Something odd happened whilst in Amsterdam. A weird feeling came over me one afternoon whilst I was reading in a local eetcafé, sipping on a drink of bitter lemon and enjoying a light lunch. I believe the feeling is called "relaxing", something I apparently haven't done in quite some time.
Typically when I travel, I have some sort of agenda, whether it's to visit a local food producer of some sort, or perhaps head to a nearby museum or attend a local festival. But this trip was different. Sure, there was stuff I wanted to do, but I didn't need to do anything. So, by the start of the second week of my vacation, I believe I actually had a few days where I had no responsibilities to anyone but my immediate self.
It's interesting to see what I did in these times, when any obligation that I could define would be only to my sense of joy and pleasure. What did I end up doing? Well, I walked around the picturesque city a fair bit. I also finished four different books.
Oh, and I took pictures of food.
Re-read that last sentence and let that sink in. I had no obligation to anyone other than myself...and I still took pictures of the food I was eating.
*shrug* It's either this or collect ceramic figurines of cherubs. I think I'll stick with this.
What to do with these products of my obsession? I might as well share them with the public at large.
Let me state up front that the pictures and editorials below should not be construed as a true reflection of Dutch cuisine, but rather more of a pictoral essay of things eaten and learned by yours truly during the two weeks I stayed in the fine city of Amsterdam. Let's get things started:
Breakfast: Let's get this one out of the way immediately, shall we? Breakfast doesn't seem to be that big of a deal in Amsterdam. There are basically four types of dishes one can find for breakfast. The first is a Dutch Egg Breakfast (pictured above) seems to have some similarities with the German approach to the first meal of the day, what with the slices of cheese and cold cuts. The second is what we would term a Continental breakfast, which is really nothing more than a croissant and coffee. The third is an English Breakfast, which are clearly for the tourists and should be avoided at all costs, especially if one is a fan of truly great fry-ups. They will only leave you disappointed.
The fourth category of breakfast are dishes that aren't really breakfasts per se, as they are often available well into the lunch service. Things like omelets, quiches, and yes, even Dutch Pancakes can often be purchased well until 2 pm every day of the week. This is a good thing.
A quick word about Dutch Pancakes: They're not as thin as crepes, but thinner than American pancakes. Much like crepes, they can be had with either sweet or savory ingredients. The actually texture of the panckae comes across as sort-of, kind-of like a crust from a thin crust pizza, except not as crisp. I found them good, but not great, which is saying something, because I generally am not a fan of American pancakes. I've heard that they are aimed at tourists as well, but I've seen evidence of them in local, non-touristy cafes as well, so that may or may not be true.
4384 views • Categories: Dim Sum There are two possible ways to approach Dim Sum.
You can be an expert in the field, giving your thoughts and opinions based off of your thousands of hours of experiences regarding said topic.
Or.
I have chosen the second way. So take any information learned here with a grain of salt.
Okay, two grains of salt and a teaspoon of sugar.
Having been raised in a part of America where Chinese restaurants began with deep dried egg rolls and ended with General Tso's chicken, Dim Sum was a new experience for me when I hit the West Coast way back in 2003. After my first experience, I vowed to learn more. The posts listed below are my attempts at understand the who, what, and hows of this great tradition.
History
Experiences
Tea
Dishes
(NOTE: I will sometimes have the same dish in two different categories, mostly because some dishes are not easily defined by one single category.)
Buns
BBQ Pork Bun (Char Siu Bau)
Congee
Deep Fried Dishes
Taro Dumpling (Wu Gok)
Dips and Sauces
Dumplings
Taro Dumpling (Wu Gok)
Meats
Roast Duck (Siu Ngap)
Pan Fried Dishes
Turnip Cake (Law Bahk Go)
Shrimp-Stuffed Eggplant (Yeung Qi Dze)
Rice
Seafood
Shrimp-Stuffed Eggplant (Yeung Qi Dze)
Sweets
Egg Custard Tart (Dahn Ta)
Vegetables
Chinese Broccoli (Kai Lan)
Restaurant Guides
Bellevue, WA
The Noble Court: 1644 140th Avenue Northeast Bellevue, WA 98005-2302, (425) 641-6011 : Google Maps: Website
Renton, WA
Seattle, WA
Usual Disclaimer: This is a work in progress, and will likely always be a work in progress. So if there's something missing here, I probably have some plans to address that at some point in the future.
