eG Foodblog: Chufi - Birthday Cakes & Royal Celebrations

[kaneel]

A typical Dutch breakfast is indeed sliced bread, with butter and cheeses and/or cold cuts.

Often there will also be sweet things on the table: peanutbutter, jams, nutelaa, and various 'sprinkles' (chocolate, aniseed, etc.)

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This is my breakfast most days in the week. Happy belated b'day Klary!!!

I can't believe i just bdiscoverd this blog....there needed to be an advertisement for it!!!!!!!!I love it

[little ms foodie]

Party Girl, can wait to hear how it all turned out!!

sorry about the puffs but I wouldn't worry. when I have something that doesn't turn out I just serve more wine!!!

[maggiethecat]

Dear Klary:

Deep Breath -- all will be well. Your charm, your food and your friends will make this a party to remember for many many years.

(Maybe someone will bring a desserty birthday present, chocolate or liquer, say!)

Happy Birthday. This blog is like a brithday present to all your fans here at eGullet.

[Pan]

Klary, you are a cooking Goddess to us, but don't forget that "to err" is "to show your humanity." No-one will think less of you. Have a wonderful time, and don't fret the one thing that didn't come out. I wish I were there enjoying your dinner! But I guess it's long over, since it must be 11 PM. I look forward to hearing about it and seeing the pictures!

[Chufi]

Thanks everybody, your kinds word really did help! It's around midnight here now and I'm tired, but I just want to post some pictures before going to bed for some much needed rest.

here's the chickpeasoup in it's first stages:

In case some of you wondered if Dennis ever cooks: here is is, cooking up a an audiocable (dont ask.. ) while I'm making a batch of lemon curd

Appetizers were lots of cheeses an cold cuts, but I did not get a picture of those, and Susan in Fl's zucchini with basil and prosciutto (bad pic, sorry)

Finished soup, chickpea & pasta soup with tomato and rosemary & basil, it was really good

and here I am grating over the cheese

here's the coddled pork, shredded. I flavored it with fennel seeds which worked really well with the tarragon mayo:

Coleslaw. I think it was Ludja who mentioned "boiled dressing with celery seed" for coleslaw, which sounded very intriguing. I found a recipe online and it was really good, worked very well with the fatty pork and mayo:

Pita sandwiches with the pork, mayo, and shredded endive:

as you can see it was not really a formal dinner There were about 20 people at the table and it was an agreeable mess

On the plate with slaw and roast potatoes:

Dessert. After I burned, but did not cook through, the first batch of puffs I called one of my friends in a panic and asked him to bring some storebought puff pastry, I thought I could do some mini napoleons with the lemon curd filling I already had prepared. But then, it turned out some of my friends with small children left early, and there were enough 'okay' puffs to feed the people who were there for dessert.

And they were great!

I'll talk more tomorrow. Now I need some sleep.

Thank you all for the encouragement

Edited April 30, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Abra]

Those puffs look just fine, and the rest of the dinner is making my stomach growl loudly. I even called my husband in to say "see how pretty Klary looks at her birthday party."

[racheld]

Dear Heavens!! All this time I thought we were reading about a grownup lady with a husband and career and VERY advanced cooking skills. We must have been misinformed, though the cooking is indisputable.

How OLD are you???? Twelve?? All that food, all that blogging---there's gotta be a staff of dozens behind your teenage self, doing all that ADULT work.

Or a portrait moldering somewhere in an attic, Ms. Gray.

Looks like a fabulous birthday!!! It's delightful to have been invited.

rachel

[MarketStEl]

Dear Heavens!!  All this time I thought we were reading about a grownup lady with a husband and career and VERY advanced cooking skills. We must have been misinformed, though the cooking is indisputable. 

How OLD are you????  Twelve??  All that food, all that blogging---there's gotta be a staff of dozens behind your teenage self, doing all that ADULT work.

Or a portrait moldering somewhere in an attic, Ms. Gray.

