DB's Dare to d-eclair

that Pierre Hermé is their Sugardaddy by making his recipe for double chocolate éclairs their own. Meeta hosted this month's challenge, Toni acted as her side-kick and together they had us all set to make pate a choux, a -chocolate- pastry cream and a -chocolate- glaze.

I knew right from the start that this was a recipe that would score points in my family of chocolate lovers, helped by the fact that this is a familiar treat in Holland/Europe. Familiar in bakeries all over Holland by the name of "Soesjes" (tiny bite-sized cream puffs), their bigger brothers called "Moorkoppen".

and of course the city I live in is famous for their "Sjoklade bóllen"; really really big cream puffs, filled with whipped cream and topped with a very dark thick layer of shiny chocolate glaze.

The latter a meal in itself as Sue and Tanna discovered one Sunday summer morning last year.

So...

Was I scared? No.
Did I take necessary precautions? No.
Took time out of a busy schedule to prepare for this challenge? No.
Did I focus? Ummm, No not exactly.

I made choux pastry, and thought the dough didn't look like what I was used to. Less shiny, less elastic, but the consistency seemed allright so ahead with it. Baked according to the directions and yes they all puffed. A bit wrinkled on top, maybe they could have done with some more heat, or a longer oventime I don't know. I found them to be somewhat softer and moister than I was used to. Still, the inside was nice and dry, and showed an intricate web of holes and pastry.
Next was the pastry cream. We were allowed flavour variations, but had to keep at least one chocolate element; either the pastry cream or the glaze. I decided to go for a chocolate pastry cream. I aimed for a "Banana éclair", filling of chocolate pastry cream and fresh banana, topped with a vanilla glaze and some more banana slices....

While cooking dinner for five.
While having an after-school-talk to one kid in the kitchen.
While directing the others to set the table.
While welcoming the husband into the house.
While loading the washer.
Stirring pastry cream...

which needs some attention. I didn't cook the pastry cream long enough, I should have given it somewhat more time to get a firmer custard that I could pipe. I had to spoon it in, quickly added the banana, closed the eclair (quick, before the chocolate escaped!), piped some whipped cream on top and decorated with some more banana slices. We each had one after dinner, together with a small bowl of chocolate pastry cream pudding. My men didn't mind at all! Had to be quick to snap some blurry pictures. We had the rest of the pastry cream (which actually firmed up relatively nice during the stay in the fridge) as a dessert the next day.

Verdict: Think I won't use the cream puff recipe again, the pastry cream on the other hand was very very good! Nice challenge!

Bread Baking Babes bake: whole wheat Pita!

Pita Pita why would I eat ya? Well, see for yourself: crisp, fresh, puffy, huge! (And if you ask me, a bit scary at first sight). Same can be said for me but let me tell you I'm not that easy to dress up. Mwooohaha, quit the self loathing and get on with the story:

It's August, it's the holiday aftermath, the beginning of the new schoolyear in Holland, trying to get back in focus and about time I get my kitchen, mind and house back in working order. Add to that there are now three high-schoolers in my house and they started school last Monday...

So much fun in this house! Nerves are wrecked, money is flowing out faster than it's dripping in, schoolbags are overflowing as is my time. Man, if there ever was a time I wished I was three Mama's it's now! I had visions of empty days, feeling sorry for myself, no one coming home from school for lunch anymore, like the song: tihihihime is on my side... Wel, turns out it isn't!

Ilva opted to be our Kitchen of the Month this time, and I sure wish we could have been there live, chatting away in the garden, having coffee, a little Limoncella maybe, enjoying the Italian weather. She chose to make a Country style Whole Wheat Pita following the recipe in Beth Hensperger's The Bread Bible, and a great choice it was! I'm quite fond of Ms Hensperger and this recipe was no different from the other recipes I tried over the years. For example this -more traditional- pita recipe.

Easy to make, great success and a treat for hungry boys. They each had three!! We had different fillings to choose from, my favourite was gyros, salsa, tomato, lettuce, spring onion, cucumber and yum; a dollop garlic sauce! Oh yes!! I really liked the whole wheat flavour, the main difference being that this recipe makes for a more crisp bread while the white ones are more chewy.