Additionally, I am human, which means I make mistakes. If you see something wrong, I would love it if you pointed me in the right direction. Feel free to e-mail me at Kate AT accidentalhedonist DOT com with any tips, hints, or advice you may have.
Rude and insulting e-mails will be deleted without a second thought.
I have a love affair with the egg.
Out of all of the ingredients in the world, not one captures my attention the way that the chicken egg does.
By itself it's quite remarkable, able to be boiled, fried, poached, scrambled, or baked. Each of these methods of preparations highlight something different. Yes, the albumen brings a slight tofu-like consistency. And the yolk? The yolk is a present on Christmas morning. It brings the flavor and the color. Without it, you have subtlety. With it, the world opens up.
It is the basis of my favorite meal of the day - breakfast. But it is at home for lunch and dinner. Carbonara, phad thai, and fried rice are all better when eggs are added.
The real magic of eggs comes when you look beyond the basics. Want to liven up your pastries? Brush a little egg wash on your crusts. Want to give your cake some flavor complexity? That's one of several reasons why eggs are added.
And let's not forget the magic that is the egg white. Meringues are a miracle of both science and texture. Whipped egg whites can make batters lighter and airier.
Yolks? Whipped yolks give themselves to everything from custards to mayonnaise to steak tartare.
It's easy to take the egg for granted. It is, after all, quite ubiquitous. But what this simple little piece of food brings to our world is something that is borderline miraculous.
Note: For great bits on the egg, read either Michael Ruhlman's take on the egg in his Elements of Cooking, or Harold McGee's in depth coverage in his On Food and Cooking.
841 views • Categories: Pictures 
Because, ostensibly, this site is about delicious food, I give you a picture of Cherry Cheesecake Custard from Kopp's, that I enjoyed on my recent visit to Milwaukee.
732 views • Categories: Announcements I don't necessarily wish to insult a city before actually having been there, but let me state that it's likely quite rare that a person has dreams that,one day, just maybe, they might be able to make it to Milwaukee. Those are typically the stories best left for cities like New York, London, and Hollywood.
However, I have found myself of late wistfully wondering of the possible joys of Beer city. I'm probably over-romanticizing the place, but my minds eye sees a working class city, strong in both it's Midwest location and ethnic roots. The food is hearty, and beer flows freely.
Yeah, a bit heavy on the romanticism methinks.
At any rate, I'll be in Milwaukee for the next few days, drinking beers both great (which means a local microbrewery is in the future) and sad (which means a trip to Millers). I will also be trying to fit in a few of the local culinary traditions, including fish fries, butter burgers, and custard ice cream.
Pictures and commentary will be posted here, but if you want up to the moment coverage, feel free to look me up on Twitter. I'm the one usually griping about something or another.
As this is my last post for Accidental Hedonist, I'm ending my six-month Tuesday guest blogger stint with my absolute favorite dessert -- Crème Brûlée. It's so good I don't resent the time spent hunting for the right accents to ensure this dessert maintains its French flare.
I normally go for anything chocolate, but if crème brûlée is on the menu, I can't resist. Then I found a recipe for Chocolate, Orange and Candied Ginger Crème Brûlée and got the best of both worlds.
The following recipe comes from Dominique & Cindy Duby's sinfully beautiful book, Crème Brûlée: More Then 50 Decadent Recipes.
Here, the Dubys provide a wide range of recipes -- some sweet, some savory, some using classic techniques some drawing upon molecular gastronomy. For those who like their eye candy edible, they show you how to make caramel cages, caramel threads, caramel dust and even bubble caramel.