Looks like a fabulous birthday!!!  It's delightful to have been invited.   

rachel

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It's cloning, I tell ya.

That dinner looked fabulous--I was about to ask if that bread was your own until I re-read the post--but my own experience tells me that your friends will have a good time even if you mess up a part of the meal.

This has been a load of fun to follow, and I definitely hope to visit Amsterdam someday. BTW, how much beer did you consume on Queensday? And how much stuff did you sell?

[Chufi]

After all the festivities, this is just a regular Monday. Well, besides the fact that we just spent 2 hours cleaning the house. Did I mention we have no dishwasher?

rachel, you are too kind. I'm 37 years old since last Wednesday.. I do, however, try very hard not to grow up.

Sandy, we did pretty good on Queensday!

I made about 40 euro, and Dennis about 500... My cookbooks did not sell as well as I had hoped, but at the end of the day I had only a couple left and those I gave away for free - in the spirit of the day, which is after all more about fun than about making money.

Now I'm off for my usual Monday routine: coffee with my friend and his puppy, and after that, even though I swore yesterday I'd never shop for food again, some grocery shopping..

Edited May 1, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Swisskaese]

After all the festivities, this is just a regular Monday. Well, besides the fact that we just spent 2 hours cleaning the house. Did I mention we have no dishwasher?

rachel, you are too kind. I'm 37 years old since last Wednesday.. I do, however, try very hard not to grow up. 

Sandy, we did pretty good on Queensday!

I made about 40 euro, and Dennis about 500... My cookbooks did not sell as well as I had hoped, but at the end of the day I had only a couple left and those I gave away for free - in the spirit of the day, which is after all more about fun than about making money.

Now I'm off for my usual Monday routine: coffee with my friend and his puppy, and after that, even though I swore yesterday I'd never shop for food again, some grocery shopping..

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As usual, your dinner party was a sucess! The puffs look delicious. I don't have a dishwasher either. Dinner party cleanup last hours.

[Marq]

As a witness I can assure you all Klary's puffs were great; even the biggest (talking) mouths were silent for a few seconds, only to mumble 'mjum'

Great dinner, lovely evening!

[Lori in PA]

"...an agreeable mess..." That is exactly what I think the very best dinner parties at my house are. Formal events are great, but there is nothing better than casual, yummy food shared with close friends and family. I'm glad your Sunday birthday dinner became that, in spite of uncooperative puffs. I suppose, though, you could be thankful even for those -- they gave an extra jolt to your 37 year-old heart. (I can tease you about aging, since I'm 39. Really. ) (Do people in the Netherlands tease about remaining 39 forever or is that an American thing?)

[MelissaH]

Klary,

The party looked wonderful! Isn't it amazing how everything always seems to work out in the end?

And you do all this and more with no dishwasher, on real plates! I would have been running for the disposable stuff long before this. (Are dishwashers common in Amsterdam homes? Or is it just another American fixation?)

MelissaH

[avocado]

I keep running up to my computer to see if somebody will have something encouraging to say ..

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Rainbows! Flaky pastry! Orlando Bloom!!

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Rachel, you've made me grin on a rainy Monday morning.

Klary, I've been enjoying this blog immensely! When I saw the thread, I actually said, "Yay!" out loud. Good thing my office door was closed.

[Chufi]

even the biggest (talking) mouths were silent for a few seconds, only to mumble 'mjum' 

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yeah, I noticed that too..

(Do people in the Netherlands tease about remaining 39 forever or is that an American thing?)

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we were talking about that yesterday, that this is the age women start lying about their age Yes, I think I'll stay 37 for a while, I rather like it sofar!

(Are dishwashers common in Amsterdam homes? Or is it just another American fixation?)

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Lots of people have dishwashers. I never wanted one, because actually doing the dishes is one of the few household chores that I don't mind doing.

