinka]

That's not fair! I just finished the anise cookies, and there are new ones already. I can't keep up with you, Klary .

Woohoo!!

Friese Dumkes go to Texas!!

they look magnificent. Did you do the thumb-thing? And how did they taste??

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I should probably share my experience of baking these cookies in America .

I followed the recipe precisely, using dark and light brown sugar 50:50. The dough turned out very soft, there was no way I could roll it. Which is fine, I HATE rolling. But then I decided to still try to get the traditional shape, so I refrigerated the dough until the next evening, and then it was firm enough to roll. But the size 2X4 cm seemed a little too small for our tastes (remember, I live in Texas, where they think "everything is bigger and better" ) so I cut them into 3X5 cm pieces. Exhausted by the effort of ROLLING, I just shaped the scraps into balls and flattened them on the baking sheet.

After I got them out of the oven, I honestly tried to put thumbprints on top, but the cookies just wouldn't indent. And actually, the texture was not what I expected. They were a little almost chewy (I taste-tested them after 15, 20, and 25 minutes in the oven, of course! ), and I guess I was expecting a more crumbly texture, kind of like icebox or sugar cookies. But I liked them that way, reminded me of pryanik, Russian gingerbread.

Also, I am not a fan of anise, so I added only 1/4 tablespoon. I took them to work, and everyone thought they were just right flavor-wise.

I think the problem (well, not exactly a problem) here is that flour in the States is different from that in Europe. My friends in Europe usually have to adjust the amount of flour in my recipes. I just don't remember, which way: add or decrease.

Anyway, the cookies were very popular, being not too sweet, and full of flavor. Thank you, Chufi!

[Alinka]

By the way, your Gevulde koeken look so much better and more uniform that the store-bought one!

[Chufi]

They were a little almost chewy (I taste-tested them after 15, 20, and 25 minutes in the oven, of course! ), and I guess I was expecting a more crumbly texture, kind of like icebox or sugar cookies.

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yeah, that's how they should be, dry and crumbly, sandy-textured.

It's interesting about this flour thing. I consider myself not very good at baking. yet the baking I have done in this thread has all turned out pretty well. Could that be because now for the first time I am using Dutch recipes (and Dutch flour, ofcourse) where as before I have often been using American recipes and Dutch flour?

[Abra]

Those gevuldekoeken are SO going to find their way to my oven soon! I love anything marzipan, and so does my husband. This thread should be a blog, so it stays archived.

[Chufi]

Those gevuldekoeken are SO going to find their way to my oven soon!  I love anything marzipan, and so does my husband.  This thread should be a blog, so it stays archived.

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will you be making you own almond paste Abra? If you do, just make sure the texture remains a little crumbly (as you can see in the close-up of the storebought pastry).

I've put this in RG but I'll repeat it here: my recipe book says that the homemade almond paste will keep for a couple of weeks (in the fridge, I presume) and will improve with keeping.

Edited November 2, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[Chufi]

I do love how this thread has me thinking about a lot of things that I used to take for granted. I have also been thinking about the Spice Issue that was mentioned upthread. I think it was Milagai who asked where all the spices went?

The more I think about it, the more I feel that a lot of the 'strange' spices have actually been incorporated very well into classic Dutch cuisine. There's the use of cloves, nutmeg and mace in braises, stews and meatpies. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg etc (even pepper) are all used in the pastries and sweets.

2 of the most famous Dutch cheeses, Leidse kaas en Friese nagelkaas are flavored with cumin and cloves respectively.

I think it's only the chillies that have found absolutely no place in Dutch cooking. The other spices are used, be it in a subdued and background role and not as a principle player, but they are certainly there!

[Abra]

I will make my own almond paste, because I don't much like what I can buy. We do get an amazing organic Sicilian marzipan here, but since you specify almond paste, and have so kindly provided the recipe, it looks a cinch to make my own and more authentic, at that.

I'm having guests on Friday for a vegetarian dinner, and this might make a perfect dessert...maybe with a little advocaat? Or would that be a weird combination?

[presto]

Chufi...this thread has given me back my childhood. My Oma and Opa came over "straight off the boat" in 1952 and lived at the end of our long farm driveway. Every day after school the bus would drop me off at their house and I'd stop in for a snack before walking home...

I managed to get Oma's roggebrood recipe, but never got the proper technique for buttermilk porridge before the Alzheimer's kicked in...and she's gone now, so this thread is really getting emotional for me! Thanks so much...I'll be making a big pot of that (with the pot barley, because that's what she used) and raising a spoon to my Oma.

I can post the roggebrood tomorrow, if anyone's interested...it's a very heavy molasses and whole grain loaf, great with butter and sugar or butter and Gouda!

[bergerka]

A dreary rainy afternoon in Amsterdam, time for some baking. This is a favorite of mine:

Gevulde koeken - filled cookies. Crisp, buttery pastry with an almond paste filling.