As usual for those of you who would like to join us and be a Bread Baking Buddy, please bake this pita (recipe to be found at Ilva's), post on your blog and send the link to the post to luculliandelights AT gmail DOT com before midnight on the 10th of September. Ilva will round up all Baking Buddies and send you your well deserved Buddy Badge.

My Bread Baking Babes Sisters: Notitie Van Lien (Lien), My Kitchen In Half-Cups (Tanna), Cookie Baker Lynn (Lynn),I like To Cook (Sara) , A Fridge Full Of Food (Glenna), Grain Doe (Gorel), The Sour Dough (Mary aka Breadchick), Living on Bread and Water (Monique)

4 (or 5?) Cheese macaroni

Frankly I don't even like macaroni! That is to say, not the shape we call macaroni in Holland, the tiny hollow half round pipes, "elbow-macaroni". As a kid I loved macaroni, easy to swallow, easy to eat (just need a spoon). As a grown-up: not so much, I think it's just too soggy, not enough bite there.

We never had macaroni and cheese in our family, my mom made a great pasta sauce; tomato based and filled with ground beef (or in the early days: Smac! remember Smac?) and lots of fresh vegetables. Cooking and living by myself I discovering all kinds of pasta shapes and never looked back. The tomato based sauce with fresh vegetables however is still a favourite in this house although they do like the other sauces I make. This one was frowned upon, until the smells from the oven were permeating the house... When I called "dinnertime!", they came running!

Now for the recipe, I could of course spin a tale of going to my specialized cheese shop, selecting excellent cheeses, just right for this particular sauce... Alas, the truth is less tantalizing. Dinnertime was nearing, this was the pasta I wanted to use and I had a selection of different cheeses in my fridge, fresh herbs in my garden. Simple as that.... flavour is not, it's rich, complex, very satisfying and oh yes easy to make but don't tell your guests.

Fridge Cheese pasta:
(quantities of cheese are guestimates!)

500 gr pasta (preferrably short and textured)
I used slightly less than 4 cups of grated/cubed cheese which consisted of:
1 fresh mozzarella, quartered and sliced
300 gr. aged Gouda (grated)
150 gr. of a farmer's market hard goat's cheese (grated)
50 gr. Port Salut (cubed)
50 gr. Brie de Meaux (cubed)
breadcrumbs mixed with 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme, a quarter of the mozzarella slices and some of the Gouda to cover your dish

Cook your pasta on the short side of al dente, as it's biding it's time in the oven it will soften up considerably, so do leave some space for that.
Base for the sauce is a béchamel; use your own recipe or make one using this (there is less butter in it than usual and it's combined with olive oil which is excellent, the added cheese makes it velvety enough):

1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
5 tbs ap flour
3 cups milk
fresh pepper, minimum of salt, fresh nutmeg and approx. 1 tbs fresh thyme

- Melt butter and olive oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and whisk until combined. Be patient, keep whisking, the flour needs some time to "bloom" and get fully done. Watch for colour (from white to light yellow NOT beige or brown!) and bubbles. Approx. 1 minute. When the mixture is softly blubbing add a good part of the milk in a slow steady stream while whisking like crazy, you don't want any lumps there. Your stirring will result in a smooth and thickening sauce in approx. 2 minutes. I do increase the heat here to medium because I'm either daring or impatient. Add remainder of the milk, stir and wait for it to come to a boil. Play with your heat, keep stirring frequently. Season to taste.

- In the meantime boil pasta to a bare minimum of al dente.

- Now, either on low heat or off the heat completely, add 3/4 mozzarella, 3/4 aged Gouda, and the all other cheese plus thyme. Let melt completely, sauce will thicken and stir to combine the total.

Grease a rectangular ovendish and fill with pasta, pour sauce over pasta, gently pushing pasta aside to let sauce seep in and cover every shape.
Bake in a preheated oven 190C for about 30 minutes, or until golden on top.

Out of a hundred..

Today Mary posted her list on her blog, and it's fun! Fun to see what I actually tried, what the "ieeuw"factor for me was (and to find out others!) fun because I needed to find out what exactly some foods were. Some unfamiliar names but familiar dishes, some remained unfamiliar. Google was a big help. A very American list I would say, many food items are found more easily in the States and those considered exotic might be easier to obtain -or even regular- in Europe.
Also... I found that I did indeed tried crocodile and snake, of course had eel, ate horse meat regularly but never had a decent polenta... As I said: fun!