So, my Mondaymorning ritual.. coffee & puppy:

After that I went for some non-foodrelated shopping. MelissaH, you'll be pleased to see that near Leidseplein, I spotted this:

They seem to be open for the summer-season!

As I was walking, I realized that 2 important things were missing from this Amsterdam-blog: canals and herring. Here they are together in one picture:

Might as well eat one then..

Did you know herring is a really good hangover cure?

I also passed this patisserie: Kuijt in the Utrechtsestraat.

They recently won the Dutch award for best patisserie of the year

They have beautiful stuff.. I also bought something for dessert tonight, you'll see that later.

Now I'm going to bake a very large pan of brownies to take to work tomorrow.

Dinner tonight, my last blogdinner, will involve rice, because Dennis requested it, and peanutbutter

Edited May 1, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[miladyinsanity]

(Are dishwashers common in Amsterdam homes? Or is it just another American fixation?)

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Lots of people have dishwashers. I never wanted one, because actually doing the dishes is one of the few household chores that I don't mind doing.

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Dang, Klary, if you were my age and going to the same university as me, I'd soooo want you as my roommie. I hate doing dishes.

Great blog!

[Chufi]

Just to put off making those brownies for another minute, I want to report about my birthday gifts. My friends seem to know that I really like food.. So most gifts were food-related. Besides the books I already mentioned, McGee and the Nigella Lawson book, I got a beautiful caraffe and ice bucket, a large brownie pan, a gift certificate for my favorite pottery shop, a lovely italian notebook for recipes, bought in Venice, and a gift certificate for an afternoon of wine& cheese in one of the best cheese shops in the city. I also got a bag with pancetta, spaghetti, and a huge block each of pecorino and parmesan. These items (straight from Rome, brought by a friend who was in Italy until a couple of days ago) will make an appearance sometime this week as a belated contribution to the Rome thread.

I also got a new camera.. so once I figure out how to operate it, you'll see better pics from me in the future...

[christine007]

Wow, you got some amazing gifts, I'm happy for you!

What kind of puppy is that? what's his name? Herring for breakfast, you're a hero, Klary!

[racheld]

Can you hear THIS big mouth mumbling "mjum" from WAY over HERE?

(Except for the herring, of course---but what is in the snifter beside the sandwich? Looks like a cross between fortune cookies and those teensy finger-bananas).

Our GRITS girl made pulled pork for her birthday!!

And the dinner out---were those all the courses, or did you snap pics of everyone's order? The eel was particularly intriguing--though I don't care for it myself, my dear neighbor, who lived in Germany until she was a teen, speaks of it SO longingly from time to time. She and her Mother ate whatever they could manage during the Forties, and she remembers it as a special treat. Does it come canned? I think I'll look online for some---she'll be 80 in June, and I'm doing her a teaparty.

Those pics of the pastries!! The shine reached way into my very cloudy Monday morning. I tell myself if I went into one of those shops, I'd choose and point and take 'til my basket was full. Then I tell myself "You can MAKE those," and go my way with just a couple. It's like looking into Tiffany's jewelry window. No wonder Holly liked breakfast there.

The DOWN spot is the reminder that it's almost the end. But you've gotta get the proper use of that new camera---just keep snapping and sending on any and every thread. This has been wonderful.

[Chufi]

What kind of puppy is that? what's his name?

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She's a miniature bull terrier, and her name is Muis (mouse)

And the dinner out---were those all the courses, or did you snap pics of everyone's order?  The eel was particularly intriguing--though I don't care for it myself, my dear neighbor, who lived in Germany until she was a teen, speaks of it SO longingly from time to time.  She and her Mother ate whatever they could manage during the Forties, and she remembers it as a special treat.  Does it come canned?  I think I'll look online for some---she'll be 80 in June, and I'm doing her a teaparty.

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there were 4 of us, and I took pics of everyones dishes. I have very kind and understanding friends who are used to this by now..