The photography is beyond stunning. Their White Chocolate & Green Tea Brûlée is too beautiful to eat. This shot is from the book. I don't know whether to stare or gobble.
Who could resist starting a meal with Crab, Corn & Cheddar Brûlée, or ending it with a Spiced Pumpkin version? While purists can make the definitive Classic Vanilla Crème Brûlée, the adventuresome will want to try all 50 offerings or follow the tips on making their own brûlées creations. And if you're not sure what alcoholic beverage to serve with your works of art, the Dubys include a section on pairing wine with the various brûlées.
Without further ado, I leave you with one of my favorite flavor combinations in the form of my favorite dessert. Calories be damned.
Chocolate, Orange & Candied Ginger Brûlée
Makes 6
Excerpt published with permission from Crème Brûlée: More Then 50 Decadent Recipes by Dominique & Cindy Duby
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) whipping cream
2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk
two 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces fresh ginger
grated zest of 1/2 orange
3.6 ounces (100 g) 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp (30 g) granulated sugar
3 Tbsp (45 g) granulated sugar for caramelizing
Garnish
1 or 2 oranges, peeled and segmented
4 tsp (20 ml) finely chopped candied ginger
6 sprigs mint
Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
Combine cream, milk, ginger and orange zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat, cover saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding ginger and orange zest. Return cream to saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in chocolate until melted.
Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a medium bowl until well combined. Slowly add hot chocolate mixture to egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly until well combined. Divide mixture evenly among 6 ramekins. Place the ramekins in a shallow roasting pan. Pour hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until custard barely moves when ramekins are shaken, or a knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean, about 60 to 75 minutes. Remove ramekins from the roasting pan and let cool at room temperature for at least 45 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best).
Just before serving, sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over custards to cover them completely. Turn upside down to remove excess sugar. Ignite a blowtorch and caramelize sugar until evenly melted, moving the torch constantly so sugar doesn't burn.
I hope everyone here in the United States had a great Thanksgiving holiday. I still can't believe that we have only 3 weeks until Christmas and then 2008 is over. Is it just me, or does that whole Y2K mess seem like last year?
This week begins a month of desserts, with today's focus on pumpkin sweets. As always if you have a favorite recipe please post (or link) it in the comments. Also, if you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in the next few weeks let me know. I plan on researching vegan cookies and chocolate pies, but I am open to suggestions!
Below are the best recipes I could find for vegan pumpkin sweets. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Pie with Dairy-Free Maple Whip
Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Oatmeal (use soymilk and margarine)
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Thanks to Flickr user kd bug for the photo below.
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See you next week!
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Now Playing: Live in Boston by Fleetwood Mac.
| Ben is a graduate student at NCSU studying Crop Science with an emphasis on Sustainable Agriculture. Official foodie credentials are non-existent, other than the fact that he has been cooking for himself since he was 12 years old. You can find his personal blog at bengarland.com, photos and videos at bengarland's Flickr photostream, and his plans for a self-constructed earthen home and organic farm over at Our Farm Adventure. |
A couple of weeks ago, I went to Minnesota for the first time. I had never been to the Midwest, but one of my best friends was getting married, and so I headed out to Minneapolis and hung out for a week.
Every region in the States seems to have its own chains. Pharmacies vary from Walgreens to CVS to Duane Reade to Rite-Aid, supermarkets can be Cub, A and P, King Kullen. Fast food is the same way. I know no one aside from people who have been to upstate New York who has ever been to a Roy Rodgers. Tim Hortons is reserved to Canada and those states close to it. For Midwesterners, the place of choice is Culver's.
Culver's is famous for its butter burger (a burger fried up in real butter) and its frozen custard: one of my best friends from high school swore by Culver's frozen custard and claimed it was better than any ice cream she'd ever had.
I can't vouch for any of these things, but I can say that they sell an amazing alternative to mozzarella sticks: deep fried cheese curds.