The list is from Very Good Taste on the 100 foods any self respecting omnivore should try at least once. Like to play along?
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/ linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (I agree with Mary: Tastes like rubbery chicken. Also see snake)
6. Black pudding (My dad's favourite, preferrably with red cabbage and butter sauteed apples)
7. Cheese fondue (I was a teenager in the 70's so)
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (invite me to NYC and I will happily oblige!)
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle (see no. 84)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns (Ba Pao!)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese (I take that as "zult" as we call it in Dutch... brr no way!)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters (despite everything I don't like them)
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (though not at the same time and no, me no like)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (really! who makes such things up?)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat (in saté, very good!)
42. Whole insects (cough...nope!)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk (solid as in cheese not counting? Nah, thought so)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (I wouldn't enjoy it anyway...)
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV (Hey, we're in Europe!)
59. Poutine (looks like "patatje oorlog" but no thanks)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads (I did! not that I knew at the time..)
63. Kaolin (why?)
64. Currywurst (neighboring Germany who hasn't here?)
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe (no but I saw it in the shop the other day... it's legal again)
74. Gjetost, or brunost (Norway, where else?)
75. Roadkill (given the state and choice of roadkill in Holland, I don't think so)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky (Google again... yes but by another name)
84. Tasting menu at a 3-Michelin-star restaurant. (Eh cheating, 2-star good enough? Multiple times? Yes?)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (and it's good! never understood the emotions on not eating horse vs rabbit/venison/lamb etc. Nonsense!)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake (together with the crocodile, tasted like chicken)

Zandzakken voor de deur!

Wat ik zoal gedaan heb gisteren?

Onder andere.... kennis gemaakt met onze nieuwe bijna-buren in de zijstraat. Prettige mensen, in het bezit van goede ideeen, een kruiwagen en tot dan toe overbodige grasplaggen....

Kijk, dit is zoon nr 2 op zijn nieuwe fiets; de situatie bij ons voor de deur een uur eerder.

En dit is een uur later.... Wat begon in een linnen jurkje, schattige schoentjes en een beschaafd kopje koffie met mijn ouders, eindigde onverwacht op kaplaarzen en het bouwen van een dijk. De Hollandse genen zitten diep!

Toen we hier mee klaar waren en het ergste overstromingsgevaar (mijn kelder!!) gekeerd zei ik: ontzettend bedankt, ik ben zo blij met u, maar eh... wie bent u eigenlijk en waar komt u zo vlug vandaan?

De nieuwe buurman dus, net bezig om zijn tuin op te knappen, vandaar de plaggen en de kruiwagen.

Achteraf gereconstrueerd: de waterleiding onder onze oprit besloot -letterlijk- met een knal de geest te geven. De jongens waren buiten aan het voetballen en kwamen in paniek naar binnen. De één met een kat in zijn armen: Mam, Mam, haal de katten naar binnen, er is een ontploffing!!

Dan loop je naar buiten, ongelovig, doe niet zo gek zeg je nog. En dan zie je dit:
Geloof me, het ging hard! Het water spoot op het moment dat ik buiten kwam in een zuil omhoog. Zo hoog als je hier op de foto het slot ziet hangen. De tegels op de oprit zijn niet misselijk; vierkante stenen van 15 cm dik.... flink aangestampt doordat er al jaren auto's overheen rijden... Die lagen los en omhoog alsof er een aardbeving geweest was. (Nou ja, dat was natuurlijk ook het geval eigenlijk).

Tja en dan... dan ga je een beetje het verkeer regelen. De straat afzetten. Natuurlijk heb je de gemeente al láng gebeld, maar dat duurt even... het is tenslotte vrijdagmiddag 15.00 uur...

Beetje de toegestroomde menigte vermaken. Het werd bijna gezellig. Het zonnetje scheen, het water stroomde, kindjes op laarsjes ..