The eel is smoked, and I don't think it comes in tins. It's quite expensive. When I was a child, we used to have a smoked eel fest at my grandparents house every year on Queensday - soft white bread, and as much smoked eel as you could manage. Mmmm....

[Chufi]

I made a large pan of brownies. I mixed walnuts and dried cranberries into the batter, and added a layer of cream cheese

Get a ruler and set it alongside your brownie sheet.  Mark off the places you want to cut.  Get your knife hot, under running water, then dry it, and make your first cut immediately while it's still warm.  If you're lucky, you can get two cuts before you have to rinse and reheat the knife.  I often do this step with a bench knife, since it's easier to cut straight down.

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Cutting with a warm knife is a really good idea - it made all the difference. As you can see, even with a ruler to guide me, I still don't manage to make really even-sized pieces. But, this is better cutting then I've ever done! Thanks Abra!

they look good!

Edited May 1, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Chufi]

Dinner.

I was never able to produce a decent bowl of rice until I started using that steamer thing you see in the back. Now I have perfect dry and fluffy rice every time!

I made a peanut sauce from thick coconut milk, peanutbutter, some lime juice, soysauce and tamarind

Thin slices of chicken, marinated in sambal and thick sweet soysauce

salad leaves, bean sprouts, blanched beans and carrots. Topped with the chicken, peanutsauce, coreander and chilli. A bowl of rice on the side.

Dessert: rhubarb/strawberry and plum almondtartlet, from the patisserie mentioned above. And some pecan oatmeal cookies a friend brought as a gift yesterday. (on a cute little glass cakestand I bought for 1 euro on Queensday!)

Edited May 1, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[Chufi]

What a delightful blog this is already!

I must confess, though, that I wouldn't mind it a bit if your rounds happened to give us a little glimpse of one of those coffeeshops whose herbal offerings go beyond Ceylon tea, if you catch my drift ...   

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I second this request...

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ladies, I'm sorry I couldn't oblige. Looks like you have to come and visit Amsterdam and go to those special coffeeshops yourselves!

[Pontormo]

Klary, I find the photographs taken at your own birthday celebration illuminating when the food's compared to the dinner party you prepared for your husband's 50th.

From what I gather, each dinner made for Dennis is rather elaborate, if comfortably unfussy and also designed to share with lots of friends. Lots of work went into stuffing pasta and becoming Seabass Lady for 24.

You gave yourself a relaxed, informal spread. I see how those sandwiches (do they look good!) relate to the homey food you introduce on your Dutch Cooking Thread or the pizzas on the day you turned 34. Am I reading too much self-expression into what you chose to cook in celebrating your own birthday? After all, you spent the entire week celebrating in lots of different ways, and not focussed on a single night.

[Chufi]

I'm not sure how long this blog will be open, I think until midnight my time, but I don't want to miss the opportunity for a proper goodbye.

And one little story.

This has been a truly wonderful and memorable week. Not at all like the rest of my life, but it felt very special to share the fun and festivities with all of you. I will easily remember this week as one of my best extended birthdays ever.

For some time it looked like I would also remember this week as 'the week Foufou went missing'. On Tuesday, right after I took the pics of the rats and posted them, one of them wandered of... and did not come back like she normally does. She had gone upstairs and was hiding in the attic. I was really worried about her, and most of my time not cooking, shopping or blogging was spent looking for her.

Then, late Sunday evening, when we were sitting and chatting with the last remaining guests, I heard something. I went to the ratcage and there she was. What no amount of stinky cheese, expensive ham and overripe bananas in the rat-trap, and our turning the attic upside down had achieved, had happened: all by herself she had decided it was time to go home.

It was the best belated birthdaypresent.

I hope I haven't left any questions unanswered. Thank you all so much for your kind words, your encouragement, and not to mention the birthday wishes! If they all come true, this is going to a very good year for me..

And if any of you ever decides to visit Amsterdam, please contact me, I'd be thrilled to give a real tour of my city and not just a virtual one!

Edited May 1, 2006 by Chufi (log)