Yep, those little orange and white balls that sometimes appear atop poutine and that I received once as a gift from the same aforementioned Wisconsin buddy are coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried to create the perfect snack. Much better than french fries, in my humble opinion.
If you ever find yourself near a Culver's, I recommend checking these out. Does anyone else have any regional fast food joints that make something ten times better than what the local McDonald's and Burger King offer?
emiglia
Tomato Kumato
When I posted the tart cherry crepe recipe last week, I mentioned the luscious homemade ice cream that accompanied it. But real French-style ice cream, like what I had at The Washington Hotel, is a two-day process.
Since we all have different time tolerances, I present you with three vanilla ice cream recipes -- one for every level of patience.
For the gourmet who plans ahead, the recipe below is courtesy of Leah Caplan, owner / chef at The Washington Hotel in Wisconsin. It's a full-blown, proper, richer-than-Bill-Gates, custard-based French ice cream. The texture is pure silk and you won't taste anything more decadent. If you can't get fresh lemon balm, skip the infusion, but real cream, fresh eggs and a vanilla bean are essential.
For those who scream for ice cream and want it sooner than the day after tomorrow, I've posted a Philadelphia-style vanilla ice cream on my blog. Slightly less creamy, this version takes much less time since it has no eggs. You still need to chill the cream base and churn, but if you have a hankering at lunch, you can enjoy fresh ice cream for dessert after dinner. To be decadent, I'm jazzing it up with a pecan brittle recipe that comes courtesy of Cheryl Sternman Rule, a food writer and recipe developer who could give up her day job to photograph food.
For those in a real rush, Cheryl has created a super-fast macadamia brittle ice cream. No ice cream maker required. How easy is that?
So pick an ice cream, any ice cream, grab a spoon and enjoy the frozen dessert of your choice.
Washington Hotel Lemon Balm Ice Cream
Makes 1 1/2 quarts
3359 views • Categories: British This past Saturday, whilst doing our planning for meals in the week ahead, Tara threw me a suggestion. "How about Bangers and Mash?" She gave me a suggestion and I ran with it, although, truth be told, there wasn't much running to be done.
I'll admit my ignorance here. While I've had bangers before (at an Irish Pub where they served an English breakfast), and was aware of the general concept of "Bangers and Mash" (Sausage and Mashed potatoes), I never really gave it much thought beyond that point. I didn't know if there was some special ingredient that had to be added, or even if I was supped to combine the Bangers and Mash together into a melange of pork and potatoes that somehow became popular amongst the folks of the British Isles.
So when I asked my Manager at work about the dish, she gave a bit of a chuckle. "No, it's pretty much as it sounds. But you should get some brown sauce. Oh, and although I can't recommend this, canned mushy peas are traditionally served with them."
Mushy Peas? Canned? Oh lordy, what had I gotten myself into?
In the end, I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to be that authentic. Canned peas are so bad they make the Baby Jesus cry. Canned mushy peas would have Mary call up the doctor and ask if the Baby Jesus was colic. I made the green beans in their stead.
I also was able to find Brown sauce without any difficulty. Redmond has a store called The British Pantry where one can find many imported British foodstuffs, including HP Brown Sauce. The best way to describe Brown Sauce is that it's a less spicy A.1. Steak Sauce. It is also an item of great joy for some, and great sadness for others.
I also picked up some egg custard for desert, as well as three British Candy Bars that are uncommon here in the States. A Yorkie, a Turkish Delight, and a Curly Wurly.
Overall, the candy bars were the biggest winner of the night. While the bangers were okay, and it is likely that I will have them again, it was difficult to muster up any sort of passion for the meal. Bangers and Mash as a meal, seem to be the British equivalent of meatloaf here in the States. They can be good, and are appreciated by many, but it's difficult to see anyone waxing poetic about either meal, or writing a song about them.
Brown sauce, on the other hand, is a different story entirely.
UPDDATED: Better terminology added
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