Eindelijk arriveerden de hulptroepen, in de vorm van 1 man met een telefoon. Dat helpt! Toen iemand met een hek om de straat af te zetten. Dat helpt ook. En het water stroomde voort. Ah.. en toen het grove geschut. Een graafmachine, en een pomp. Kijk, dát helpt!!

Overleggen tussen Water en Grond; jawel dat zijn twee verschillende disciplines binnen de gemeente en dan moet er overlegd worden wie waar verantwoordelijk voor is....

Vaststellen dat dit toch echt gemeentegrond is (Pfff... gelukkig!) Dat de bomen van de gemeente zijn, nou dat wisten we gelukkig al! Misschien moet er een boom om... misschien heeft het water de wortels ontspoeld, hoe ver loopt de scheur in de leiding..
De mannen hebben hard gewerkt, zo rond half 8 was de leiding gerepareerd, het inmiddels 6 meter brede gat provisorisch gedicht, de straat weer open voor verkeer en droog.

Inmiddels water geleend, want dat hadden we niet ::grijns:: Iemand nog koffie?

Fish is not intimidating, wrap it up!

Not the best of pictures but it gets the message across. However much I like a piece of nicely grilled fish or pan-fried in butter, this is absolutely a winner when you have people over for dinner or when it's just too darn hot outside to stand over a pan coaxing fish to golden brown perfection.

Wrap it.

Almost any fish is friendly to this kind of cooking. It enables you to add herbs and spices, cream, whine or sauce. The best part of it is that you can make it ahead of time, keep cool in the fridge until you're ready for dinner and within 15-20 minutes you are ready to feed a crowd.

This one is particularly simple; individual fillet of salmon, dressed with a slice of lemon, fresh pepper/salt and dill. Fold a rectangle aluminum foil in half (you get a double layer so it's sturdier), place fish in the middle and bring ends of foil together and pinch to seal. I aimed for a nice fillet without too much juices staying around so I left the top open a bit to evaporate.

Oven setting: 175C, 10-12 minutes. (which actually depends on the size/thickness of your fish).

You could wrap the fish in parchment paper and make nice even folds on top (use a paperclip in the oven and remove just prior to serving), it looks nicer. For an informal family dinner alu foil is just as good.

Flavourings:
White wine sauce:
100 ml cream,
2 tbs white wine
3 tbs chives,
pepper, salt, ground chilies/paprika, parsley, or dill
1 or 1/2 slice of lime for each package
optional: 1 tbs capers

Mix well and add 1 or 2 tbs in each package. Will create a steamed fish with sauce to go nicely with pasta or crusty bread. Make sure you close the wrapping this time, you'll want the lovely juices to stay in!

for sturdy white fish (the cheaper kind hehe)

sorta kinda Indian fish curry (feeds 5):

2 tbs lime juice
3 tbs red curry paste
1-2 tbs nam pla (thai fish sauce)
2 tbs yoghurt or cream
500 grams of mixed chopped veggies, blanched to soften (peas, broccoli, carrots, leek, corn etc.)
600 grams of white fish (amount needed if you use chunks of fish eg chopped while frozen)

In a small bowl, combine and mix liquid ingredients well. In a second large bowl mix veggies and fish and add sauce, mix to combine. I use my hands to combine to not damage the fish.
In case you like to use individual fish or fillet just mix veggies and sauce.

Prepare paper or alu individual casings and place fillet in the middle and distribute vegetables evenly over the fillet.

When using chunks of fish, everything is already combined and you simply divide the mixture over the individual casings. Wrap up tightly and cook till tender.
Oven 160-175, approx. 20 minutes.

I like to serve this with pasta or whole grain rice, plain or with a dash of sweet chili sauce. When there are small children in your party you might like to add some more cream or yoghurt to take a little bit of the heat off.

Panick salad, basic nice dressing: all well

Tomato-cucumber salad, originally uploaded by BakingSoda.

Despite planning some evenings you find yourself frantically searching your kitchen for something to add to your dinner. That sounded good right?