Finished! These turned out very well. And they taste spectacular... one of the best things I ever baked. I've eaten many storebought, mediocre gevulde koeken in my life (no doubt many of them filled with beans instead of almonds  ) but I don't think I can ever eat one of those again!

close-up..

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oh, my god, I have to make these right now. right now. :wub: those look INCREDIBLE.

[Chufi]

Chufi...this thread has given me back my childhood. My Oma and Opa came over "straight off the boat" in 1952 and lived at the end of our long farm driveway. Every day after school the bus would drop me off at their house and I'd stop in for a snack before walking home... 

I managed to get Oma's roggebrood recipe, but never got the proper technique for buttermilk porridge before the Alzheimer's kicked in...and she's gone now, so this thread is really getting emotional for me! Thanks so much...I'll be making a big pot of that (with the pot barley, because that's what she used) and raising a spoon to my Oma.

I can post the roggebrood tomorrow, if anyone's interested...it's a very heavy molasses and whole grain loaf, great with butter and sugar or butter and Gouda!

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presto, what a lovely post... how wonderful if you cook buttermilkporridge and think of your grandmother, like I thought of mine this morning!

I was also thinking today, what a shame it is that when my grandmothers were still alive, I wasn't very much interested in cooking.. the wonderful talks I could have had with them about food... But that wasn't meant to be...

Yes, I'd be interested in the roggebrood recipe, please post that! Or any other good Dutch recipe that you know

[Chufi]

Final dish of the day...

Pik in 't potje, which translates roughly (very roughly) into "picking from the pan" or "steal it from the pan".

This is a recipe from Zeeland, one of the southern, coastal provinces of The Netherlands.

Imagine a very big pot of this, on the table, with the extended family around it.. no plates just everyone eating from the same pan.. Ofcourse everybody would go for the best bits, the eggs, first.. hence the name

Ingredients for 4 as a sidedish:

500 grams of potatoes, cooked and mashed

a splash of milk

4 hardboiled eggs, cut into large pieces

salt, pepper

50 grams of butter, melted

1 tablespoon of vinegar

It's basically a simple mash (made with milk, salt and pepper, no butter) with hardboiled eggs, cut into large pieces, stirred into it.

Then you melt some butter (well, a lot of butter actually) and whisk this with some vinegar. In an inspired moment I used some vinegar from the capers-in-vinegar-jar, which was delicious with the eggs, but you can use any kind of vinegar.

Pour the butter on top and lightly stir into the dish. Serve hot as a side dish. Today I served it with such decidedly unauthentic, non-dutch items as chickpeas, grilled peppers and chorizo. (See here in the Dinner! thread for the complete meal) It was a very good combination especially with the chorizo.

Edited November 2, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[Chufi]

I will make my own almond paste, because I don't much like what I can buy.  We do get an amazing organic Sicilian marzipan here, but since you specify almond paste, and have so kindly provided the recipe, it looks a cinch to make my own and more authentic, at that.

I'm having guests on Friday for a vegetarian dinner, and this might make a perfect dessert...maybe with a little advocaat?  Or would that be a weird combination?

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Advocaat and gevulde koek, it might work.. I'm used to these pastries as a snack with tea or coffee, but maybe the creamy alcoholic eggyness of the advocaat will balance the crunchy sweetness of the pastries.. I'd be very interested how that turns out..

[Alinka]

That last dish looks good... Very comfort-food-y.

I got an answer back from a friend in Israel regarding the flour difference. She said every time she uses US recipes, she has to add about 30 percent more flour. So I am puzzled .

[saskanuck]

Klary, this is a lovely thread. My husband is Dutch, born in Canada, and his parents came to Canada when they were young. They originally lived in Friesland.

It's nice to read about traditional Dutch foods, and they seem to be much more tasty than the offerings my MIL serves up, because she's not much of a cook.

I have to make those filled almond paste cookies, because they look delicious.

We like the Gouda that has the caraway seeds in it, and I have a huge wedge of it in our fridge right now. It's hard for all of us to not keep slicing away at it until it's all gone. My youngest son didn't like it until this year, and now he's a big fan.

Keep those beautiful pictures and recipes coming!

Edited November 2, 2005 by saskanuck (log)

[Pan]

The appearance of those beautiful gevulde koeken reminds me of really good Chinese coconut custard cakes (I forget the Cantonese name for them). I wonder whether the Chinese cakes have a common ancestor with these.

[Abra]

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?

[Chufi]

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?

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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!

[Kevin72]

I spent my lunch break the other day just looking at this thread (and getting hungrier even as I ate). I'll add to the chorus that it's chock full of beautiful photos, great explanations, and dishes I'd love to try myself. I thought I didn't know Dutch cooking at all but this all seems to familiar and comforting at once. Great job!