Now here's the unplugged; I don't plan for meals. Never. In the past I tried but I'm just no good, there are forever things happening which make my treasured scheduling fly out the window. Either I have left-overs that are too good to throw out but too little to feed my family so I come up with things to add to them thus dipping into the "planned meal" stash. Or I plan a meal and we just don't feel like it that evening. I know people who plan their meals, ha, there even are people in my little black book that I know for a fact eat the same meal every Wednesday, or do their grocery shopping every Thursday morning... same shop, same list. When I'm at a distance I smile (or smirk whatever my disposition is like at the time) but when in their presence they manage to make me feel sloppy, too easy, not on top of things. Oh well. Snarky comment: I also know they are my go-to addresses when the kids need empty cans or jars for a school craft project, hehe.

This salad was invented on the spot when one of the kids friends stayed for dinner. We had a tray of oven roasted potatoes with fresh herbs and legs of chicken, some peas for the twins but I needed a "something else".

- cherry tomatoes, halved
- toasted walnuts
- deseeded cucumber, in small chunks
- rucola
- home-made croutons

Dressing:
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 heaped tsp Dyon mustard
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
fresh pepper/salt
1 tsp apple syrup (appel diksap)

Combine in a glass bowl and mix vigourously until emulsified. Or, take one of these glass jars, screw lid on tight and shake.

Snide comment at self: It has come to my attention that some of those people might be likewise intimidated by humble me... they know how I cook -the from scratch stuff- and insert a "I know you would probably .. " a bit reluctant to talk about food in my presence. It took me a while to notice but it should help me feel less inadequate.

It all depends on where you stand, near raspberry bushes?

Every now and then I wonder. A foodie? Me? As in most cases it depends on where you stand, or rather where the people around you stand. Those little boxes with neat labels on it are usually made by other people not yourself. Perception. Nice word. I like that. It could be something I live by.

By some standards I am. A foodie, a foodnerd, crazy, gadgetfreak or simply difficult or would-be. On the other hand, I know I'm too frugal to pay an outrageous amount of money for something you stick in your mouth and is gone forever. Story of my life; trying to keep a balance and by that never belonging or fitting in one category or the other. Hmm, as I said.. story of my life.

Why all this? Because we had a very nice and very simple dessert yesterday which I deemed not blogworthy due to the simplicity of it. On the other hand I see blogposts stating the obvious (my obvious that is, you know: perception) and every once in a while I think ha, I make that but never would post it... As of now I will try and be less firm with myself.

So what did we have after dinner? A small bowl of nice thick Turkish yoghurt dressed in vibrant red; our first raspberries. In this heat the darned fruity flies almost got to it first so here's what I did to prevent that.

In a small saucepan heat

4 tbs water

5 tbs sugar

cook until sugar dissolves, add

a hand full raspberries (I do have big hands!)

continue cooking for a couple of minutes while gently stirring/pressing with a wooden spoon.

Mind, it wasn't jam I was after, just preserving the fruit for immediate use, today or tomorrow. Resulting in a nice thick syrup, either put it through a sieve to get rid of the seeds or eat as it is. I used a colander which removed the better part of the seeds.

Provence impressions

Les "gardians" show their trade in the streets of Sommiéres, a spectacular sight, the sounds, the "Biòu" (small Camarque bulls), the smell, and the locals cheering their favourites.Of course, there was a lot of Roman inheritance to be seen, in Nimes (above) and Avignon (below -not Roman-). We marvelled at their architectural insight, the intricate buildings and the sheer size and grandness of it all.
We were very lucky to be in Avignon during the theater festival and the streets were filled with artists showing bits and pieces of what was to be seen in the theaters, it all made for a very lively and entertaining city stroll. Sipping coffee outside a sunny street cafe, enjoying the various sneak previews. A bit of commedia dell'arte live!

Yes, I sang the song to the delight of my children....not! Although they really liked (yes, they did) the sight seeing but the combined heat and lots of old old buildings inevitably led to this: Luckily their spirits were lifted by a trip to the Camarque to search for these:

and the view from our first camp site was soothing to our nerves as well...To see these guys spinning through "our" village was nerve-wrecking, the speed with which they raced through....yikes! Oblivious to any curbs or idiot viewers.
I can tell you that a plate of this soothed my nerves! I saw quite a few of this chévre, in salads, on pizza or on a slice of -Poilâne- bread; pélardon. Delicious! If you would like to know more, I be happy to refer you to Lucy's informative post on this great small goat cheese.

All in all, we look back on a happy vacation....